115 Peace Quotes

Here are 115 of the most inspiring peace quotes I could find. The goal? To inspire unity and peace in you and in the world. Enjoy!

Peace begins with a smile. Mother Teresa

The world is now too small for anything but brotherhood. Arthur Powell Davies

Love is the purest form of a soul at peace. Matthew Donnelly

Little people are intolerant, selfish and impatient. Wise people are calm, loving and understanding. Maxime Lagacé

If you want peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies. Desmond Tutu

Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. Desmond Tutu (Nobel Peace Prize 1984)

I do not want the peace that passeth understanding. I want the understanding which bringeth peace. Helen Keller

When you make peace with yourself, you make peace with the world. Maha Ghosananda

Why can’t people just sit and read books and be nice to each other? David Baldacci

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace. Jimi Hendrix

You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom. Malcolm X

You were placed on this earth to create not to compete. Robert Anthony

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. Amelia Earhart

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding. Albert Einstein

We will know peace the day we truly know ourselves. Maxime Lagacé

Related quotes and topics: positive, humility, respect

 

A few thoughts on peace…

What does peace mean to you?

For me, it’s simple: it means you respect and accept not just others, but yourself.

It also means you know yourself and your human weaknesses so you can tame your ego and desire for power.

After all, isn’t it the search for power and status that brings us to do things that we wouldn’t normally do?

You and I are peaceful by nature.

But society told us that we were inadequate so we fight to make our place and bring down others.

This way we feel better about ourselves, right?

In sum,

if you don’t truly know yourself and your value, you’ll do things that you’ll regret.

You’ll be too proud and ultimately, violent.

Don’t do that. You were born beautiful.

Stay that way.

Deal?

The Best Peace Quotes

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World peace begins with inner peace. 14th Dalai Lama Click to tweet

Peace in ourselves, peace in the world. Thich Nhat Hanh

Don’t gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold. Bob Marley

You can’t shake hands with a clenched fist. Indira Gandhi Click to tweet

First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others. Thomas a Kempis

An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind. Mahatma Gandhi

Peace, which costs nothing, is attended with with infinitely more advantage than any victory with all its expense. Thomas Paine

In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you. Deepak Chopra Click to tweet

If there must be trouble let it be in my day, that my child may have peace. Thomas Paine

If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace. John Lennon Click to tweet

To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness. Robert Muller

True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice. Martin Luther King Jr

If we ourselves remain angry and then sing world peace, it has little meaning. First, our individual self must learn peace. This we can practice. Then we can teach the rest of the world. 14th Dalai Lama

I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist. I am willing to fight for peace. Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war. Albert Einstein

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves. 14th Dalai Lama

I have come into this world to see this: the sword drop from men’s hands even at the height of their arc of rage because we have finally realized there is just one flesh we can wound. Hafiz of Persia

There is a higher court than courts of justice, and that is the court of conscience. It supersedes all other courts. Mahatma Gandhi

Let us bring equality, justice, and peace for all. Not just the politicians and the world leaders, we all need to contribute. Me. You. It is our duty. Malala Yousafzai (Nobel Prize Winner 2014)

You cannot find peace by avoiding life. Virginia Woolf

Make peace with your broken pieces. Unknown Click to tweet

Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace. Unknown

There is no way to peace, peace is the way. A.J. Muste

Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start. Anthony Bourdain Click to tweet

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. Melody Beattie

The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most vital and artistic of human actions. Thich Nhat Hanh

The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it. Albert Einstein

Peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous. George Bernard Shaw

Peace is not achieved by controlling nations, but mastering our thoughts. John Harricharan

What Is Peace?

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Peace is not the absence of war but the presence of justice. Harrison Ford Click to tweet

Peace is not the absence of war; it is a virtue; a state of mind; a disposition for benevolence; confidence; and justice. Baruch Spinoza

Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures. John F. Kennedy

Peace is costly but it is worth the expense. African proverb

Peace is the only battle worth waging. Albert Camus Click to tweet

Part 2. Peace Quotes That Are…

The Most Famous Peace Quotes

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Searching for a famous peace quote? Check out those by Einstein, Buddha, Luther King Jr, Mother Teresa, etc.

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. Mother Teresa (Nobel Peace Prize 1979) Click to tweet

Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding. Ralph Waldo Emerson

I believe our sorrow can make us a better country. I believe our righteous anger can be transformed into more justice and more peace. Barack Obama (Nobel Peace Prize 2009)

Resolutely train yourself to attain peace. Buddha

A running world is a peaceful world. Eliud Kipchoge (First man to run a marathon under two hours)

If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner. Nelson Mandela (Nobel Peace Prize 1993)

Peace is the virtue of civilization. War is its crime. Victor Hugo Click to tweet

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

I was a drum major for peace. Martin Luther King Jr (Nobel Peace Prize 1964)

There is something strangely inconsistent about a nation and a press that would praise you when you say, ‘Be nonviolent toward Jim Clark,’ but will curse and damn you when you say, ‘Be nonviolent toward little brown Vietnamese children.’ There is something wrong with that press. Martin Luther King Jr

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Some people call me the girl who was shot by the Taliban. And some, the girl who fought for her rights. Malala Yousafzai (Nobel Peace Prize 2014)

There is no greater violence than to deny the dreams of our children. Kailash Satyarthi (Nobel Peace Prize 2014)

Only art and music have the power to bring peace. Yoko Ono

The biggest challenge or biggest crisis knocking on the doors of humankind is fear and intolerance. Kailash Satyarhi (Nobel Peace Prize 2014)

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. Albert Einstein

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. John F. Kennedy

The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government. Thomas Jefferson

We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children. Jimmy Carter

Working for peace in the future is to work for peace in the present moment. Thich Nhat Hanh

Part 1. I believe that to meet the challenges of our times, human beings will have to develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. 14th Dalai Lama (Real name is Tenzin Gyatso, Nobel Peace Prize 1989)

Part 2. Each of us must learn to work not just for oneself, one’s own family or nation, but for the benefit of all humankind. Universal responsibility is the key to human survival. It is the best foundation for world peace. 14th Dalai Lama

Peace by persuasion has a pleasant sound, but I think we should not be able to work it. We should have to tame the human race first, and history seems to show that that cannot be done. Mark Twain

Non-cooperation is a measure of discipline and sacrifice, and it demands respect for the opposite views. Mahatma Gandhi (Nominated 5 times for Nobel Peace Prize)

Nobody can hurt me without my permission. Mahatma Gandhi Click to tweet

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 live as one. John Lennon

All we are saying is give peace a chance. John Lennon Click to tweet

See also: 20 Inspirational Lessons From Nobel Prize Winners (lifehack.org)

Short Peace Quotes

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One-liners, short peace quotes, sayings, thoughts and captions for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, backgrounds.

Peace is every step. Thich Nhat Hanh Click to tweet

Peace is its own reward. Mahatma Gandhi

Peace begins when expectation ends. Sri Chinmoy

Dream always of a peaceful, warless, disarmed world. Robert Muller

We make war that we may live in peace. Aristotle

#PeaceDay should be everyday. Michael Douglas (UN Messenger of Peace) Click to tweet

Every drop in the ocean counts. Yoko Ono

Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace. 14th Dalai Lama

Peace without justice is an impossibility. Desmond Tutu (Nobel Peace Prize 1984)

Love is my weapon. Music is my religion. Peace is in my soul. Unknown Click to tweet

I am centered. I am balanced. I am at peace. Unknown

Life is much easier when you just chill out. Unknown

Peace is never a perfect achievement. Kofi Annan (Nobel Peace Prize 2001)

I, too, am America. Langston Hughes

Inspirational Peace Quotes (For Changing The World)

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Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere. Elie Wiesel Click to tweet

One little person, giving all of her time to peace, makes news. Many people, giving some of their time, can make history. Peace Pilgrim

Everyday we do things, we are things that have to do with peace. If we are aware of our life…, our way of looking at things, we will know how to make peace right in the moment, we are alive. Thich Nhat Hanh

You who are journalists, writers, citizens, you have the right and duty to say to those you have elected that they must practice mindfulness, calm and deep listening, and loving speech. This is universal thing, taught by all religions. Thich Nhat Hanh (See also: Peace Is Every Step, Amazon book)

A civilized nation can have no enemies, and one cannot draw a line across a map, a line that doesn’t even exist in nature and say that the ugly enemy lives on the one side, and good friends live on the other. Thor Heyerdahl

Peace has to be created, in order to be maintained. It is the product of faith, strength, energy, will, sympathy, justice, imagination, and the triumph of principle. It will never be achieved by passivity and quietism. Dorothy Thompson

Part 1. Peace is the highest and most strenuous act of the soul, but an entirely harmonious act, in which all our powers and affections are blending in a beautiful proportion, and sustain and perfect one another. William Ellery Channing

Part 2. It is more than the silence after storms. It is as the concord of all melodious sounds… an alliance of love with all beings, a sympathy with all that is pure and happy, a surrender of every separate will and interest, a participation of the spirit and life of the universe… William Ellery Channing

Part 3. This is peace, and the true happiness of humanity. William Ellery Channing

Peace is our gift to each other. Elie Wiesel (Nobel Peace Prize 1986)

If not now, then when? If not you, then who? If we are able to answer these fundamental questions, then perhaps we can wipe away the blot of human slavery. Kailash Satyarthi (Nobel Peace Prize 2014)

We who work for peace must not falter. We must continue to pray for peace and to act for peace in whatever way we can, we must continue to speak for peace and to live the way of peace; to inspire others, we must continue to think of peace and to know that peace is possible. Peace Pilgrim

The great teachings unanimously emphasize that all the peace, wisdom, and joy in the universe are already within us; we don’t have to gain, develop, or attain them. We’re like a child standing in a beautiful park with his eyes shut tight. We don’t need to imagine trees, flowers, deer, birds, and sky; we merely need to open our eyes and realize what is already here, who we really are – as soon as we quit pretending we’re small or unholy. Bo Lozoff

The greatest personalities that ever existed have been those who united human beings and put them on the road toward cooperation and effectiveness and peace. Those whom the world has held highest have helped to unite and not sever interconnectedness. They have not been the destroyers of differences but the harmonizer of differences. John Lovejoy Elliott

Choose. The single clenched fist lifted and ready, or the open hand held out and waiting. Choose: For we meet by one or the other. Carl Sandburg

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. Leo Tolstoy

Wise Peace Sayings

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When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you. African proverb Click to tweet

While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart. Francis of Assisi

One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing; that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one. Agatha Christie

If I have been of service, if I have glimpsed more of the nature and essence of ultimate good, if I am inspired to reach wider horizons of thought and action, if I am at peace with myself, it has been a successful day. Alex Noble

We are not going to deal with the violence in our communities, our homes, and our nation, until we learn to deal with the basic ethic of how we resolve our disputes and to place an emphasis on peace in the way we relate to one another. Marian Wright Edelman

The less we know ourselves, the more power we crave, the more violent we become. Maxime Lagacé

We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say. Zeno of Citium

It’s time for us to turn to each other, not on each other. Jesse Jackson Click to tweet

Everyone’s a pacifist between wars. It’s like being a vegetarian between meals. Colman McCarthy

Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee. Augustine of Hippo

Those who are at war with others are not at peace with themselves. William Hazlitt

Dad, how do soldiers killing each other solve the world’s problems? Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes)

Be selective in your battles. Sometimes peace is better than being right. Unknown

Either war is obsolete or men are. R. Buckminster Fuller

More words of wisdom

Part 3. Conclusion

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If there is to be peace in the world, there must be peace in the nations. If there is to be peace in the nations, there must be peace in the cities. If there is to be peace in the cities, there must be peace between neighbors. If there is to be peace between neighbors, there must be peace in the home. If there is to be peace in the home, there must be peace in the heart. Lao Tzu Click to tweet

Call to action: Read How to Bring Peace to the World Through You (wikihow.com)

Hope you enjoyed these inspiring peace quotes. If you did, please share them with a friend today!