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Peace
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“One of the marks of maturity is the need for solitude: a city should not merely draw men together in many varied activities, but should permit each person to find, near at hand, moments of seclusion and peace.”
Lewis Mumford (1895–1990) first seen 1968 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Planning for the Phases of Life", The Urban Prospect: Essays (1968)
“Who are you and who am I To say we know the reason why Some are born, some men die, Beneath one infinite sky? There'll be war, there'll be peace, But everything one day will cease, All the iron turned to rust, All the proud men turned to dust, And so all things time will mend, So this song will end.”
David Gilmour (born 1946) first seen 1972 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Childhood's End", on Obscured by Clouds (1972)
“We want to spread this message of peace, and we want to raise the morale of the people who are defending their homeland there in Ukraine.”
David Gilmour (born 1946) first seen 1914 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On his inspiration to collaborate with Andriy Khlyvnyuk after seeing his rendition of the 1914 Ukrainian patriotic march "Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow" by adding Pink Floyd musical adaptations to produce the compo…
“Bourgeois civilization has built railroads and electric power plants, has invented explosives and airplanes, in order to create wealth. Imperialism has placed the tools of peace in the service of destruction. With modern means it would be easy to wipe out humanity at one blow.”
Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973) said by 1973 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have given instructions that I be informed every time one of our soldiers is killed, even if it is in the middle of the night. When President Nasser leaves instructions that he is to be awakened in the middle of the night if an Egyptian soldier is killed, there will be peace.”
Golda Meir (1898–1978) said by 1978 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When peace comes, we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons.”
Golda Meir (1898–1978) first seen 1969 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Press conference in London (1969), as quoted in A Land of Our Own : An Oral Autobiography (1973) edited by Marie Syrkin, p. 242
Also quoted by: Golda Meir (disputed)
“... the side that feels the lesser urge for peace will naturally get the better bargain.”
Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831) said by 1831 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On War, tr. Michael Howard and Peter Paret, ed. Beatrice Heuser (Oxford World's Classics, 2007), p. 34 -->
“The Conqueror is always a lover of peace: he would prefer to take over our country unopposed.”
Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831) said by 1831 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My thoughts hold mortal strife; I do detest my life, And with lamenting cries Peace to my soul to bring Oft call that prince which here doth monarchise: — But he, grim-grinning King, Who caitiffs scorns, and doth the blest surprise, Late having deck'd with beauty's rose his tomb, Disdains to crop a weed, and will not come.”
William Drummond of Hawthornden (1585–1649) said by 1649 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The universal and lasting establishment of peace constitutes not merely a part, but the whole final purpose and end of the science of right as viewed within the limits of reason.”
Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) said by 1804 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I've had enough of danger And people on the streets I'm looking out for angels Just trying to find some peace Now I think it's time That you let me know So if you love me Say you love me But if you don't just let me go...”
George Michael (1963–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I renew my call for the occupier (the United States) to leave our land. The departure of the occupier will mean stability for Iraq, victory for Islam and peace and defeat for terrorism and infidels.”
Muqtada Sadr (born 1974) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Radical Cleric Blames U.S. for Iraq Woes 30 March 2007
“It is not our affluence, or our plumbing, or our clogged freeways that grip the imagination of others. Rather, it is the values upon which our system is built. These values imply our adherence not only to liberty and individual freedom, but also to international peace, law and order, and constructive social purpose. When we depart from these values, we do so at our peril.”
J. William Fulbright (1905–1995) first seen 1961 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remarks in the Senate, June 29, 1961, Congressional Record, vol. 107, p. 11,703
“Dear youths, I warn you cherish peace divine, And in your hearts lay deep these words of mine.”
Pythagoras (583–491 BC) said by 491 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As reported by Heraclides, son of Sarapion, and Diogenes Laërtius, in Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, "Pythagoras", Sect. 7, in the translation of C. D. Yonge (1853)
“As long as Man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings, he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.”
Pythagoras (583–491 BC) said by 491 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Attribution to Pythagoras by Ovid, as quoted in The Extended Circle: A Dictionary of Humane Thought (1985) by Jon Wynne-Tyson, p. 260; also in Vegetarian Times, No. 168 (August 1991), p. 4
“You called and cried out loud and shattered my deafness. You were radiant and resplendent, you put to flight my blindness. You were fragrant, and I drew in my breath and now pant after you. I tasted you, and I feel but hunger and thirst for you. You touched me, and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is yours.”
Augustine of Hippo (354–430) said by 430 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Heavenly City outshines Rome, beyond comparison. There, instead of victory, is truth; instead of high rank, holiness; instead of peace, felicity; instead of life, eternity.”
Augustine of Hippo (354–430) said by 430 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“O sons of Peace, sons of the One Catholic [Church], walk in your way, and sing as you walk. Travelers do this in order to keep up their spirits.”
Augustine of Hippo (354–430) said by 430 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The members of Christ, many though they be, are bound to one another by the ties of charity and peace under the one Head, who is our Saviour Himself, and form one man. Often their voice is heard in the Psalms as the voice of one man; the cry of one is as the cry of all, for all are one in One.”
Augustine of Hippo (354–430) said by 430 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A time to gain, a time to lose A time to rend, a time to sew A time of love, a time of hate A time of peace... I swear it's not too late.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1954 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Turn! Turn! Turn!" (1954)
“It's coming on Christmas, They're cutting down trees. They're putting up reindeer And singing songs of joy and peace. I wish I had a river I could skate away on”
Joni Mitchell (born 1943) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To generalize about war is like generalizing about peace. Almost everything is true. Almost nothing is true.”
Tim O'Brien (author) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Way of the Warrior has been misunderstood. It is not a means to kill and destroy others. Those who seek to compete and better one another are making a terrible mistake. To smash, injure, or destroy is the worst thing a human being can do. The real Way of a Warrior is to prevent such slaughter — it is the Art of Peace, the power of love.”
Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969) first seen 1942 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speaking of a vision of the "Great Spirit of Peace" in 1942, during World War II, as quoted in Adjusting Though Reflex : Romancing Zen (2010) by Rodger Hyodo, p. 76
“One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train.”
Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Be grateful even for hardship, setbacks, and bad people. Dealing with such obstacles is an essential part of training in the Art of Peace.”
Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter.”
Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the Art of Peace we never attack. An attack is proof that one is out of control. Never run away from any kind of challenge, but do not try to suppress or control an opponent unnaturally. Let attackers come any way they like and then blend with them. Never chase after opponents. Redirect each attack and get firmly behind it.”
Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Instructors can impart only a fraction of the teaching. It is through your own devoted practice that the mysteries of the Art of Peace are brought to life.”
Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are no contests in the Art of Peace. A true warrior is invincible because he or she contests with nothing. Defeat means to defeat the mind of contention that we harbor within.”
Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To injure an opponent is to injure yourself. To control aggression without inflicting injury is the Art of Peace.”
Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When life is victorious, there is birth; when it is thwarted, there is death. A warrior is always engaged in a life-and-death struggle for Peace.”
Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And you can laugh A spineless laugh We hope your rules and wisdom choke you And now we are one In everlasting peace We hope that you choke, that you choke”
Thom Yorke (born 1968) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The deep, deep peace of the double-bed after the hurly-burly of the chaise-longue.”
Mrs Patrick Campbell (1865–1940) first seen 1934 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Alexander Woollcott, “The First Mrs. Tanqueray,” While Rome Burns (1934)
“Wars begin in the minds of men, and in those minds, love and compassion would have built the defenses of peace.”
U Thant (1909–1974) first seen 1968 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Buddhism and the Charter", in Jeffrey Rose and Michael Ignatieff (eds.) Religion and International Affairs (1968), p. 114
“I always befriended animals and have said many a good word for them. Even to the least-loved mosquitoes I gave many a meal, and told them to go in peace.”
John Muir (1838–1914) said by 1914 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“By 1910-14, Hobson had drifted far from the arguments of Imperialism: A Study and was now writing of imperialism as a phase in the extension of a benign, global capitalist network and one that would eventually lead to an economic convergence between the developed and underdeveloped worlds, to world peace and eventually to some form of world government.”
Peter Cain (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I think what the Nobel committee is doing is going beyond war and looking at what humanity can do to prevent war. Sustainable management of our natural resources will promote peace.”
Wangari Maathai (1940–2011) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview in TIME (10 October 2004)
“Today we are faced with a challenge that calls for a shift in our thinking, so that humanity stops threatening its life-support system. We are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own … Recognizing that sustainable development, democracy and peace are indivisible is an idea whose time has come.”
Wangari Maathai (1940–2011) said by 2011 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Wangari Maathai: Outspoken conservationist Deutsche welle (03/06/2020)
“In peace time, that is to say, the size of the cake depends on the amount of work done. But in war time the size of the cake is fixed. If we work harder, we can fight better. But we must not consume more.”
John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946) said by 1946 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sometimes, and in particular dealing with a dictator, the only chance of peace is a readiness for war.”
Tony Blair (born 1953) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech to the Labour conference in Blackpool (2 October 2002). Echoing an old latin proverb, Si vis pacem, para bellum (If you want peace, be prepared for war).
“Analogies with the past are never properly accurate and analogies especially with the rising fascism can be easily misleading, but in pure chronology I sometimes wonder if we're not in the 1920s or 1930s again... This ideology now has a state, Iran, that is prepared to back and finance terror in the pursuit of destabilising countries whose people wish to live in peace.”
Tony Blair (born 1953) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Stop the War and Stop the Genocide, read the banners being waved in the demonstrations in Rome and here in Bari. For Peace. Against War. Who is not? But how can you stop those bent on genocide without making war?”
Susan Sontag (1933–2004) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Why Are We in Kosovo?", The New York Times (2 May 1999)
“Too much remembering embitters. To make peace is to forget. To reconcile, it is necessary that memory be faulty and limited.”
Susan Sontag (1933–2004) said by 2004 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A society which is clamouring for choice, which is filled with many articulate groups, each urging its own brand of salvation, its own variety of economic philosophy, will give each new generation no peace until all have chosen or gone under, unable to bear the conditions of choice.”
Margaret Mead (1901–1978) first seen 1973 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 131 (1973 edition)
“The first step in the direction of a world rule of law is the recognition that peace no longer is an unobtainable ideal but a necessary condition of continued human existence. But to take even this step we must return to a calm and responsible frame of mind in which we can face the long patient tasks ahead.”
Margaret Mead (1901–1978) first seen 1961 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Are Shelters the Answer?", in The New York Times Magazine (26 November 1961), p. 125
“Marxism did not want socialism at all because the men stood and stand behind it preached phases of freedom, peace, and prosperity, but did not want social liberation at all, only using the workers as willing slaves for their purposes!... What we call National Socialism is the result of bourgeois betrayal of the national idea and Marxist betrayal of the socialist idea.”
Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945) said by 1945 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Jew is uncreative. He produces nothing, he only haggles with products. With rags, clothing, pictures, jewels, grain, stocks, cures, peoples and states. He has somehow stolen everything he deals in. When he attacks a state he is a revolutionary. As soon as he holds power, he preaches peace and order so that he can devour his conquests in comfort.”
Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945) said by 1945 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”
Tom Lehrer (1928–2025) first seen 1973 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the awarding of the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize to Henry Kissinger, and Lê Ðức Thọ; one of his most quoted quips, it is often mentioned in articles and interviews, including "Stop clapping, this is serious" in Sydney Morn…
“Let us have peace.”
Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) first seen 1868 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Accepting the Republican Party's nomination for the U.S. presidency (29 May 1868)
“In taking leave of this subject for the present I wish to renew the expression of my conviction that the existence of African slavery in Cuba is a principal cause of the lamentable condition of the island. I do not doubt that Congress shares with me the hope that it will soon be made to disappear, and that peace and prosperity may follow its abolition.”
Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) said by 1885 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source