Story of the 2 Wolves
There is an old parable that starts like this:
One day an old Cherokee man sits down with his grandson to teach him about life.
“A fight is going on inside of me,” he says to the boy. “It’s a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil – he is full of rage, jealousy, arrogance, greed, sorrow, regret, lies, laziness, and self-pity.”
He continues, “The other is good – he is filled with love, joy, peace, generosity, truth, empathy, courage, humility, and faith. This same fight is going on inside the hearts of everyone, including you.”
The grandson thinks about this for a few minutes, and then asks his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee simply replies, “The one you feed.”
Powerful. And honestly, it’s a story that completely changed the direction of my life. In fact, I have a tattoo on my arm of a wolf with a rose to symbolize my ability to choose the “good” wolf every morning when I wake up.
I was 23 when I got that tattoo, and I had absolutely no idea what the rest of my life had in store for me. I didn’t know about all the experiences, the pain, the growth, or the moments that would completely change me.
But that tattoo started to mean more and more to me as the years went on. It became this daily reminder that I get to choose what I feed within myself. It reminds me that there is resilience in me, even when I can’t always feel it, and that I can keep choosing myself and keep going—even on the darkest of days.
Pedro, & Noblesse. (2026, June 17). The two wolves story (here’s its deeper meaning). LonerWolf. https://lonerwolf.com/two-wolves-story/
