What is man without the beasts? For if all the beast were gone, man would die of a great loneliness of the spirit.
Chief SeattleRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Humans are a part of the natural world and are interconnected with it.
This quote emphasizes the idea that humanity does not own the Earth but is instead a part of it, highlighting the interconnectedness of all life. It suggests that our actions towards the environment ultimately reflect back on ourselves, urging us to recognize our place within the larger web of life and to act with respect and responsibility towards nature.
Themes
EarthInterconnectednessNatureEnvironmentResponsibility
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about environmental conservation.
More from Chief Seattle
All quotes →We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children
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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.
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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.
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Revenge by young men is considered gain, even at the cost of their own lives, but old men who stay at home in times of war, and mothers who have sons to lose, know better.
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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.
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