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live your life

Live Your Life

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion;
respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours.

Love your life,
perfect your life,
beautify all things in your life. 

Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,
even a stranger, when in a lonely place.

Show respect to all people and grovel to none.

When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.
Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die,
be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death,
so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.

Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.

 Chief Tecumseh 1768-1813
Tags : charactercreating yourselfDreamsHappiness & InspirationlifePersonal developmentPoem;
SimonSomlai

The author SimonSomlai

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37 Comments

  1. poem bad booboboboboobobobobobooboboob. huu huhu huhuu huhuhuh huh uuhuh uhuhu *beat boxes in respect*

  2. Such hate words can only hurt you in the long run. Don’t let words like this effect you. Know that every day you live is a gift no matter where or who it comes from.

  3. Very nice words that leave a resounding echo of what chief Tecumseh left for generations to ponder over with appreciation.

  4. This is the poem my 20 year old nephew chose to have read at his funeral in February after passing away from a rare form of cancer. Whoever the author is means little. Such a wise, generous and thoughtful young man to see its value.

    1. Thank you. I thought that. Tecumseh lived and died (1813)
      long before photography (1830) would have reached the wilds of Ohio.

  5. I keep finding ths quote and want to link it to a source. I love it! but don’t like sharing ANYTHING these days without fact checking

    1. The source is Chief Tecumseh, himself. This poem has made the rounds, and it’s relevant still today.

  6. Thanks for the presentation of this beautiful, inspirational and timeless words.
    Saludos cordiales desde Bolivia 🇧🇴👍👍

  7. Thanks for the presentation of this beautiful, inspirational and timeless words.
    Saludos cordiales desde Bolivia 🇧🇴👍👍

    1. Likely a fake. Tecumseh was a Native American that fought the US in the war of 1812. He was backed by Britain, and had even been commissioned as a general for the British army. He was killed in action in 1813, and i can only find illustrated pictures of him. Not surprising considering that photography wasn’t invented until the 1820s. I don’t care enough about this to check and see if he actually wrote this poem, but I have my doubts.

      1. “During the War of 1812, both the English under General Proctor and the Americans under General Wayne were following their custom of torturing their prisoners. But in the English army it was stopped by the great Indian Tecumseh, who denounced as cowards any who would torture a helpless captive. When Proctor objected that it was customary, and the men must be amused, Tecumseh challenged Proctor to mortal combat, man to man, whereupon Proctor backed down like the poltroon he was.”

        The Gospel of the Redman
        – Ernest Thompson Seton and Julia M. Seton

  8. Almost Buddha like in its wisdom. I have actually been revived after suffering a cardiac arrest….every day is a gift. I am also a combat veteran, I so understand the warrior code of living life like a person who has purpose. I love the winter and snow but am disillusioned by snowflakes.
    See the joy in life. It would seem that those of us who grew up with nothing have a better grasp of life than those that want for nothing. Enjoy your life, be a good citizen.

  9. Can you tell me what your source is for that image? Working on paper and would love to know where it came from primarily.

  10. Polish author wrote an adventure series about Tecumseh and I read it several times in my youth.
    This poem only confirms he was as great man as the books pictured him.
    Very, very cool!

      1. I dedicate this guitar strum to you simon <3 *plays a guitar cover of "Join us for a Bite" By the Living Tombstone*

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