Death and life walk side by side in Native American teachings. These wise words from American Indian elders and leaders show us how to face both with open hearts.
For many Native American tribes, death is not an end but a change. It is seen as part of the great circle of life. Their wisdom teaches us that everything—from the smallest insect to the tallest mountain—has meaning and purpose.
American Indian thoughts about life and death often speak of nature. They see lessons in flowing rivers, soaring eagles, and changing seasons. These natural cycles help explain the human journey from birth to death.
When facing big questions about why we are here and what happens when we die, Native American wisdom offers simple but deep answers.
Their words remind us to live fully, respect all living things, and understand that our time on earth is both short and precious.
These quotes from various tribes share ancient knowledge that still speaks to us today. They help us find peace with the mystery of death and discover deeper meaning in everyday life.
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American Indian Quotes on Life and Meaning
- “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
- “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
- “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
- “A good soldier is a poor scout.” ~ Cheyenne
- “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
Native American Indian Quotes on Life and Death
- “Most of us do not look as handsome to others as we do to ourselves.” – Assiniboine
- “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
- “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
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The Quotes from Native Americans Proverb
- Peace comes within the souls of men, when they realize their oneness with the Universe, when they realize it is really everywhere… it is within each one of us. – Native Americans Proverb
- 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. – Native Americans Proverb
- Things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life. He is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. – Native Americans Proverb
- Take only memories, leave nothing but footprints. – Chief Seattle
- When you die, you will be spoken of as those in the sky, like the stars. – Yurok
- God gives us each a song. – Ute
- With all things and in all things, we are relatives.- Sioux
- It is no longer good enough to cry peace, we must act peace, live peace and live in peace.- Shenandoah
- We are made from Mother Earth and we go back to Mother Earth.- Shenandoah
- Do not wrong or hate your neighbor for it is not he that you wrong but yourself. – Pima
- We are all one child spinning through Mother Sky. – Shawnee
- Ask questions from your heart and you will be answered from the heart. – Omaha
- To touch the earth is to have harmony with nature. – Oglala Sioux
- The soul would have no rainbow if the eye had no tears.
- Regard Heaven as your father, Earth as your Mother and all things as your Brothers and Sisters.
- Remember that your children are not your own, but are lent to you by the Creator. – Mohawk
- Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past, Wisdom is of the future. – Lumbee
- Everything the power does, it does in a circle. – Lakota
- The rainbow is a sign from Him who is in all things. – Hopi
- Wisdom comes only when you stop looking for it and start living the life the Creator intended for you. – Hopi
- The rain falls on the just and the unjust. – Hopi
- All dreams spin out from the same web. – Hopi
- There is no death, only a change of worlds. – Duwamish
- You already possess everything necessary to become great. – Crow
- Man’s law changes with his understanding of man. Only the laws of the spirit remain always the same. – Crow
- When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, he world cries and you rejoice. – Cherokee
- Before eating, always take time to thank the food. – Arapaho
- Take only what you need and leave the land as you found it. – Arapaho
- A people without history is like wind on the buffalo grass. – Sioux
- Every animal knows more than you do. – Nez Perce
- If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in yourself. – Minquass
- Man has responsibility, not power. – Tuscarora
- Do unto others as you would they should do unto you. – Pima
- Do right and fear no man. – Pima
- Life is not separate from death. It only looks that way. – Blackfoot
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