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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Youth is often driven by strong emotions, leading to impulsive actions that can be harmful, reflecting their inner turmoil.
Chief Seattle's quote speaks to the impulsive nature of youth, suggesting that anger and brutality can stem from deep-seated issues, whether real or perceived. It highlights a generational divide where the older generation feels powerless to guide the youth, pointing to a cycle of cruelty that can arise when young people act based solely on their emotions and grievances.
Themes
YouthImpulsivenessAngerWisdomGenerationsCruelty
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the role of youth in society, one might quote Chief Seattle to illustrate the challenges faced by older generations in guiding the younger ones.
More from Chief Seattle
All quotes →We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children
Chief SeattleRead
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.
Chief SeattleRead
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.
Chief SeattleRead
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.
Chief SeattleRead
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.
Chief SeattleRead
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