60 Quotes by Chief Seattle
Chief Seattle, also known as Si'ahl, was a prominent leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish tribes in the Pacific Northwest during the 19th century. Born in the late 18th century, he played a crucial role in the cultural and political life of his people during a period of significant change. Chief Seattle's eloquence and wisdom were well-regarded, and he became known for his skillful oratory, which emphasized the interconnectedness between humanity and the natural world.
In a famous speech attributed to him, he conveyed a profound ecological message, urging respect for the Earth and its resources. His words touched on themes of environmental stewardship and the consequences of exploiting nature for personal gain. Chief Seattle's advocacy for peaceful coexistence between Indigenous peoples and European settlers left a lasting impact on the region's history.
His name has become synonymous with environmental activism and the call for preserving the Earth's delicate balance. As a visionary leader, Chief Seattle's words continue to inspire environmentalists and indigenous rights advocates worldwide to work towards a more sustainable and harmonious future for all.
Chief Seattle Quotes
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children
Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth. This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. One thing we know: our god is also your god. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator.
Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realise that we can not eat money.
The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.
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.
If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to the man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth.
How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them? Every part of the Earth is sacred to my people, every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clear and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people.
There is no death, only a change of worlds.
Earth does not belong to us; we belong to earth. Take only memories, leave nothing but footprints.
Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints!
We are all children of the Great Spirit, we all belong to Mother Earth. Our planet is in great trouble and if we keep carrying old grudges and do not work together, we will all die.
The whites, too, shall pass - perhaps sooner than other tribes. Continue to contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste.
You must teach your children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of your grandfathers. So that they will respect the land, tell your children that the earth is rich with the lives of our kin. Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the earth is our mother. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves.
All things share the same breath - the beast, the tree, the man... the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports.
Take only memories, leave only footprints.
We know that the white man does not understand our ways. One portion of land is the same to him as the next, for he is a stranger who comes in the night and takes from the land whatever he needs. The earth is not his brother, but his enemy, and when he has conquered it, he moves on.
When the Earth is sick, the animals will begin to disappear, when that happens, The Warriors of the Rainbow will come to save them.
Man does not weave this web of life. He is merely a strand of it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.
Humans merely share the Earth. We can only protect the land, not own it.
All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth, befalls the children of the Earth.
What is there to life if a man cannot hear the lonely cry of the whippoorwill or the arguments of the frogs around the pool at night?
How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them? Every part of the earth is sacred to my people.
We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumes flowers are our sisters; the deer, the horse, the great eagle: these are our brothers. All things are connected like the blood which unites one's family.
Every part of the earth is sacred to my people.
All things are connected, like the blood that runs in your family "The water's murmur is the voice of my father's father." 1854 The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. You must give to the rivers the kindness you would give to any brother.
There is no quiet place in the white man's cities. No place to hear the unfurling of leaves in spring, or the rustle of an insect's wings. But perhaps it is because I am a savage and do not understand. The clatter only seems to insult the ears.
All things are bound together. All things connect.
To us, the ashes of our ancestors are sacred and their resting place is hallowed ground.
The water's murmur is the voice of my father's father.
All things are connected like the blood which unites one family.
Tribe follows tribe, and nation follows nation, like the waves of the sea. It is the order of nature, and regret is useless. Your time of decay may be distant, but it will surely come, for even the White Man ... cannot be exempt from the common destiny.
Your religion was written on tablets of stone, ours on our hearts. 8. We are part of the earth and the earth is part of us.
When the green hills are covered with talking wires and the wolves no longer sing, what good will the money you paid for our land be then
This We Know. All Things Are Connected
Like a man who has been dying for many days, a man in your city is numb to the stench.
All creation is one. What we do to one, we do to the entire web of life.
Our religion is the traditions of our ancestors - the dreams of our old men, given them in solemn hours of the night by the Great Spirit; and the visions of our sachems, and is written in the hearts of our people.
We are a part of the earth and it is part of us.
To harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator.
Man belongs to the Earth, Earth does not belong to man
The Indian prefers the soft sound of the wind darting over the face of the pond, the smell of the wind itself cleansed by a midday rain, or scented with pinon pine. The air is precious to the red man, for all things are the same breath - the animals, the trees, the man.
The earth is our mother. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of earth. If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves.
The white man's God cannot love our people or He would protect them. They seem to be orphans who can look nowhere for help. How then can we be brothers?
The air is precious to the red man, for all things share the same breath-the beast, the tree, the man, they all share the same breath. The white man does not seem to notice the air he breathes. Like a man dying for many days, he is numb to the stench.
My words are like the stars that never change.
The white man's dead forget the country of their birth when they go to walk among the stars. Our dead never forget this beautiful Earth, for it is the mother of the red man. We are part of the Earth and it is part of us.
Contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste.
Your God loves your people and hates mine; he folds his strong arms lovingly around the white man and leads him as a father leads his infant son, but he has forsaken his red children; he makes your people wax strong every day, and soon they will fill the land; while my people are ebbing away like a fast-receding tide, that will never flow again. The white man's God cannot love his red children or he would protect them. They seem to be orphans who can look nowhere for help.
Let him be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are not powerless. Dead, did I say? There is no death, only change of worlds.
We do not own the freshness of the air or the sparkle of the water. How can you buy them from us?
We are part of the earth and it is part of us ... What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth.
Our God, the Great Spirit, seems also to have forsaken us. Your God makes your people wax stronger every day. Soon they will fill all the land.
What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit
How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? ... The end of living and the beginning of survival.
Whatever Seattle says, the great chief at Washington can rely upon with as much certainty as he can upon the return of the sun or the seasons.
There is no such place as away.
I will not dwell on, nor mourn over, our untimely decay, nor reproach my paleface brothers with hastening it, as we too may have been somewhat to blame.
Tribe follows tribe, nations follow nations like the tides of the sea. It is the order of nature, and regret is useless.
Your God is not our God! Your God loves your people and hates mine! He folds his strong protecting arms lovingly about the paleface and leads him by the hand as a father leads an infant son.
How can your God become our God and renew our prosperity and awaken in us dreams of returning greatness?
― Chief Seattle Quotes
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
