Peace is one of the highest ideals worth striving for. And while there are some pitiful exceptions, most people seek to establish inner and outer harmony in their lives. In fact, most people simply want to live a peaceful existence. They neither want war nor violence. Similarly, almost all of us want to live in harmony with other people and strive to live our lives in a balanced way. Unfortunately, there are some truly toxic people who willingly disturb the peace of others for selfish, ignorant, or other totally misguided reasons. For this reason, it sometimes feels as if the world is on fire. This is particularly the case when civil unrest, violence, and war shatter the earth. There are so many unsettling things happening on a day-to-day basis not only out there in the world but also in our own lives that it’s difficult to come to rest. In such challenging times, it can be magnificently helpful to have a couple of soothing peace quotes at hand that help you to calm down.
Finding peace of mind and living in harmony with others is a major challenge millions of people struggle with. While many have learned to be in harmony with themselves, they still struggle with the turbulences their daily life confronts them with.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
To make things worse, sometimes, it seems as if all hope is lost. There are situations in life when you simply cannot help thinking that there’s no hope for humanity. During the situations when you have absolutely no faith in humanity, it takes some really powerful peace quotes to restore your faith in humanity.
90 Liberating Peace Quotes
Each day presents us with numerous experiences. Some of these situations may be quite pleasant while others are simply disturbing and unsettling. When confronted with such difficulties, there are not many things that are as calming as reading through some insightful peace quotes.
In the following, you can find a selection of powerful peace quotes from some of the wisest individuals that have ever walked on this earth. These quotes about peace will offer you important guidance during turbulent times and help you in finding peace of mind. Not only will these peaceful quotes elicit feelings of love, acceptance, and happiness within you but they will also help you to let go of your worries and fears.
Whenever you’re looking for more peace in your life, these quotes will help you to bring harmony and peacefulness into your existence. Even more so, these are the peace quotes that inspire people on a day-to-day basis to resolve conflicts without violence and aggression. So let’s hope that these quotes about peace will encourage more and more people to come together and to mutually improve the quality of their lives.
Enjoy these peace quotes.
1. The power of love
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.”
Jimi Hendrix
2. Maintaining peace
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
Albert Einstein
3. The absence of all conflicts
“Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways.”
Dalai Lama XIV
4. The desire for peace
“Peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. So let us not rest all our hopes on parchment and on paper, let us strive to build peace, a desire for peace, a willingness to work for peace in the hearts and minds of all of our people.”
John F. Kennedy
5. The accumulation of small contributions
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
Desmond Tutu
6. Supporting anti-war demonstrations
“I was once asked why I don’t participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I’ll be there.”
Mother Teresa
7. Solving conflicts peacefully
“Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.”
Ronald Reagan
8. Firmly believing in peace
“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
9. Building a peaceful world
“We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but on the positive affirmation of peace.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
10. Freeing your mind
“To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.”
Buddha
11. The desire for peace
“If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace.”
John Lennon
12. The real questions we need to ask ourselves
“Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.”
Henri Nouwen
13. Peaceful coexistence
“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”
Benjamin Franklin
14. Being bound to war
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
15. Transforming the world
“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.”
John F. Kennedy
16. Solving conflicts in a nonviolent way
“By peace we mean the capacity to transform conflicts with empathy, without violence, and creatively – a never-ending process
Johan Galtung
17. Cherishing peacefulness
“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.”
Calvin Coolidge
18. The way to achieve peace
“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
19. Befriending an enemy
“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
Nelson Mandela
20. The very first step towards peace
“Peace begins with a smile.”
Mother Teresa
21. Sowing love
“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.”
Francis of Assisi
22. Seeking the kingdom of God
“Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace. Money will come if we seek first the kingdom of God – the rest will be given.”
Mother Teresa
23. The importance of gratitude
“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
Melody Beattie
24. Love and peace
“If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that’s his problem. Love and peace are eternal.”
John Lennon
25. Standing up for what is right
“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
Robert F. Kennedy
26. Ending war
“If you want to end the war then instead of sending guns, send books. Instead of sending tanks, send pens. Instead of sending soldiers, send teachers.”
Malala Yousafzai
27. Violence prevents peace
“Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. I am not unmindful of the fact that violence often brings about momentary results. Nations have frequently won their independence in battle. But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
28. A thousand hollow words
“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”
Buddha
29. The right to live in peace
“I speak not for myself but for those without voice… those who have fought for their rights… their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated.”
Malala Yousafzai
30. Obtaining peace of mind
“Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.”
Buddha
31. Imagine
“Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.”
John Lennon
32. The price to attain freedom
“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”
Thomas Jefferson
33. Solving the world’s problems
“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”
Mahatma Gandhi
34. Banishing war
“My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.”
George Washington
35. Changing the world
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
Harriet Tubman
36. Dealing with enemies
“Loving your enemies… Far from being the pious injunction of a utopian dreamer, this demand is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization. Yes it is love that will save our world and civilization; love even for our enemies.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
37. Moving towards peace
“So let us persevere. Peace need not be impracticable, and war need not be inevitable. By defining our goal more clearly, by making it seem more manageable and less remote, we can help all peoples to see it, to draw hope from it, and to move irresistibly toward it.”
John F. Kennedy
38. Ignorance and peace
“Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.”
Dalai Lama
39. Being angry
“For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
40. The importance to organize effectively
“Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
41. An end to war
“More than just an end to war, we want an end to the beginnings of all wars.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
42. A society of peace
“If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence. If we desire a society without discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone in the process of building this society. If we desire a society that is democratic, then democracy must become a means as well as an end.”
Bayard Rustin
43. Taking initiative
“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality, nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit.”
Christopher McCandless
44. Obtaining peace
“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.”
Dalai Lama
45. Peace and freedom
“We seek peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower
46. A distant goal
“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
47. The most effective weapon
“The best weapon is to sit down and talk.”
Nelson Mandela
48. Creating a better world
“Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are.”
Hafsat Abiola
49. Waging peace
“To replace the old paradigm of war with a new paradigm of waging peace, we must be pioneers who can push the boundaries of human understanding. We must be doctors who can cure the virus of violence. We must be soldiers of peace who can do more than preach to the choir. And we must be artists who will make the world our masterpiece.”
Paul Chappell
50. The thirst for freedom
“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
51. Cultivating nonviolence
“The very first step in nonviolence is that we cultivate in our daily life, as between ourselves, truthfulness, humility, tolerance, loving kindness.”
Mahatma Gandhi
52. A never-ending spiral of destruction
“Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding: it seeks to annihilate rather than convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.”
Martin Luther King
53. Having courage
“Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.”
Nelson Mandela
54. Inner peace
“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”
Buddha
55. Eternal peace
“Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness, consideration and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn of eternal peace.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower
56. Peace will reign one day
“I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness; I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too. I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more.”
Anne Frank
57. The cultivation of peace and harmony
“Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.”
George Washington
58. Prayer for peace
“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
Douglas MacArthur
59. Spreading peace
“Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.”
Etty Hillesum
60. The journey towards peace
“Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time.”
Lyndon B. Johnson
61. Remaining calm
“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”
Saint Francis de Sales
62. What it takes to achieve peace
“To survive in peace and harmony, united and strong, we must have one people, one nation, one flag.”
Pauline Hanson
63. Forgiveness
“To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness
Robert Muller
64. Becoming the best you can be
“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”
John Wooden
65. Restoring hope
“We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love. Be poor among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace.”
Pope Francis
66. The promotion of peace
“I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that, one of these days, governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower
67. Choosing the right path
“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.”
Henry David Thoreau
68. Peaceful water
“Cross the meadow and the stream and listen as the peaceful water brings peace upon your soul.”
Maximillian Degenerez
69. The pursuit of peace
“I speak of peace, therefore, as the necessary rational end of rational men. I realize the pursuit of peace is not as dramatic as the pursuit of war… But we have no more urgent task.”
John F. Kennedy
70. The gift of peace
“Mankind must remember that peace is not God’s gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other.”
Elie Wiesel
71. Saving the world
“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. That makes it hard to plan the day.”
E.B. White
72. Getting along with each other
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
Mother Teresa
73. Purchasing peace
“Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”
Patrick Henry
74. How to pursue even the greatest goals
“The pursuit, even of the best things, ought to be calm and tranquil.”
Marcus Tullius Cicero
75. World peace
“World peace is no longer some pie-in-the-sky thing, because no single person or country is going to solve it on their own.”
Herbie Hancock
76. The insanity of war
“War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong; and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses.”
Thomas Jefferson
77. Relating to others
“People respond in accordance to how you relate to them. If you approach them on the basis of violence, that’s how they’ll react. But if you say, ‘We want peace, we want stability,’ we can then do a lot of things that will contribute towards the progress of our society.”
Nelson Mandela
78. Nonviolence is the key
“Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”
Martin Luther King
79. Behaving peacefully
“If the human race wishes to have a prolonged and indefinite period of material prosperity, they have only got to behave in a peaceful and helpful way toward one another.”
Winston Churchill
80. The way to find peace
“Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.”
Buddha
81. Avoiding all forms of violence
“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
82. Giving peace a chance
“All we are saying is give peace a chance.”
John Lennon
83. Conquer your opponents with love
“Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love.”
Mahatma Gandhi
84. Don’t lose your soul
“Don’t gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than Silver world gold.”
Bob Marley
85. Don’t engage in revenge
“An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”
Mahatma Gandhi
86. Courage and patience
“Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace.”
Victor Hugo
87. Whatever we are longing for, it will come
“Whatever we are waiting for – peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance – it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart.”
Sarah Ban Breathnach
88. Being prepared for war
“To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.”
George Washington
89. Peaceful revolution
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
John F. Kennedy
90. Choosing love over hatred
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
Martin Luther King, Jr
91. The power of love
“The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.”
Mahatma Gandhi
But why is peace so important? When you have attained peace of mind, you’re able to meet better decisions because you can think more clearly. Similarly, disturbing thoughts and negative emotions will control your actions a lot less. As a result of this, you will behave more thoughtfully and meet more harmonious decisions.
But reading quotes about peace is not enough. Every single one of us has to actively put the wisdom that can be found in the above to practice. Only if we all work mutually together, we can restore peace on earth.
I hope you enjoyed reading through this collection of powerful peace quotes. How long do you think does it take until mankind finally can live in peace and harmony?
Stay victorious!
1 Comment
Thanks for this peace quotes collection.