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Peace

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“Death, the only immortal who treats us all alike, whose pity and whose peace and whose refuge are for all — the soiled and the pure, the rich and the poor, the loved and the unloved.”
Mark Twain (1835–1910) said by 1910 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The so-called "peace" is an interval between wars.”
Lu Xun (1881–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If we can cultivate in the world the idea that aggressive war-making is the way to the prisoner's dock rather than the way to honors, we will have accomplished something toward making the peace more secure.”
Robert H. Jackson (1892–1954) first seen 1945 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Opening Address to the International Military Tribunal at the Nuremberg Trials (10 November 1945)
“I must say that "Give Peace a Chance" has always seemed to me to be sensible advice.”
Pierre Trudeau (1919–2000) first seen 1968 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Part 2, 1968 - 1974 Power And Responsibility, p. 122
“The nation that would to-day disarm its soldiers and turn its people to the paths of peace would accomplish more to its building up than by all the war taxes wrung from its hostile and unwilling serfs.”
Clarence Darrow (1857–1938) said by 1938 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To disband the armies and destroy the forts, to diffuse love and brotherhood, and peace and justice in the place of war and strife, could tend only to the building up of character, the elevation of the soul, and the strength and well-being of the state.”
Clarence Darrow (1857–1938) said by 1938 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I believe television is going to be the test of the modern world, and that in this new opportunity to see beyond the range of our vision we shall discover either a new and unbearable disturbance of the general peace or a saving radiance in the sky. We shall stand or fall by television — of that I am quite sure.”
E. B. White (1899–1985) first seen 1938 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Removal" (July 1938)
“I am a peace man. I haven't got any use for wars and there is no more humor in 'em than there is reason for 'em.”
Will Rogers (1879–1935) first seen 1931 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Daily Telegram (4 December 1931), as quoted in Will Rogers' Daily Telegrams (1979), p. 104; also in Will Rogers Speaks: Over 1,000 Timeless Quotations for Public Speakers (1995) edited by Bryan B. Sterling and ‎Frances …
“Government, the peace-officer at home, breathes war abroad, organizes it into a science, reduces it to a system, makes it a trade, and applauds it as if it were the most honorable work of nations.”
William Ellery Channing (1780–1842) said by 1842 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A genuine, enlightened patriot discerns, that the welfare of his own country is involved in the general progress of society; and, in the character of a patriot, as well as of a Christian, he rejoices in the liberty and prosperity of other communities, and is anxious to maintain with them the relations of peace and amity.”
William Ellery Channing (1780–1842) said by 1842 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If there were only one religion in England there would be danger of despotism, if there were two they would cut each other's throats, but there are thirty, and they live in peace and happiness.”
Voltaire (1694–1778) first seen 1733 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letters on England, letter 6, "On the Presbyterians", trans. Leonard Tancock (Penguin Books, 1980) p. 41, published first in English in 1733
“Even in those cities which seem to enjoy the blessings of peace, and where the arts florish, the inhabitants are devoured by envy, cares and anxieties, which are greater plagues than any experienced in a town when it is under siege.”
Voltaire (1694–1778) said by 1778 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“After four years at the United Nations I sometimes yearn for the peace and tranquillity of a political convention.”
Adlai Stevenson II (1900–1965) first seen 1964 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in The New York Times (14 August 1964)
“The journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step. So we must never neglect any work of peace within our reach, however small.”
Adlai Stevenson II (1900–1965) said by 1965 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Peter's Quotations : Ideas for Our Time (1977) by Laurence J. Peter, p. 508; this begins with a phrase derived from one in the Tao Te Ching, by Laozi
“Peace is the one condition of survival in this nuclear age.”
Adlai Stevenson II (1900–1965) said by 1965 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Seeds of Peace : A Catalogue of Quotations (1986) by Jeanne Larson and Madge Micheels, p. 203
“Weighing the sacrifices of the last war, we want to be true friends of a peace which will at last heal the wounds from which all have suffered.”
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) first seen 1933 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in Potsdam (21 March 1933), quoted in The Times (26 September 1939), p. 9
“There is no better guarantee for the peace of the world than the fanatical unity of the German people.”
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) first seen 1933 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in Kelheim (22 October 1933), quoted in The Times (26 September 1939), p. 9
“I am not crazy enough to want a war. ... The German people have but one wish—to be happy in their own way and to be left in peace. They do not interfere in other people's business, and others should not interfere in theirs. ... When has the German people ever broken its word?”
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) first seen 1933 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in Berlin (10 November 1933), quoted in The Times (26 September 1939), p. 9
“Germany will on her side never break the peace. Germany wishes to be on an honourable footing with the neighbour peoples.”
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) first seen 1935 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with George Ward Price of the Daily Mail (17 January 1935), quoted in Ivone Kirkpatrick, The Inner Circle (1959), p. 67
“We want to be a peace-loving element among the nations. We cannot repeat that often enough.”
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) first seen 1936 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in Berlin (30 January 1936), quoted in The Times (26 September 1939), p. 9
“We are rearming, but do not dream of attacking other nations, providing they leave us alone. ... We have given Central Europe a great fortune—namely, peace, which is protected by the German might.”
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) first seen 1939 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in Wilhelmshaven (1 April 1939), quoted in The Times (26 September 1939), p. 10
“He [Schirach] knows as well as I do that there is no way out. I might as well shoot myself in the head as think of negotiating peace.”
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) first seen 1937 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: June 1943. Quoted in Below, Nicolaus von (2001). At Hitler's Side: The Memoirs of Hitler's Luftwaffe Adjutant 1937–1945. Greenhill Books. p. 173.
“Violence is interesting. This is a great obstacle to world peace and also to more thoughtful television programming.”
P. J. O'Rourke (1947–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.”
Abraham Maslow (1908–1970) first seen 1943 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Theory of Human Motivation", in Psychological Review, vol. 50, no. 4 (1943), p. 382
“There's a little group of isles beyond the wave, So tiny you might almost wonder where it is— That nation is the bravest of the brave, And cowards are the rarest of all rarities. The proudest nations kneel at her command, She terrifies all foreign-born rap-scallions; And holds the peace of Europe in her hand With half a score invincible battalions.”
W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) said by 1911 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The New Deal began, like the Salvation Army, by promising to save humanity. It ended, again like the Salvation Army, by running flop-houses and disturbing the peace.”
H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) said by 1956 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I call it the Madman Theory, Bob. I want the North Vietnamese to believe I've reached the point where I might do anything to stop the war. We'll just slip the word to them that, for God's sake, you know Nixon is obsessed about Communism. We can't restrain him when he's angry and he has his hand on the nuclear button and Ho Chi Minh himself will be in Paris in two days begging for peace.”
Richard Nixon (1913–1994) first seen 1978 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in The Ends of Power (1978) by Robert Haldeman p. 83
“On Christmas Eve, during my terrible personal ordeal of the renewed bombing of North Vietnam, which after 12 years of war finally helped to bring America peace with honor, I sat down just before midnight. I wrote out some of my goals for my second term as President. Let me read them to you:”
Richard Nixon (1913–1994) said by 1994 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I'm not claiming divinity. I've never claimed purity of soul. I've never claimed to have the answers to life. I only put out songs and answer questions as honestly as I can … But I still believe in peace, love and understanding.”
John Lennon (1940–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All we are saying is give peace a chance!”
John Lennon (1940–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The newspapers said, "Say, what you're doing in bed?" I said "We're only trying to get us some peace.”
John Lennon (1940–1980) first seen 1969 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ballad of John and Yoko" (1969), referring to his "bed-in" honeymoon of March 1969.
“Imagine there's no countries, It isn't hard to do, Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion, too, Imagine all the people Living life in peace...”
John Lennon (1940–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We're playing those mind games together Pushing the barriers, planting seeds Playing the mind guerrilla Chanting the mantra, Peace on Earth.”
John Lennon (1940–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Mind Games" — Video of Lennon's performance on YouTube - Performance by Kevin Spacey in Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music (2001)
“I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph.”
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) said by 1919 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If I must choose between righteousness and peace I choose righteousness.”
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) first seen 1915 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: America and the World War (1915)
“Americanism means the virtues of courage, honor, justice, truth, sincerity, and hardihood—the virtues that made America. The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living and the get-rich-quick theory of life.”
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) first seen 1917 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to S. Stanwood Menken, chairman, committee on Congress of Constructive Patriotism (January 10, 1917). Roosevelt's sister, Mrs. Douglas Robinson, read the letter to a national meeting, January 26, 1917. Reported i…
“Among the wise and high-minded people who in self-respecting and genuine fashion strive earnestly for peace, there are the foolish fanatics always to be found in such a movement and always discrediting it — the men who form the lunatic fringe in all reform movements.”
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) said by 1919 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There never was a good war or a bad peace.”
Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) first seen 1783 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Josiah Quincy (11 September 1783)
“The most difficult thing to adjust to, apparently, is peace and contentment.”
Henry Miller (1891–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“... This land is not the sweet home that it looks, Nor its peace the historical calm of a site Where something was settled once and for all: A backward And dilapidated province, connected To the big busy world by a tunnel, with a certain Seedy appeal.”
W. H. Auden (1907–1973) said by 1973 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The problem whether or not a good end justifies bad means seems to arise out of such cases as whether one should lie to a sick man in order to set his mind at rest; or whether one should keep a people in ignorance in order to make them happy; or whether one should begin a long and bloody civil war in order to establish a world of peace and beauty.”
Karl Popper (1902–1994) said by 1994 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Now comes our time of testing. Our measure is taken, not only by what we have and use, but what we build and leave behind. And nothing this generation could ever build will matter more than the means to defend our nation and extend our peace.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“American foreign policy must be more than the management of crisis. It must have a great and guiding goal: to turn this time of American influence into generations of democratic peace.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We are no longer fighting a great enemy, we are asserting a great principle: that the talents and dreams of average people — their warm human hopes and loves — should be rewarded by freedom and protected by peace. We are defending the nobility of normal lives, lived in obedience to God and conscience, not to government.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It was amazing I won. I was running against peace and prosperity and incumbency.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: June 14, 2001, to Göran Persson, unaware he was still on live TV, as quoted in "The President in Europe: The President; Plain-Talking Bush Is Using His Charm On European Stage" by Frank Bruni in The New York Times (16 J…
“A strong America is the world’s best hope for peace and freedom. Yet the cause of freedom rests on more than our ability to defend ourselves and our allies. Freedom is exported every day, as we ship goods and products that improve the lives of millions of people. Free trade brings greater political and personal freedom.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Since September 11, an entire generation of young Americans has gained new understanding of the value of freedom and its cost and duty and its sacrifice. The battle is now joined on many fronts. We will not waver, we will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail. Peace and freedom will prevail. Thank you. May God continue to bless America.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My trip to Asia begins here in Japan for an important reason. It begins here because for a century and a half now, America and Japan have formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times. From that alliance has come an era of peace in the Pacific.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remarks by the President to the Diet, Tokyo, Japan. (February 18, 2002)
“I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, D.C. (June 18, 2002)