Charles Alexander Eastman

“We believe that the spirit pervades all creation and that every creature possesses a soul in some degree, though not necessarily a soul conscious of itself.”

“Silence is the absolute poise or balance of body, mind, and spirit.”

“The love of possessions is a weakness to be overcome.”

“It is well to be as a child, and never grow up.”

“We must adjust ourselves to changing conditions, and at the same time hold fast to the unchanging principles of life.”

“The first American was an Indian. The first American is the only real American. He is the man of the soil.”

“Every soul must have a solitary pilgrimage.”

“Guard your tongue in youth, and in age you may mature a thought that will be of service to your people.”

“It was our belief that the love of possessions is a weakness to be overcome. Its appeal is to the material part, and if allowed its way it will in time disturb one's spiritual balance.”

“The true Indian sets no price upon either his property or his labor.”

“I am an Indian; and while I have learned much from civilization, for which I am grateful, I have never lost my Indian sense of right and justice.”

“The wise man believes in the Great Mystery.”

“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.”

“The logical man is a creator of opposites.”