34 Black Elk Quotes

Black Elk was a well-known educator of his culture who famously fought alongside his cousin, Crazy Horse, in the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Black Elk was popularly recognized for his religious visions, views, and other life events representing his thought process, which were published in the book 'Black Elk Speaks' in 1932. The book was a massive success and has since been published in multiple editions as people take inspiration from the life events of Black Elk.

Black Elk gained fame for his visions when he was nine. He was born alongside the Little Powder River, which is currently in present-day Wyoming. Black Elk believed that owing to his visions, he didn't only gain power but also the ability to heal other people. Throughout the book 'Black Elk Speaks', Black Elk talks about the visions of spirit and the spirit world he has been experiencing. Still, ultimately the Lakota medicine man expresses sadness about not being able to save the life and culture of his people due to the American westward expansion. Black Elk has delivered several speeches in the past, inspiring numerous people. Scroll down to find some Black Elk quotes related to love, truth, peace, and Earth.

Truth is a simple yet tricky concept in human life; let us see what Black Elk has said about the same.

"If the vision was true and mighty, as I know, it is true and mighty yet; for such things are of the spirit, and it is in the darkness of their eyes that men get lost."

- 'Black Elk Speaks', John G. Neihardt.

"This they tell, and whether it happened so or not, I do not know, but if you think about it, you can see that it is true."

- 'Black Elk Speaks', John G, Neihardt.

"I knew that the real was yonder and that the darkened dream of it was here."

- 'Black Elk Speaks', John G, Neihardt.

"How could men get fat by being bad and starve by being good? I thought and thought about my vision, and it made me very sad."

- 'Black Elk Speaks', John G, Neihardt.

"You have noticed that the truth comes into this world with two faces. One is sad with suffering, and the other laughs, but it is the same face, laughing or weeping."

"The Great Spirit is everywhere; He hears whatever is in our minds and our hearts, and it is not necessary to speak to Him in a loud voice."

"Wherever we went, the soldiers came to kill us, And it was all our own country. It was ours already when the Wasichus made the treaty with Red Cloud that said it would be ours as long as grass should grow and water flow."

"Any man who is attached to things of this world is one who lives in ignorance and is being consumed by the snakes of his own passions."

"I did not depend upon the great vision as I should have done; I depended upon the two sticks that I had seen in the lesser vision. It is hard to follow one great vision in this world of darkness and of many changing shadows. Among those shadows, men get lost."

- 'Black Elk Speaks', John G, Neihardt.

"This center which is here, but which we know is really everywhere, is Wakan-Tanka."

- 'Black Elk Speaks', John G, Neihardt.

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True peace is wished for by all but achieved only by some. These quotes from Black Elk might help you attain what we call peace.

"All over the sky a sacred voice is calling your name."

"The world, you see, is happier after the terror of the storm."

"When the ceremony was over, everybody felt a great deal better, for it had been a day of fun. They were better able now to see the greenness of the world, the wideness of the sacred day, the colors of the earth, and to set these in their minds."

"It is hard to follow one great vision in this world of darkness and of many changing shadows. Among those men get lost."

- 'Black Elk Speaks', John G. Neihardt.

"I would go home to eat, but I could not make myself eat much; and my father and mother thought that I was sick yet; but I was not. I was only homesick for the place where I had been."

- 'Black Elk Speaks', John G. Neihardt.

"And I can see that something else died there in the bloody mud, and was buried in the blizzard. A people's dream died there. It was a beautiful dream."

- 'Black Elk Speaks', John G. Neihardt.

"Peace will come to the hearts of men when they realize their oneness with the universe; It is everywhere."

"It is the story of all life that is holy and good to tell, and of us two-leggeds sharing in it with the four-leggeds and the wings of the air and of green things; for these are children of one mother and their father is one Spirit."

From the highest mountain to the holy tree, some Black Elk quotes about Nature and Earth inspire us to appreciate life more.

"Is not the sky a father and the earth a mother, and are not all living things with feet or wings or roots their children?"

- 'Black Elk Speaks', John G. Neihardt.

"It does not matter where his body lies, for it is grass; but where his spirit is, it will be good to be."

- 'Black Elk Speaks', John G. Neihardt.

"But only crazy or very foolish men would sell their Mother Earth. Sometimes I think it might have been better if we had stayed together and made them kill us all."

- 'Black Elk Speaks', John G. Neihardt.

"When a vision comes from the thunder beings of the West, it comes with terror like a thunder storm; but when the storm of vision has passed, the world is greener and happier; for wherever the truth of vision comes upon the world, it is like a rain."

"You have set the powers of the four quarters of the earth to cross each other. You have made me cross the good road and road of difficulties, and where they cross, the place is holy. Day in, day out, forevermore, you are the life of things."

"It may be that some little root of the sacred tree still lives. Nourish it then, that it may leaf and bloom and fill with singing birds."

"My bay had lightning stripes all over him and his mane was cloud. And when I breathed, my breath was lightning."

"At the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit. And that center is really everywhere. It is within each of us."

"The life of an Indian is like the wings of the air. That is why you notice the hawk knows how to get his prey. The Indian is like that. The hawk swoops down on its prey; so does the Indian."

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(This list of Black Elk quotes shall lead you towards the goal of real peace.)

These are some of the best-known Black Elk quotes on the power of love which has inspired people to let go of the feeble voice in their head and strive towards achieving their goals.

"I looked below and saw my people there, and all were well and happy except one, and he was lying like the dead -- and that one was myself."

"Grown men can learn from very little children for the hearts of the little children are pure. Therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss."

"Perhaps you have noticed that even in the slightest breeze you can hear the voice of the cottonwood tree; this we understand is its prayer to the Great Spirit, for not only men, but all things and all beings pray to Him continually in different ways.”

"He was the chief of all the horses; and when he snorted, it was a flash of lightning and his eyes were like the sunset star."

"And I saw that the sacred hoop of my people was one of many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother and one father."

"The boys of my people began very young to learn the ways of men, and no one taught us; we just learned by doing what we saw, and we were warriors at a time when boys now are like girls."

"Every little thing is sent for something, and in that thing there should be happiness and the power to make happy. Like the grasses showing tender faces to each other, thus we should do, for this was the wish of the Grandfathers of the World."