A well-known proverb says to respect your ancestors, for you are the result of a thousand loves.
And some of the most important sayings come from our elders (and ancestors) after we’ve learned a life lesson. In our lifetime, the culmination of these lessons give us the wisdom we need to teach our children greater lessons.
Here are 22 quotes or proverbs from Native Americans on wisdom:
1- “Old age is not as honorable as death, but most people want it.” -- Crow
2- “Do not judge your neighbor until you walk two moons in his moccasins.” -- Cheyenne
3- “By listening to the inner self and following one's instincts and intuitions, a person may be guided to safety.” -- Dr. A.C. Ross (Ehanamani), Lakota
4- “If a man is as wise as a serpent, he can afford to be as harmless as a dove.” — Cheyenne
5- “There is no death, only a change of worlds.” -- Duwamish
6- “Don't be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts.” — Hopi
7- “His grandfather had often told him that he tried too hard to move trees when a wiser man would walk around them.” ― Patricia Briggs, Hunting Ground
8- “You already possess everything necessary to become great.” — Native American proverb
9-“When we show our respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us.” -- Arapaho
10-“Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark.” -- Cheyenne
11- “Those who have one foot in the canoe, and one foot in the boat, are going to fall into the river.” -- Tuscarora
12- "It is not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing." - A Moccasin Maker
13- The woman spirit comes from the east, where the sun rises, where our warmth and vision starts. And the spirit of women brings that warmth into the home.Here in the east is the beginning of all life, when the spirit is conceived and gifted to the womb of the mother-to-be. Cree Wisdom
14- We are all flowers in the Great Spirit's garden. We share a common root, and the root is Mother Earth. The garden is beautiful because it has different colors in it, and those colors represent different traditions and cultural backgrounds. Grandfather David Monongye- Hopi Elder
15- “ We do not go into ceremony, and talk about Great Mystery. We go into the ceremony to talk to Great Mystery.” -Chief Quanah Parker
16- We know from our ancient teachings that the sacred eagle of humanity has two perfectly balanced and harmonious wings; one representing woman, and one representing man. In our relationships as women and men, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, we must join together to eliminate all forms of disrespect, mistreatment, or lack of sharing in the responsibility of raising the world's children. It is our deepest prayer that with every new sunrise, we can recognize more and more that the most sacred and holy of all the wonderful ceremonies and gifts that the Creator has given us is the birth of child, and that everything we can do to provide our children and communities the best possible future is a sacred gift and responsibility. Native American wisdom
17- We are not above or below others in the circle of life. We feel humbled when we understand our relationship with Creation. We are so small compared to the majestic expanse of Creation, just a “strand in the web of life.” Understanding this helps us to respect and value life. Native American wisdom
18- To sustain our spirituality, we need to walk it every day. Not just sometimes, but every day. It’s not just once a week; it’s your life. Cree
19- Being spiritual is remembering. It is remembering that the first thing that was gifted to you when you came into being was the spirit.So we need to remember where we came from and the gifts that were given to us as human beings. You will fall, and you will have to get up. Maybe you’ll need to crawl a little bit, but you will get up and walk again like a newborn Cree Wisdom
20- Observe the spider carefully What you do to the web of life, you do to yourself View stars on a moonless night To know there is light in the darkest of times Pursue an eye for an eye And you may be blinded first Native American proverb
21- "What is this you call property? It cannot be the earth, for the land is our mother, nourishing all her children, beasts, birds, fish and all men. The woods, the streams, everything on it belongs to everybody and is for the use of all. How can one man say it belongs only to him?" -Massasoit
22- You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunlight into our hearts. Cochise ("Like Ironweed") - Chiricahua Chief
And some of the most important sayings come from our elders (and ancestors) after we’ve learned a life lesson. In our lifetime, the culmination of these lessons give us the wisdom we need to teach our children greater lessons.
Here are 22 quotes or proverbs from Native Americans on wisdom:
1- “Old age is not as honorable as death, but most people want it.” -- Crow
2- “Do not judge your neighbor until you walk two moons in his moccasins.” -- Cheyenne
3- “By listening to the inner self and following one's instincts and intuitions, a person may be guided to safety.” -- Dr. A.C. Ross (Ehanamani), Lakota
4- “If a man is as wise as a serpent, he can afford to be as harmless as a dove.” — Cheyenne
5- “There is no death, only a change of worlds.” -- Duwamish
6- “Don't be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts.” — Hopi
7- “His grandfather had often told him that he tried too hard to move trees when a wiser man would walk around them.” ― Patricia Briggs, Hunting Ground
8- “You already possess everything necessary to become great.” — Native American proverb
9-“When we show our respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us.” -- Arapaho
10-“Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark.” -- Cheyenne
11- “Those who have one foot in the canoe, and one foot in the boat, are going to fall into the river.” -- Tuscarora
12- "It is not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing." - A Moccasin Maker
13- The woman spirit comes from the east, where the sun rises, where our warmth and vision starts. And the spirit of women brings that warmth into the home.Here in the east is the beginning of all life, when the spirit is conceived and gifted to the womb of the mother-to-be. Cree Wisdom
14- We are all flowers in the Great Spirit's garden. We share a common root, and the root is Mother Earth. The garden is beautiful because it has different colors in it, and those colors represent different traditions and cultural backgrounds. Grandfather David Monongye- Hopi Elder
15- “ We do not go into ceremony, and talk about Great Mystery. We go into the ceremony to talk to Great Mystery.” -Chief Quanah Parker
16- We know from our ancient teachings that the sacred eagle of humanity has two perfectly balanced and harmonious wings; one representing woman, and one representing man. In our relationships as women and men, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, we must join together to eliminate all forms of disrespect, mistreatment, or lack of sharing in the responsibility of raising the world's children. It is our deepest prayer that with every new sunrise, we can recognize more and more that the most sacred and holy of all the wonderful ceremonies and gifts that the Creator has given us is the birth of child, and that everything we can do to provide our children and communities the best possible future is a sacred gift and responsibility. Native American wisdom
17- We are not above or below others in the circle of life. We feel humbled when we understand our relationship with Creation. We are so small compared to the majestic expanse of Creation, just a “strand in the web of life.” Understanding this helps us to respect and value life. Native American wisdom
18- To sustain our spirituality, we need to walk it every day. Not just sometimes, but every day. It’s not just once a week; it’s your life. Cree
19- Being spiritual is remembering. It is remembering that the first thing that was gifted to you when you came into being was the spirit.So we need to remember where we came from and the gifts that were given to us as human beings. You will fall, and you will have to get up. Maybe you’ll need to crawl a little bit, but you will get up and walk again like a newborn Cree Wisdom
20- Observe the spider carefully What you do to the web of life, you do to yourself View stars on a moonless night To know there is light in the darkest of times Pursue an eye for an eye And you may be blinded first Native American proverb
21- "What is this you call property? It cannot be the earth, for the land is our mother, nourishing all her children, beasts, birds, fish and all men. The woods, the streams, everything on it belongs to everybody and is for the use of all. How can one man say it belongs only to him?" -Massasoit
22- You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunlight into our hearts. Cochise ("Like Ironweed") - Chiricahua Chief
Gosto muito dos provérbios, das imagens e das fotografias!
So touched by this deep, essential and universal wisdom.