"The Wise Man believes profoundly in silence - the sign of a perfect equilibrium. Silence is the absolute poise or balance of body, mind and spirit. The man who preserves his selfhood ever calm and unshaken by the storms of existence - not a leaf, as it were, astir on the tree, not a ripple upon the surface of the shining pool - this, in the mind of the unlettered sage, is the ideal attitude and conduct of life. Silence is the cornerstone of character." --Ohiyesa, Wahpeton Santee Sioux