Native American Proverbs and Wisdom
by Liz Olson
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With a long history, rich culture, and more than 300 spoken languages, the wisdom of Native American tribes has been passed down through the centuries.
Don't be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts. - Hopi
Day and night cannot dwell together. - Duwamish
It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand. - Apache
They are not dead who live in the hearts they leave behind. - Tuscarora
All plants are our brothers and sisters. They talk to us and if we listen, we can hear them. - Arapaho
Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand. - Tribe Unknown.
When we show our respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us. - Arapaho
If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come. - Arapaho
Most of us do not look as handsome to others as we do to ourselves. - Assiniboine
What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. - Blackfoot
When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. - Cherokee
Those who have one foot in the canoe, and one foot in the boat, are going to fall into the river. - Tuscarora
The weakness of the enemy makes our strength. - Cherokee
When the white man discovered this country Indians were running it. No taxes no debt, women did all the work. White man thought he could improve on a system like this. - Cherokee
A good soldier is a poor scout. - Cheyenne
We will be known forever by the tracks we leave. - Dakota
Do not judge your neighbor until you walk two moons in his moccasins. - Cheyenne
There is nothing as eloquent as a rattlesnake’s tail. - Navajo
Force, no matter how concealed, begets resistance. - Lakota
Our first teacher is our own heart. - Cheyenne
Everyone who is successful must have dreamed of something. - Maricopa
All who have died are equal. - Comanche
What the people believe is true. - Anishinabe
You can't wake a person who is pretending to be asleep. - Navajo
Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark. - Cheyenne
He who would do great things should not attempt them all alone. - Seneca
If a man is as wise as a serpent, he can afford to be as harmless as a dove. - Cheyenne
A brave man dies but once, a coward many times. - Iowa
When a man moves away from nature his heart becomes hard. - Lakota
- More from American Indian Heritage Month
