Top 10 Native American Proverbs and Our Interpretation

Our fascination with the vast wisdom of our Native American brothers and sisters can only be measured with an open mindedness. Their ideology is adapted by many not because of its riddle-like message but the reality of its thoughts. Today, we’re going to pick our Top 10 Favorite Native American Proverbs and we’ll share with you our interpretation with these said quotes.

10. “All plants are our brothers and sisters. They talk to us and if we listen, we can hear them.” –Arapaho

Native American Shamans are known to connect to the nature around us. But if we listen carefully, we can hear the songs coming from the plants and any living things that surround us, too!

So the next time you have a lovely cup of tea or having a plentiful lunch, come to thank the resources, the nature on which you received your bountiful table.

9. “Before eating, always take time to thank the food.” – Arapaho

Just like our first entry, it is important to give thanks to the provider who sustains our daily needs. We can’t stress enough on how important nature play to our lives. We must respect everything and anything Mother Nature is giving us. Everything is connected and everything must be treated with respect.

8. “When we show our respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us.” – Arapaho

Everything is connected. We are all within the Circle of Life. Tumble one, and everything collapses. Sometimes we tend to overlook this situation trying to save our own, neglecting our surroundings. We should give more than we take from Mother Nature and if we do this, Mother Nature will surprise us with gifts we could never imagine. The world is a better place if we could just get along.

7. “If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come.” - Arapaho

Arapaho Proverbs really struck an impression to us. The 7^th entry to our list is another one from them. It is said that “imagination is more important than knowledge”. If we let our inner child’s curiosity play, ideas can often be radical than we can imagine.

6. “Those who have one foot in the canoe, and one foot in the boat, are going to fall into the river.” – Tuscarora

Sometimes in life, our choices overwhelm us, turning you away from the best version of yourself.  If you’re trying to row at two rivers, you will get nowhere.

5. “The weakness of the enemy makes our strength.” - Cherokee

Native Americans are known as warriors but battles are not only won in battlefields but also in life. Sometime our greatest enemy is not anyone but ourselves. If we try to assess ourselves and learn from our weaknesses, we can turn them as arsenals on which we can use to make us a better person. The first and noblest of all victories is conquering oneself.

4. “We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.” - Dakota

What will be your legacy once it is all said and done? What do you want to leave to the children of tomorrow? Your actions will echo to eternity so start building your legacy TODAY!

3. “Everyone who is successful must have dreamed of something.” – Maricopa

Every great idea started from a simple daydream. But to make that daydream dream into a reality we must know how to plow more than we can reap. We have to work our backs off so we can turn that idea to a world changing idea.

2. “You already possess everything necessary to become great.” – Crow

Sometimes what you are looking for is already inside you, you just have to dig deeper. Simpler than said than done but trust us, you’ll surprise yourself.

1. “If a man is as wise as a serpent, he can afford to be as harmless as a dove.” – Cheyenne

Humility is sometimes overlooked. If we try to go back to earth on which we came from and use our outstanding abilities to help others, we can make the world a better place for everyone.

Here’s our Top 10 Native American Proverbs and Our Interpretation about them. What’s your favorite Native American Proverb? Share it with us!

Written by James Miranda