Jessica Crabtree

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes in inside people.

He said, “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

“The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied,

“The one you feed.”

Lose your temper and you lose a friend; lie and you lose yourself. (Hopi)

Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today. (Cherokee)

Man has responsibility, not power. (Tuscarora)

The one who tells the stories rules the world. (Hopi)

A rocky vineyard does not need a prayer, but a pick axe. (Navajo)

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)

You may have noticed the Cheyenne proverb in the footer of my page template (I had quite a time deciding from among my favorites which one to use).  Here are some more bits of wisdom from all across Native America.

It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand. (Apache)

Do not hate or wrong your neighbor for it is not he that you wrong but yourself. (Pima)

One finger cannot lift a pebble. (Hopi)

It is less of a problem to be poor, than to be dishonest. (Anishinabe)

A people without a history is like the wind blowing over buffalo grass. (Lakota)

You already possess everything necessary to become great. (Crow)

Life is not separate from death. It only looks that way. (Blackfoot)

He who would do great things should not attempt them alone. (Seneca)

Listen! or your tongue will keep you deaf. (Cree)