A World At War Needs Reminders of Peace
In the Art of War, Sun Tzu teaches that the greatest victory is that which requires no battle. Yet 2500 years later in our present day, men still seek honor and victories by inflicting grotesque horrors through warfare.
As the war in Ukraine marches on, another long war gets underway in the Middle East once more. On the back burner, additional tolls on human life accumulate through roiling conflicts in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Myanmar, and worsening confrontations between Pakistan and India, and China over Taiwan.
While we can’t control the reasoning of leaders who choose war over peace, we can be mindful of our own personal conflicts and remember that peace is a choice that promotes inner strength and resilience.
Below are six quotes from six distinguished Nobel Peace Prize winners.
1. What the government may not understand is that the more of us they lock up, the stronger we become.
—Narges Mohammadi, Winner 2023 Nobel Peace Prize
2. No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.
—Nelson Mandela, Winner 1993 Nobel Peace Prize
3. Don't ever mistake my silence for ignorance, my calmness for acceptance, or my kindness for weakness. Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.
—Dalai Lama, Winner 1989 Nobel Peace Prize
4. Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.
—Desmond Tutu, Winner 1984 Nobel Peace Prize
5. I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.
—Mother Theresa, Winner 1979 Nobel Peace Prize
6. May I stress the need for courageous, intelligent, and dedicated leadership. Leaders of sound integrity. Leaders not in love with publicity, but in love with justice. Leaders not in love with money, but in love with humanity. Leaders who can subject their particular egos to the greatness of the cause.
—Martin Luther King, Jr., Winner 1964 Nobel Peace Prize