33+ Charles Alexander Eastman Quotes On Slavery, Education And Religion

Charles Alexander Eastman was an American author, physician, and reformer of Native American affairs. He was of Santee Dakota and Anglo-American ancestry and was born on a Sioux reservation in Minnesota. He was educated at Dartmouth College and Boston University, and he wrote books and articles about his experiences with Native American culture and history. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Charles Alexander Eastman on slavery, education, religion.

Top 10 Charles Alexander Eastman Quotes

1. Friendship is held to be the severest test of character. It is easy, we think, to be loyal to a family and clan, whose blood is in your own veins.
2. Children must early learn the the beauty of generosity. They are taught to give what they prize most, that they may taste the happiness of giving.
3. But to have a friend, and to be true under any and all trials, is the mark of a man!
4. Each soul must meet the morning sun, the new sweet earth and the Great Silence alone.
5. Nearness to nature... keeps the spirit sensitive to impressions not commonly felt and in touch with the unseen powers.
6. There were no temples or shrines among us save those of nature.
7. Friendship is held to be the severest test of character.
8. We believe profoundly in silence-the sign of a perfect equilibrium. Silence is the absolute poise or balance of body, mind, and spirit.
9. More than this, even in those white men who professed religion we found much inconsistency of conduct. They spoke much of spiritual things, while seeking only the material.
10. The native American has been generally despised by his white conquerors for his poverty and simplicity.

Charles Alexander Eastman Short Quotes

• As a child I understood how to give; I have forgotten this grace since I became civilized.
• No one who is at all acquainted with the Indian in his home can deny that we are a polite people.
• The hospitality of the wigwam is only limited by the institution of war.
• The logical man must either deny all miracles or none.
• The red man divided mind into two parts, - the spiritual mind and the physical mind.
• Silence is the cornerstone of character.
• The family was not only the social unit, but also the unit of government.
• The Indian was a religious man from his mother's womb.

Charles Alexander Eastman Quotes About Religion

In every religion there is an element of the supernatural, varying with the influence of pure reason over its devotees. — Charles Alexander Eastman

The American Indian was an individualist in religion as in war. He had neither a national army nor an organized church. — Charles Alexander Eastman

The religion of the Indian is the last thing about him that the man of another race will ever understand. — Charles Alexander Eastman

Charles Alexander Eastman Famous Quotes And Sayings

If you ask him: "What is silence?" he will answer, "It is the Great Mystery! The holy silence is His voice!" If you ask: "What are the fruits of silence?" he will say: "They are self-control, true courage or endurance, patience, dignity, and reverence. Silence is the cornerstone of character." — Charles Alexander Eastman

The elements and majestic forces in nature, Lightning, Wind, Water, Fire, and Frost, were regarded with awe as spiritual powers, but always secondary and intermediate in character. — Charles Alexander Eastman

Our people, though capable of strong and durable feeling, were not demonstrative in their affection at any time, least of all in the presence of guests or strangers. — Charles Alexander Eastman

That is, we believed, the supreme duty of the parent, who only was permitted to claim in some degree the priestly office and function, since it is his creative and protecting power which alone approaches the solemn function of Deity. — Charles Alexander Eastman

If a child is inclined to be grasping, or to cling to any of his or her little possessions, legends are related about the contempt and disgrace falling upon the ungenerous and mean person. — Charles Alexander Eastman

The logical man must either deny all miracles or none, and our American Indian myths and hero stories are perhaps, in themselves, quite as credible as those of the Hebrews of old. — Charles Alexander Eastman

Indian names were either characteristic nicknames given in a playful spirit, deed names, birth names, or such as have a religious and symbolic meaning. — Charles Alexander Eastman

Love between a man and a woman is founded on the mating instinct and is not free from desire and self-seeking. But to have a friend and to be true under any and all trials is the mark of a man! — Charles Alexander Eastman

Is there not something worthy of perpetuation in our Indian spirit of democracy, where Earth, our mother, was free to all, and no one sought to impoverish or enslave his neighbor? — Charles Alexander Eastman

In the life of the Indian there is only one inevitable duty-the duty of prayer-the daily recognition of the Unseen and Eternal. Our daily devotions were more necessary to us than daily food. — Charles Alexander Eastman

It has been said that the position of woman is the test of civilization, and that of our women was secure. In them was vested our standard of morals and the purity of our blood. — Charles Alexander Eastman

It was our belief that the love of possessions is a weakness to be overcome. . . . Children must early learn the beauty of generosity. They are taught to give what they prize most, that they may taste the happiness of giving. . . . The Indians in their simplicity literally give away all that they have—to relatives, to guests of other tribes or clans, but above all to the poor and the aged, from whom they can hope for no return. — Charles Alexander Eastman

Life Lessons by Charles Alexander Eastman

1. Charles Alexander Eastman's work emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting the cultural values and traditions of Native American tribes. He also emphasizes the need to recognize and appreciate the natural environment, and to live in harmony with nature. Finally, he encourages us to be mindful of our actions and how they affect our relationships with others and the world around us.