25 Chief Dan George Quotes From The Leader, Actor, And Poet

Famous Chief Dan George was born on 24 July 1899 and died at the age of 82 on 23 September 1981.

His native name was Geswanouth Slabhoot. He was known for having written the famous poems titled, 'My Spirit Soars' and 'My Heart Soars' which were published in his book.

Dan George's father was a tribal chief and most of his initial life was distant from luxury. He spent his earlier life doing casual to menial jobs as well as being a musician.

In 1960, he auditioned for the role of Ol' Antoine in the CBC series, 'Cariboo Country' at the age of 65 years. This was his beginning into the arena of cinemas. Post this he made appearances in various other films in different roles.

His work gained recognition. He was insistent on keeping his status as chief and was the chief of Burrard Band of North Vancouver for the time period 1951-1963. He succeeded the same to his son later on.

In this article, we will take a look at Chief Dan George quotes inspired by his poetry, writings, movies, and life. If you like this article, visit, Chief Joseph quotes  and John Trudell quotes.

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Chief Dan George Movie Quotes

He played various roles in movies. The kind of roles he played were usually First Nation characters. He was nominated for various awards as well. Here are Chief Dan George quotes from 'Outlaw Josey Wales', where Chief Dan plays the character Lone Watie.

1."Get ready, little lady. Hell is coming to breakfast"

-Lone Watie, 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'

2."I didn't surrender, but they took my horse and made him surrender."

- Lone Watie, 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'

3."I'm gettin' better at sneaking up on you like this. Only an Indian can do something like this."

-Lone Watie, 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'

4."I'm glad you stopped me when you did. I might have killed her."

-Lone Watie, 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'

5."All I have is a piece of hard rock candy. But it's not for eatin'. It's just for looking' through."

-Lone Watie, 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'

6."I notice when you get to disliken someone they ain't around for long neither."

-Lone Watie, 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'

7."We thought about it for a long time, 'Endeavor to persevere'. And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union."

-Lone Watie, 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'

8."I'm an Indian, all right; but here in the nation they call us the 'civilized tribe'. They call us 'civilized' because we're easy to sneak up on. White men have been seeking up on us for years."

-Lone Watie, 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'

Chief Dan George Quotes

His famous poem 'My heart soars' was quoted by Actor Donald Sutherland in the opening ceremony at the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games held in 2010. Here are some quotes.

9."If legends fall silent who will teach the children of our ways?"

-Chief Dan George

10."May the stars carry your sadness, away may the flowers fill your heart with beauty, may hope forever wipe away your tears."

-Chief Dan George

11."If you talk to the animals they will talk with you and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them you will not know them and what you do not know, you will fear. What one fears, one destroys."

-Chief Dan George

12."When the white man came, we had the land and they had the Bibles. Now they have the land and we have the Bibles."

-Chief Dan George

13."We are as much alive as we keep the earth alive."

-Chief Dan George

14."Can we talk of integration until there is integration of hearts and minds? Unless you have this, you only have a physical presence, and the walls between us are as high as the mountain range."

-Chief Dan George

15."The faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning, the dewdrop on the flower, speaks to me."

-Chief Dan George

16."If the very old will remember, the very young will listen."

-Chief Dan George

Inspirational Chief Dan George Quotes

His last name was changed to George since at the time Native American language was discouraged from being used in boarding schools. Even though George changed his name, he held onto his title as chief and was proud of his heritage and background. Here are some inspirational quotes.

17."The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass, they speak to me..."

-Chief Dan George, 'My Heart Soars'

18."The heart never knows the color of the skin."

-Chief Dan George, 'My Heart Soars', 1974

19."The faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning, the dewdrop on the flower, speaks to me."

-Chief Dan George, 'My Heart Soars'

20."There is a longing among people and creatures to have a sense of purpose and worth. To satisfy that common longing in all of us we must respect each other."

-Chief Dan George

21."My friends, how desperately do we need to be love and to love. With it we are creative. With it, we march tirelessly. With it, and with it alone, we are able to sacrifice for others."

-Chief Dan George

22."Love is something you and I must have. We must have it because our spirit feeds upon it. We must have it because without it we become weak and faint. Without love, our self-esteem weakens. without it, our courage fails. Without love, we can no longer look out confidently at the world..."

-Chief Dan George

23."The strength of the fire, the taste of the salmon, the trail of the sun, and the life that never goes away, they speak to me. And my heart soars."

-Chief Dan George

24."Nothing belongs to you of what there is, of what you take, you must share."

-Chief Dan George

25."Where no one intrudes, many can live in harmony."

-Chief Dan George

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotesfor everyone to enjoy!   If you liked our suggestions for Chief Dan George quotes then why not take a look at John Wayne quotes, or [Native American quotes].