15 Quotes That Celebrate Peace

The recent bomb scares in both New Jersey and New York unfortunately reminded Americans that though this country is a beautiful one, it's not yet an entirely perfected one. Of course, that doesn't mean that we should give up hope, and these 15 peace quotes for International Day of Peace (September 21) reaffirm that sentiment. No matter how many years it takes us and no matter how much it costs us, striving for world peace is a goal that should never be abandoned. And guess what? It all starts from the inside out.

The one thing that the authors of these 15 of quotations have in common is the belief that peace is a journey, and it begins with an inner acceptance. How is one expected to love others until he or she can first truly love himself or herself? It's simple. He or she can't. All that being said, finding one's own inner peace is not an easy thing to do. It is, however, something worth attempting, time and time again.

Celebrate this International Day of Peace by reminding yourself how valuable peace is and by figuring out how you might go about finding it for yourself (and subsequently, others in the world around you). These quotes can't do the work for you, but they can certainly inspire you on your own personal journey towards peace.

1. "Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace." — Buddha

2. "The real and lasting victories are those of peace, and not of war." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

4. "If you want peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies." — Desmond Tutu

5. "Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means." — Ronald Reagan

6. "Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time." — Lyndon B. Johnson

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

8. "Peace begins with a smile." — Mother Teresa

9. "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 be as one." — John Lennon

10. "Peace and justice are two sides of the same coin." — Dwight D. Eisenhower

11. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." — Jimi Hendrix

12. "We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves." — Dalai Lama

13. "Nobody can bring you peace but yourself." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

14. "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." — Mother Teresa

15. "Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal." — Martin Luther King, Jr.

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