57 Classy Native American Quotes and Sayings
In this post, you will find famous Native American quotes and sayings.
Table of Contents
Short Native American Sayings
“A brave man dies but once, a coward many times.” —Iowa
“Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.” —Native American
“One does not sell the land people walk on.” —Crazy Horse
“There is no death. Only a change of worlds.” —Seattle
“In an eagle there is all the wisdom of the world.” —Lame Deer
“The old ones say you can feel your spirit during a vision quest.” —Dianne Harman
“A frog does not drink up the pond in which it lives.” —American Proverb
“Our first teacher is our own heart.” —Native American
“The Holy Land is everywhere.” —Black Elk
“Day and night cannot dwell together.” —Duwamish
“It does not require many words to speak the truth.” —Chief Joseph
“I represent more Native Americans than anyone else in Congress.” —Rick Renzi
“The weakness of the enemy makes our strength.” —Cherokee
“There is but one secret to success: never give up.” —Ben Nighthorse Campbell
“Everyone who is successful must have dreamed of something.” —Maricopa
“The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears.” —Minquass Proverb
“We travel only as far and as high as our hearts will take us.” —Unknown
“Don’t be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts.” —Hopi
“Where no one intrudes, many can live in harmony.” —Chief Dan George
“Live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.” —Chief Tecumseh
“Be gentle as the spring rain.” —Native American
“You can buy history, but you can’t buy a culture.” —Nathan Mirts
“Most of us do not look as handsome to others as we do to ourselves.” —Assiniboine
“Lose your temper and you lose a friend; lie and you lose yourself.” —Hopi
Native American Sayings
“In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.” —Iroquois Maxim
“Grown men can learn from very little children for the hearts of the little children are pure.” —Black Elk
“I always see America as really belonging to the Native Americans. Even though I’m American, I still feel like a visitor in my own country.” —Nicolas Cage
“May the stars carry your sadness away, May the flowers fill your heart with beauty, May hope forever wipe away your tears, and, above all, may silence make you strong.” —Chief Dan George
“To be native to a place we must learn to speak its language.” —Robin Wall Kimmerer
“I salute the Light within your eyes, where the whole Universe dwells.” —Native American
“Children learn from what they see. We need to set an example of truth and action.” —Howard Rainer
“The ground on which we stand is sacred ground. It is the blood of our ancestors.” —Alaxchíia Ahú
“People tend to forget that in our country, we’d pretty much all be immigrants, except for the Native Americans.” —Amy Bloom
“Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture your heart.” —Native American
“Be careful when speaking. You create the world around you with your words.” —Diné
“When the Earth is sick, the animals will begin to disappear, when that happens, The Warriors of the Rainbow will come to save them.” —Chief Seattle
“Everyone who’s born in the Western Hemisphere is a Native American. We are all Native Americans.” —Russell Means
“The land is sacred. These words are at the core of your being. The land is our mother, the rivers our blood. Take our land away and we die. That is, the Indian in us dies.” —Mary Brave Bird
“Abuse no one and nothing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.” —Chief Tecumseh
“Our land is everything to us. I will tell you one of the things we remember on our land. We remember that our grandfathers paid for it – with their lives.” —John Wooden Legs
“Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.” —Chief Tecumseh
“No Statue of Liberty ever greeted our arrival in this country. We did not, in fact, come to the United States at all. The United States came to us.” —Luis Valdez
“I was warmed by the sun, rocked by the winds and sheltered by the trees as other Indian babes. I can go everywhere with a good feeling.” —Geronimo
“If this earth should ever be destroyed, it will be by desire, by the lust of pleasure and self-gratification.” —Lame Deer
“True leadership is only possible when character is more important than authority.” —Joseph Marshall
“We are going by you without fighting if you will let us, but we are going by you anyhow.” —Chief Joseph
“When a white army battles Indians and wins, it is called a great victory, but if they lose it is called a massacre.” —Chiksika
“Those who have one foot in the canoe, and one foot on the shore, are going to fall into the river.” —Tuscarora
“Although we are in different boats, you in your boat and we in our canoe, we share the same river of life.” —Chief Oren Lyons
“Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.” —Native American
“In my tradition, to be noble is to give to those who have less. It is an issue of service and leadership.” —Norbert Hill
“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.” —Native American
“It almost seems that nobody can hate America as much as native Americans. America needs new immigrants to love and cherish it.” —Eric Hoffer
“I would have been better pleased if you had never made such promises than that you should have made them and not performed them.” —Shinguaconse
“When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life, so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.” —White Elk
“It’s impossible to write about Native life without humor, that’s how people maintain sanity.” —Chris Eyre
“Let us put our minds together and see what future we can make for our children.” —Chief Joseph
Top Ten Native American Sayings
You will find here top ten Native American sayings selected by our team.
- “Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.” —Native American
- “Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.” —Native American
- “May the stars carry your sadness away, May the flowers fill your heart with beauty, May hope forever wipe away your tears, and, above all, may silence make you strong.” —Chief Dan George
- “A frog does not drink up the pond in which it lives.” —American Proverb
- “Children learn from what they see. We need to set an example of truth and action.” —Howard Rainer
- “Our first teacher is our own heart.” —Native American
- “Be careful when speaking. You create the world around you with your words.” —Diné
- “Don’t be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts.” —Hopi
- “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.” —Native American
- “You can buy history, but you can’t buy a culture.” —Nathan Mirts
