Cherokee Sayings: Wisdom and Insights from an Ancient Native American Culture
Listen with your heart, you will understand.
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.
Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.
There is no death, only a change of worlds.
Take only what you need and leave the land as you found it.
We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.
Those who tell the stories rule the world.
One rain does not make a crop.
It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.
Respect the rights of all tribes.
The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears.
We are all one child spinning through Mother Sky.
All plants are our brothers and sisters. They talk to us and if we listen, we can hear them.
The bird who has eaten cannot fly with the bird that is hungry.
Sharing and giving are the ways of God.
Life is not separate from death. It only looks that way.
The frog does not drink up the pond in which it lives.
Our first teacher is our own heart.
There is a battle of two wolves inside us all. One is evil, it is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies and ego. The other is good, it is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy and truth. The wolf that wins? The one you feed.
You already possess everything necessary to become great.
Listen with your heart, understand with kindness.
The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears.
The river flows, but it follows the path of the earth.
Death is a path that must be walked, but the tracks we leave behind are ours to choose.
Respect all creatures, for we are of the same stardust.
Nothing is as beautiful as the loveliness of the woods before sunrise.
Life is the journey, wisdom is the path.
Those who have one foot in the canoe and one foot on the shore are going to fall into the river.
Insight comes to a man when he walks and listens to the song of his heart.
When a fox walks lame, the old rabbit jumps.
Do not judge your neighbor until you walk two moons in his moccasins.
The bird who has eaten cannot fly with the bird that is hungry.
Cherish youth, but trust old age.
There is no greater honor than being trusted.
Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as true strength.
Once a decision is made, do not turn back, do not regret it.
Every dawn is a new opportunity to dance with life.
Kindness and truth are sisters walking the same path.
Man’s law changes over time. The Creator’s laws never change.
He who plants a seed beneath the sod and waits to watch it push through the earth, he believes in God.
Do not judge your neighbor until you walk two moons in his moccasins.
The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears.
The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives.
Listen with your heart, understand with kindness.
Don’t allow your tongue to tell a lie; it makes your soul become ugly.
We are all one child spinning through Mother Sky.
The world is a mirror; what you see in others can also be found in you.
You can’t wake a person who is pretending to be asleep.
Remember, when you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you’re the one smiling and everyone around you is crying.
Corn cannot expect justice from a court composed of chickens.
It is not the arrow but the intention that kills.
Life is the fire that burns and the sun that gives light. Life is the wind and the rain and the thunder in the sky. Life is matter and is earth, what is and what is not, and what beyond is in Eternity.
When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die the world cries and you rejoice.
There is no death, only a change of worlds.
Those who have one foot in the canoe, and one foot in the boat, are going to fall into the river.
Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
Every step you take should be a prayer. If every step you take is a prayer, then you will always be walking in a sacred manner.
Wisdom comes only when you stop looking for it and start living the life the Creator intended for you.
Follow the rhythm of your heart, heart takes you to the destination, where your goodness dwells.
An enemy who is absent a threat.