The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears and other native american proverbs

is an excellent book by Guy A Zona (isbn 0-671-79730-1). As usual I'm going to quote from a few pages

I seek strength no to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy - myself. Tribe unknown


The more you give, the more good things come to you. Crow


The song is very short because we understand so much. Navajo


If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in yourself. Minquass


You are never justified in arguing. Hopi


No answer is also an answer. Hopi


Every fire is the same size when it starts. Seneca


The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives. Sioux


Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past, wisdom is of the future. Lumbee


Force, no matter how concealed, begets resistance. Lakota


Everything has a beginning. Kiowa


God teaches the birds to make nests, yet the nests of all birds are not alike. Duwamish