Dear Hope Nation,
Happy Birthday, Dr. King! Happy Dr. King’s Birthday to everyone else! Every few weeks, these letters consist of quotes from people wiser than I on topics deeper than my understanding. Luckily, neither is difficult to find. In honor of today’s holiday, here are some meaningful quotes on peace:
“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
“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” —Saint Francis de Sales
“The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress, is the easiest type of existence.” —Norman Vincent Peale
“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” —Dalai Lama
“Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
“If you are depressed you are living in the past if you are anxious you are living in the future, if you are at peace, you are living in the present.” —Lao Tzu
“When things change inside you, things change around you.” —Unknown
“Peace can become a lens through which you see the world. Be it. Live it. Radiate it out. Peace is an inside job.” —Wayne Dyer
“Peace is liberty in tranquility.” —Marcus Tullius Cicero
“Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity.” —Thich Nhat Hanh
“Being relaxed, at peace with yourself, confident, emotionally neutral loose, and free-floating — these are the keys to successful performance in almost everything.” —Wayne Dyer
“You should feel beautiful and you should feel safe. What you surround yourself with should bring you peace of mind and peace of spirit.” —Stacy London
“Sometimes you can find peace of mind by transferring yourself to different situations. They’re just reminders to stay … calm.” —Yves Behar
“Don’t search for anything except peace. Try to calm the mind. Everything else will come on its own.” —Baba Hari Das
“Let go of the thoughts that don’t make you strong.” —Karen Salmansohn
“Peace begins with a smile.” —Mother Teresa
“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
“You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory.” —J. Donald Walters
“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.” —John F. Kennedy
“Peace brings with it so many positive emotions that it is worth aiming for in all circumstances.” —Estella Eliot
“No person, no place, and no thing has any power over us, for ‘we’ are the only thinkers in our mind. When we create peace and harmony and balance in our minds, we will find it in our lives.” —Louise L. Hay
“If you don’t know the guy on the other side of the world, love him anyway because he’s just like you. He has the same dreams, the same hopes and fears. It’s one world, pal. We’re all neighbors.” —Frank Sinatra
“Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.” —Albert Einstein
“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
“Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” —Ronald Reagan
“Not one of us can rest, be happy, be at home, be at peace with ourselves, until we end hatred and division.” —John Lewis
“When you make peace with yourself, you make peace with the world.” —Maha Ghosananda
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” —Desmond Tutu
I matter. You matter. We matter.
Keith