You found our list of the best indigenous Heritage Month quotes.
Indigenous Heritage Month takes place in November in the United States. This occasion is a month-long celebration of the achievements and contributions of individuals of Indigenous descent and the Native American community. This event is also known as Native American Heritage Month and American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.
These phrases are a subset of inspirational quotes for work and are also useful to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day.
This post contains:
- Indigenous quotes about life
- Native American resilience quotes
- quotes by Indigenous leaders
- Native American proverbs
Here we go!
Indigenous quotes about life
- “You’re not selfish for wanting to be treated well.” – Jason Momoa
- “I promised myself a long time ago that I would lead an interesting life.” – Sacheen Littlefeather
- “Don’t live up to your stereotypes.” – Sherman Alexie
- “Humans are vulnerable and rely on the kindnesses of the earth and the sun; we exist together in a sacred field of meaning.” – Joy Harjo
- “Love won’t be tampered with, love won’t go away. Push it to one side and it creeps to the other.” – Louise Erdrich
- “When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.” – Jimi Hendrix
- “If anything at all, perfection is not when there is nothing to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Maria Tallchief
- “This life is more than just a read through.” – Anthony Kiedis
- “There are no dreams too large, no innovation unimaginable and no frontiers beyond our reach.” – John S. Herrington
- “If you believe in the power of words, you can bring about physical changes in the universe.” – N. Scott Momaday
- “I like to be able to raise people’s consciousness, yes. And to remind that those of us involved in the receiving end of the oppression, we have a duty.” – Wes Studi
- “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” – Chief Seattle
- “Wisdom and peace come when you start living the life the creator intended for you.” – Geronimo
- “Sometimes dreams are wiser than waking.” – Black Elk
- “The world was made of stories, nothing else, just stories, and stories about stories.” – Tommy Orange
- “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” – Will Rogers
Native American resilience quotes
- “A single twig breaks, but the bundle of twigs is strong.” – Tecumseh
- “The secret of our success is that we never, never give up.” – Wilma Mankiller
- “You have to go through those mountains and valleys – because that’s what life is: soul growth.” – Wayne Newton
- “I never was content unless I was trying my skill…or testing my endurance.” – Jim Thorpe
- “There is but one secret to success: never give up.” – Ben Nighthorse Campbell
- “I shall always fight good and hard, even if I have to fight alone.” – Susan La Flesche Picotte
- “Show respect to all people, but grovel to none.” – Tecumseh
- “I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive.” – Geronimo
- “If we must die, we die defending our rights.” – Sitting Bull
- “You might as well expect rivers to run backwards as any man born free to be contented penned up.” – Chief Joseph
- “Upon suffering beyond suffering, the Red Nation shall rise again, and it shall be a blessing for a sick world. A world filled with broken promises, selfishness and separations. A world longing for light again.” – Crazy Horse
- “All Indians must dance, everywhere keep on dancing.” – Wovoka
- “Let our last sleep be in the graves of our natvite land!” – Osceola
- “I care not what people say of me so long as I do right. I shall never be any man’s slave.” – Running Eagle
- “I’m Indian all the way and always will be. I’m not going to stop fighting until I die, and I hope I’m a good example of a human being and of my tribe.” – Anna Mae Aquash
Quotes by Indigenous leaders
- “Strong alliances can thrive even where disagreements exist, but they cannot thrive where free and open communication is shut down.” – Sharice Davids
- “November is Native American Heritage month, and a good time to honor the legacy of our ancestors, but every day we should stop to think about our country’s beginning and that the United States would not exist if not for a great deal of sacrifice, blood, and tears by Indian Tribes across the country.” – Deb Haaland
- “Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children.” – Sitting Bull
- “We do not want riches, we want peace and love.” – Red Cloud
- “You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunlight into our hearts.” – Cochise
- “It does not require many words to speak the truth.” – Chief Joseph
- “Tribes don’t need Congressmembers’ sympathy. What tribes need is for us to properly exercise our duty.” – Sharice Davids
- “The Earth does not belong to us: we belong to the Earth.” – Chief Seattle
- “While living I want to live well.” – Geronimo
- “There can never be peace between nations until there is first known that true peace which is within the souls of men.” – Black Elk
- “The path to glory is rough, and many gloomy hours obscure it.” – Black Hawk
- “Although wrongs have been done to me, I live in hopes.” – Black Kettle
- “Amazing the things you find when you bother to search for them.” -Sacagawea
- “Man’s heart away from nature becomes hard.” -Standing Bear
- “Bias and prejudice are attitudes to be kept in hand, not attitudes to be avoided.” – Charles Curtis
Native American proverbs
- “All dreams spin out from the same web.” – Hopi Tribe
- “We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.” – Dakota Tribe
- “It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand.” – Apache Tribe
- “If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come.” – Arapaho Tribe
- “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 Tribe
- “Our first teacher is our own heart.” – Cheyenne Tribe
- “One rain does not make a crop.” – Creole Tribe
- “You can’t wake a person who is pretending to be asleep.” – Navajo Tribe
- “Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past, Wisdom is of the future.” – Lumbee Tribe
- “If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in yourself.” – Minquass Tribe
- “A good chief gives, he does not take.” – Mohawk Tribe
- “Ask questions from your heart and you will be answered from the heart.” – Omaha Tribe
- “It is no longer good enough to cry peace, we must act peace, live peace and live in peace.” – Shenandoah Tribe
- “Man has responsibility, not power.” – Tuscarora Tribe
Final Thoughts
Many Native American quotes are the words of historical leaders, particularly the chiefs who lost lands to settlers during the years of Manifest Destiny. While acknowledging the history of Indigenous peoples in the US is critical, it is also equally important to pay attention to the comments of contemporary figures.
The Native American experience is not purely historical and is not universal, and acknowledging a range of opinions on a variety of topics is helpful when celebrating Indigenous Heritage Month. Sharing these quotes is an especially powerful tribute to the season, because the Native American population has been silenced throughout history, including the present. As we strive to build more inclusive and diverse communities, societies, and companies, it is important to give Indigenous people a voice and empower them to share their experiences.
For more wise words, check out these lists of Black History Month quotes, Asian Heritage Month quotes, Latinx History Month quotes and Arab Heritage quotes.
Angela Robinson