Oren Lyons Quotes

If you do not have a moral question in your governing process, then you do not have a process that is going to survive.

Life will go on as long as there is someone to sing, to dance, to tell stories and to listen.

In our perception all life is equal, and that includes the birds, animals, things that grow, things that swim. All life is equal in our perception.

We have to do that. We have to be thankful. That's what we said. Two things were told to us: To be thankful, so those are our ceremonies, ceremonies of thanksgiving. We built nations around it, and you can do that, too. And the other thing they said was enjoy life. That's a rule, a law- enjoy life- you're supposed to.

We've got to think now, in real terms, for that seventh generation . . . We've got to get back to spiritual law if we are to survive.

Define for yourselves your directions.

When Chief Oren Lyons of the Iroquois Onondaga Nation was invited to address students at the University of Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources, he highlighted this risk. ‘What you call resources we call our relatives,’ he explained. ‘If you can think in terms of relationships, you are going to treat them better, aren’t you? . . . Get back to the relationship because that is your foundation for survival.