I know Great Spirit is looking down upon me from above, and will hear what I say.
It is not necessary for eagles to be crows.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of being true to oneself rather than conforming to others' expectations.
Sitting Bull's quote, 'It is not necessary for eagles to be crows,' highlights the value of individuality and authenticity. It suggests that one should embrace their unique qualities and strengths without feeling pressured to fit into societal norms or imitate others. Just as eagles soar high and embody their strength and freedom, individuals should not diminish their potential in order to blend in with the crowd. This quote serves as a reminder to celebrate one's distinctiveness and potential.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a leadership workshop to encourage individuals to embrace their unique leadership styles.
More from Sitting Bull
All quotes βI want to tell you that if the Great Spirit had chosen anyone to be the chief of this country, it is myself.
Is it wrong for me to love my own? Is it wicked for me because my skin is red? Because I am Sioux? Because I was born where my father lived? Because I would die for my people and my country?
When I was a boy, the Sioux owned the world. The sun rose and set on their land; they sent ten thousand men to battle. Where are the warriors today? Who slew them? Where are our lands? Who owns them?
Therefore, I do not wish to consider any proposition to cede any portion of our tribal holdings to the Great Father.
I wish it to be remembered that I was the last man of my tribe to surrender my rifle.
Similar quotes
Youth is impulsive. When our young men grow angry at some real or imaginary wrong, and disfigure their faces with black paint, it denotes that their hearts are black, and that they are often cruel and relentless, and our old men and old women are unable to restrain them. Thus it has ever been.
Every human being is entitled to courtesy and consideration. Constructive criticism is not only to be expected but sought.
To crank myself up I stood on a jack and ran myself up. I tightened myself like a bolt. I inserted myself in a vise-clamp and wound the handle till the pressure built. I drank coffee in titrated doses. It was a tricky business, requiring the finely tuned judgment of a skilled anesthesiologist. There was a tiny range within which coffee was effective, short of which it was useless, and beyond which, fatal.
Softness triumphs over hardness, feebleness over strength. What is more malleable is always superior over that which is immoveable. This is the principle of controlling things by going along with them, of mastery through adaptation.
I am a part of everything that I have read.
Think well. Speak well. Do well. These three things, through the mercy of God, will make a man go to Heaven.