The International Day of Peace comes round every 21 September, an invitation to go back to the words of those who thought about peace before us. Here are 13 quotations on peace, gathered from philosophers, heads of state, spiritual figures and writers, each saying in its own way what peace asks of us — our own, and the world’s.
13 quotations on peace
- “No peace lasts forever. But every day that carries peace a little further is a blessing already won.” Kaj Munk, 1943
- “No peace is possible while struggle, tension and fear live inside you. How can there be peace on earth if there is war within you?” Sai Maa
- “Each of us carries the responsibility of growing peace within, so that peace may spread to all.” The Dalai Lama
- “Every act of love is a work of peace. However small.” Mother Teresa
- “Let us not rest on what we have already won, but strive to build peace, and to want peace in the heart and the mind of every one of us.” John Fitzgerald Kennedy, address to the United Nations General Assembly, 1963
- “A peace that is certain is worth more than a victory that is assured.” Livy, historian of ancient Rome
- “You want peace: create love.” Attributed to Victor Hugo
- “There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.” Attributed to Gandhi
- “Peace cannot be achieved through violence. It can only be reached through understanding.” Albert Einstein
- “Ignorance, not knowledge, is what turns men against one another.” Kofi Annan
- “In times of peace, do not forget danger.” Chinese proverb
- “The poor man lives waiting for wealth and the rich man for paradise, but the wise man longs for nothing but peace.” Swami Rama
- “Whenever peace presents itself to men, intolerance forges its weapons.” Voltaire, Treatise on Tolerance, XXIV, 1763
Keeping these words alive day to day
These lines are not only for 21 September. They work as reminders, worth rereading when the mind starts to churn. Several of them, beginning with Sai Maa and the Dalai Lama, place peace on the inside before looking for it outside — an idea that the real meaning of life does not come from your personal successes takes up in its own way, far from the race for achievement.
In practice, repeating one of these lines before sleep follows the same logic as our 8 calming thoughts for a serene night, while asking yourself what inner peace means to you is work you can do through 20 key questions for looking inward.
