Best Peace Quotes

There’s no doubt that we live in a troubled world. Still, so many diverse people have spoken amazing words of peace and wisdom. Today, I want to share some of my favorite peace quotes … perfect for reflection by older kids and adults. If your kids or students are interested in Mr. Browne’s precepts from the Wonder books, some peace quotes can be a great way to start a discussion about peace.

I’ll be sharing from a wide variety of people. I won’t share quotes from the Bible, although I will include quotes from famous Christians and a number of other religious leaders.

Peace Quotes

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“Peace is always beautiful.” Walt Whitman

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

“It is possible to live in peace.” Mahatma Gandhi

“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” Mahatma Gandhi

“If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.” Mahatma Gandhi

“The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.” Mahatma Gandhi

“Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.” Maria Montessori

“When I say it’s you I like, I’m talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.” Fred Rogers

“All works of love are works of peace.” Mother Teresa

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” Mother Teresa

“Peace begins with a smile.” Mother Teresa

“Peace Begins with a Smile” Word-Art Freebie

“Peace is the only battle worth waging.” Albert Camus

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” Edith Wharton

“Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.” Albert Einstein

“Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” Martin Luther King, Jr

“One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Let there be peace on earth… and let it begin with me.” Jill Jackson and Sy Miller

“Let There Be Peace on Earth” Word Art Freebie

“There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their rights are respected, that their welfare is protected, that their lives are free from fear and want and that they grow up in peace.” Kofi Annan

“If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.” Thich Nhat Hanh

“Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.” Buddha

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” Buddha

“It is impossible to build one’s own happiness on the unhappiness of others. This perspective is at the heart of Buddhist teachings.” Daisaku Ikeda

“Nothing is more precious than peace. Peace is the most basic starting point for the advancement of humankind.” Daisaku Ikeda

“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

“But peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. So let us not rest all our hopes on parchment and on paper, let us strive to build peace, a desire for peace, a willingness to work for peace in the hearts and minds of all of our people. I believe that we can. I believe the problems of human destiny are not beyond the reach of human beings.” John F. Kennedy

“I speak of peace, therefore, as the necessary rational end of rational men. I realize the pursuit of peace is not as dramatic as the pursuit of war… But we have no more urgent task.” John F. Kennedy

“More than just an end to war, we want an end to the beginnings of all wars.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“If the human race wishes to have a prolonged and indefinite period of material prosperity, they have only got to behave in a peaceful and helpful way toward one another.” Winston Churchill

“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that its center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.” Black Elk

“Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are.” Hafsat Abiola

“We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace.” William Gladstone

“There is no time left for anything but to make peacework a dimension of our every waking activity.” Elise Boulding

“All we are saying is give peace a chance.” John Lennon

“Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that 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, Imagine

“Imagine All the People, Living Life in Peace” Word-Art Freebie

“If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace.” John Lennon

“This is the way of peace: overcome evil with good, and falsehood with truth, and hatred with love.” Peace Pilgrim

“If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.” Thich Nhat Hanh

“In the hearts of people today there is a deep longing for peace. When the true spirit of peace is thoroughly dominant, it becomes an inner experience with unlimited possibilities. Only when this really happens – when the spirit of peace awakens and takes possession of men’s hearts, can humanity be saved from perishing.” Albert Schweitzer

“If you want to make peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.” Moshe Dayan

“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.” Nelson Mandela

“If you want to end the war then Instead of sending guns, send books. Instead of sending tanks, send pens. Instead of sending soldiers, send teachers.” Malala Yousafzai

“Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways.” Dalai Lama XIV

“World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.” Dalai Lama XIV

“There is no way to peace; peace is the way.” A.J. Muste

“Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice.” Baruch Spinoza

“Peace-making is a healing process and it begins with me, but it does not end there.” Gene Knudsen Hoffman

“Peace may sound simple – one beautiful word – but it requires everything we have, every quality, every strength, every dream, every high ideal.” Yehudi Menuhin

“To reach peace, teach peace.” Pope John Paul II

“If you want peace, work for justice.” Pope Paul VI

“God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world: peace in the hearts of all men and women and peace among the nations of the Earth.” Pope Benedict XVI

“The true and solid peace of nations consists not in equality of arms, but in mutual trust alone.” Pope John XXIII

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.” Francis of Assisi

More Peace and Mindfulness Resources and Activities (Update)

I’ve had a peace unit at Living Montessori Now. I’ve included mindfulness resources. They’re helpful in peace education because peace within is a first step toward spreading peace.

What is your favorite peace quote?

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