Native American Indian Inspirational Quotes:

The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.

topic: Stars, Flower, Condolences, Indian Wisdom, Spiritual Teaching

Quotation Chief Joseph It does not require many words to speak the truth Quotes

If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace.....Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers. The Earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.......Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade....where I choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself, and I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty.

topic: Inspirational, Wisdom, Peace, Spirit And Soul, Elders

The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass, they speak to me. The summit of the mountain, the thunder of the sky, the rhythm of the sea, speaks to me. The faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning, the dewdrop on the flower, speaks to me. The strength of the fire, the taste of the salmon, the trail of the sun, and the life that never goes away, they speak to me. And my heart soars.

source: Lincoln Hall Speech in Washington D.C., January 14, 1879.

topic: Mother, Teacher, Brother, Indian, Indian Wisdom

It does not require many words to speak the truth.

source: Chief Dan George, “My Heart Soars”

topic: Nature, Morning, Stars, Indian Wisdom, Softness

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself...

topic: Truth, Native American, Reality, Indian Wisdom, Broken Promises

Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.

source: "A Sourcebook for Earth's Community of Religions". Book by Joel Diederik Beversluis, 1993.

topic: Lonely, Morning, Lying, Indian, Joy Of Living

Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.

source: "A Sourcebook for Earth's Community of Religions". Book by Joel Diederik Beversluis, 1993.

topic: Love You, Perfect, Love Your Life, Indian, Indian Tribes

- Crazy Horse

topic: Children, Parent, Earth, Indian Wisdom, Spiritual Indian

All things share the same breath - the beast, the tree, the man... the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports.

- Chief Seattle

source: Seattle (Chief) (1976). “Chief Seattle's Testimony”

topic: Native American, Men, Air, Indian Wisdom, Seattle

Grown men may learn from very little children, for the hearts of little children are pure, and, therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss.

Help me always to speak the truth quietly, to listen with an open mind when others speak, and to remember the peace that may be found in silence.

source: "The Sacred Pipe : Black Elk's Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux" recorded and edited by Joseph Epes Brown, 1953.

topic: Children, Native American, Heart, Indian Wisdom, Spiritual Indian

- Robert Muller

topic: Attitude, Silence, Mind, Spiritual Indian, Elders

We do not want riches, we want peace and love.

- Red Cloud

topic: Love, Peace, Want, Indian Wisdom, Peace Love

The American Indian is of the soil, whether it be the region of forests, plains, pueblos, or mesas. He fits into the landscape, for the hand that fashioned the continent also fashioned the man for his surroundings. He once grew as naturally as the wild sunflowers, he belongs just as the buffalo belonged....

- Luther Standing Bear

source: Luther Standing Bear (2006). “Land of the Spotted Eagle”, p.247, U of Nebraska Press

topic: Native American, Men, Hands, American Landscape, Native American Dream

What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the winter time. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the Sunset.

- Crowfoot

topic: Life, Running, Nature, Indian Tribes, Indian Wisdom

Traditional people of Indian nations have interpreted the two roads that face the light-skinned race as the road to technology and the road to spirituality. We feel that the road to technology.... has led modern society to a damaged and seared earth. Could it be that the road to technology represents a rush to destruction, and that the road to spirituality represents the slower path that the traditional native people have traveled and are now seeking again? The earth is not scorched on this trail. The grass is still growing there.

- William Commanda

topic: Native American, Technology, Light, Spiritual Indian, Two Roads

Don't let yesterday use up too much of today.

- Will Rogers

topic: Inspirational, Motivational, Moving On, Indian, Indian Wisdom

How smooth must be the language of the whites, when they can make right look like wrong, and wrong like right.

- Black Hawk

source: Black Hawk, John B. Patterson (1836). “Life of Ma-Ka-Tai-Me-She-Kia-Kiak, or Black Hawk: With an account of the late war”, p.97

topic: Native American, Looks, Language, Native Language, Indigenous

A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, The one I feed the most.

- George Bernard Shaw

topic: Motivational, Dog, Struggle, Good Dog, Inner Struggle

Each man is good in His sight. It is not necessary for eagles to be crows.

- Sitting Bull

topic: Fake People, Native American, Men, Indian, Indian Wisdom

The time will soon be here when my grandchild will long for the cry of a loon, the flash of a salmon, the whisper of spruce needles, or the screech of an eagle. But he will not make friends with any of these creatures and when his heart aches with longing, he will curse me. Have I done all to keep the air fresh? Have I cared enough about the water? Have I left the eagle to soar in freedom? Have I done everything I could to earn my grandchild's fondness?

Everything on the earth has a purpose, every disease and herb to cure it, and every person a mission. This is the Indian theory of existence.

topic: Native American, Heart, Grandchildren, American Indian, Great Spirit

- Mourning Dove

source: Mourning Dove (1994). “Mourning Dove: A Salishan Autobiography”, p.69, U of Nebraska Press

topic: Marijuana, Earth, Disease, Indian Wisdom, American Spirit

The power of the world always works in circles.

Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.

topic: Circles, World, Indian, Indian Wisdom, Spiritual Indian

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide

topic: Song, Hero, Home, Indian Tribes, Meaningful Death

All men were made by the Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers.

source: "A Sourcebook for Earth's Community of Religions". Book by Joel Diederik Beversluis, 1993.

topic: Song, Love You, Heart, Indian Tribes, Indian Wisdom

Everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the power of the world always works in circles, and everything tries to be round. In the old days when we were a strong and happy people, all our power came to us from the sacred hoop of the nation, and so long as the hoop was unbroken the people flourished.

topic: Brother, Reality, Men, Indian, Indian Wisdom

Like the grasses showing tender faces to each other, thus should we do, for this was the wish of the Grandfathers of the World.

source: Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

topic: Strong, Circles, Long, Indian Wisdom, Spiritual Indian

He who would do great things should not attempt them all alone.

topic: Native American, Grandfather, Wish, Spiritual Indian, Native America

- Seneca the Younger

topic: Native American, American Indian, All Alone, Great Native American, Native American Indian

Where no one intrudes, many can live in harmony.

I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world. And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being. And I saw that the sacred hoop of my people was one of many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all children of one mother and one father. And I saw that it was holy.

topic: Native American, Harmony, Native, Indian Wisdom, Great Native American

Birds make their nest in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours.

source: "Black Elk Speaks". Book by John Gneisenau Neihardt, 1932.

topic: Mother, Children, Father, Mother Earth, Flowering Trees

From where the sun now stands I will fight no more.

topic: Circles, Bird, Religion, Cherokee, Native American Dream

Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view and demand that they respect yours.

topic: Fighting, Sun, Indian Culture, Native America, Native American Dream

[last words] What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night.

source: "A Sourcebook for Earth's Community of Religions". Book by Joel Diederik Beversluis, 1993.

topic: Native American, Views, Demand, Indian Wisdom, Spiritual Indian

- Crowfoot

source: "Aging in the Modern World: Selections from the Literature of Aging for Pleasure and Instruction". Book by ‎Clark Tibbitts, p. 222, 1957.

topic: Sunset, Native American, Firefly, Indian Tribes, Spiritual Indian

Only to the white man was nature a "wilderness" and only to him was the land "infested" with "wild" animals and "savage" people. To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery. Not until the hairy man from the east came and with brutal frenzy heaped injustices upon us and the families that we loved was it "wild" for us. When the very animals of the forest began fleeing from his approach, then it was that for us the "Wild West" began.

- Luther Standing Bear

source: Luther Standing Bear (2006). “Land of the Spotted Eagle”, p.38, U of Nebraska Press

topic: Men, Animal, Blessing, Man And Nature, Lakota

There is no death, only a change of worlds.

- Chief Seattle

source: Albert Furtwangler, Chief Seattle (1997). “Answering Chief Seattle”, p.25, University of Washington Press

topic: Change, Native American, Psychics, Indian Wisdom, Meaningful Death

The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours...

And I say the sacred hoop of my people was one of the many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother and one father.

source: Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

topic: Stars, Native American, Wind, Indian Wisdom, Cherokee

I am poor and naked, but I am the chief of the nation. We do not want riches but we do want to train our children right. Riches would do us no good. We could not take them with us to the other world. We do not want riches. We want peace and love.

topic: Mother, Children, Father, Flowering, Plant A Tree

- Red Cloud

topic: Love, Life, Peace, Indian, Indian Wisdom

When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home.

I saw more than I can tell / And I understood more than I saw.

source: "A Sourcebook for Earth's Community of Religions". Book by Joel Diederik Beversluis, 1993.

topic: Life, Death, Wisdom, Indian Wisdom, Meaningful Death