My "working" Peace Quote List

“I think the human race needs to think more about killing, about conflict. Is that what we want in this 21st century?”

“If we had lost the war [Pacific engagement of WWII], we would all have been prosecuted as war criminals… what makes it immoral if you lose and not immoral if you win?”

“We are the strongest nation in the world today. I do not believe we should ever apply that economic, political and military power unilaterally… If we can’t persuade nations with comparable values of the merit of our cause, we’d better reexamine our reasons.”

“What is morally appropriate in a wartime environment?”

“If we are to deal effectively with terrorists across the globe, we must develop a sense of empathy (understanding) to counter their attacks on us and the western world.”

-Robert S. McNamara, Sec. of Defense for Presidents Kennedy & Johnson (in the acclaimed documentary “The Fog of War”)

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. - Issac Asimov

Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. - Albert Einstein

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire

You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong no matter who does it or who says it. - Malcolm X

"The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend." - Abraham Lincoln

"Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it." - Thomas Jefferson

"Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount." - General Omar Bradley

"Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out ... and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel.... And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands and works for 'the universal brotherhood of man' - with his mouth." - Mark Twain

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

“A permanent peace cannot be prepared by threats but only by the honest attempt to create a mutual trust. However strong national armaments may be, they do not create military security for any nation nor do they guarantee the maintenance of peace."

“I think the human race needs to think more about killing, about conflict. Is that what we want in this 21st century?”

“If we are to deal effectively with terrorists across the globe, we must develop a sense of empathy (understanding) to counter their attacks on us and the western world.” -
Robert S. McNamara, Sec. of Defense for Presidents Kennedy & Johnson, in the Academy Award winning Documentary The Fog of War:

"Holy Disobedience becomes a virtue and indeed a necessary and indispensable measure of spiritual self-preservation." - A.J. Muste, Author of the essay Of Holy Disobedience 1952

"If you believe that all men are created equal, then a child's death in some other country is no less tragic than in the United States." - Bill Gates

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix
"War is not nice." - Barbara Bush, wife of former U.S. President George H. Bush, mother of U.S. President George W. Bush

"This is a war between good and evil. …we will stand strong on the side of good, and we expect other nations to join us. This is not a war between our world and their world. It is a war to save the world." - George W. Bush, U.S. President

“[War] is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn to live together in peace by killing each other's children." - former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize (10 December 2002)

Pope John Paul II:
“Today the scale and the horror of modern warfare—whether nuclear or not—makes it totally unacceptable as a means of settling differences between nations.”
"War is against Life and against Man." - World Day of Peace Homily, 01JAN1980
“Violence and arms can never resolve the problems of men.”

Rev. Billy Graham:
"God is not interested in destruction, but in redemption."
"Christ calls us to love, that is the critical test of discipleship."
"People matter, life is sacred. Men, women and children are worth the greatest sacrifice, the supreme effort, the ultimate gift."

"War's a profanity, because let's face it, you've got two opposing sides trying to settle their differences by killing as many of each other as they can." - Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf

"[The Jewish] Bible and the Talmud refrain from praising David and the Maccabees for their military leadership, but underscore their eminence as psalmist and as upholders of religious freedom." - Rabbi Isidor B. Hoffman

"Do you know, Fontanes, what astonishes me most in this world? The inability of force to create anything. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the spirit." -Napoleon

“The future of modern society depends much more on the quiet heroism of the very few who are inspired by God. These few will greatly enjoy the divine inspiration and will be prepared to stand for the dignity of Man and true freedom and to keep the Law of God, even of it means martyrdom or death.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Did the Martyrs not pray that Love would overcome hatred, that men dying for their faith, rather than killing for their faith, would save the world?" - Dorothy Day, in an editorial of "The Catholic Worker"

“What a cruel thing is war...to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors, and to devastate the fair face of this beautiful world.” - Robert E. Lee

"So that by killing by order of your commander you are a murderer as much as the thief who kills a rich man to rob him. He is tempted by money, and you by the desire not to be punished, or to receive a reward. [such as praise or recognition] A Christian cannot surrender his conscience into the power of another man, no matter by what title he may be called." - Leo Tolstoy (Author of the classic War and Peace)

Mahatma Gandhi:
"To benefit by others killing and delude oneself into the belief that one is being very religious and nonviolent is sheer self-deception."
"In nonviolence the masses have a weapon which enables a child, a woman, or even a decrepit old man to resist the mightiest government successfully."
Nonviolence is, he said, "the most active force in the world. It is the weapon not of the weak...but of the strongest and bravest... No power on earth can stand before the march of a peaceful, determined, and God-fearing people."
"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"

Martin Luther, the Reformer:
“War is the greatest plague that can affect humanity; it destroys religion, it destroys states, it destroys families. Any scourge is preferable to it.”
“My conscience is captive to the Word of God, for to go against [my] conscience is neither right nor safe… Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr:
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars." [the myth of redemptive violence]
"These are extreme times. The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love?" from Letter from the Birmingham Jail, 16APR1963
"The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community, while the aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness."
"I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land."
"The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows."
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
“It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.”

Mother Teresa:
"We can do not great things, only small things with great love. It is not how much you do but how much love you put into doing it."
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."

From The New Testament Basis of Peacemaking, by Richard McSorley:

Active love is the response Jesus wants us to have even towards our enemies. Our love is to be independent of the attitude of the other person. We are to love simply because God wants us to reveal ourselves as true sons and daughters of our heavenly Father by this love. P. 5

The absence of hate is not what the gospel asks of us. P. 7

[War] makes my neighbor hungry, thirsty, homeless, a prisoner, and sick. War asks us to lay the cross of suffering on others. P. 16

Christian pacifists of the first three centuries were able to live through and overthrow the government of the Jewish Priests, the government of Rome, and the religion of Rome. P. 46

Once the messiah came and the chosen people became all people, war was obsolete; no longer part of the covenant arrangement. P. 51

It is precisely because life belongs to God that God forbids humans to take it. P. 68

From The Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne:

There is something worth dying for, but nothing worth killing for. p.207

It is more courageous to love our enemies than to kill them. p. 207

Revolutionary Subordination exposes the evils of power and violence without mirroring them. p.217

People in Iraq call leaders in the US Christian Extremists, just as leaders here speak of Muslim Extremists. Everyone is declaring war and asking for Gods blessing. P. 218 (read War Prayer by Mark Twain)

Christians are not called to safety, but we are promised that God will be with us when we are in danger, and there is no better place to be than in the Hands of God. P.227

Christians should be troublemakers, creators of uncertainty, agents of a dimension incompatible with society. -French theologian Jacques Ellul p.231

There comes a point where we recognize we’re trying to serve two masters, and we have to choose which one we will serve. Our arms are just not big enough to carry both the cross and the sword. P.249

If we believe terrorists are beyond redemption, we can rip out half of our New Testament, since it was written by a converted terrorist who became an extremist for Grace. P.272

Violence is for those who have lost their imagination. P. 279

The only thing harder than hatred is love. The only thing harder than war is peace. P. 285

We have placed such idolatrous faith in our ability to protect ourselves that we call it more courageous to die killing than to die loving. P.286

Degrees of separation allow us to destroy human beings we do not know except as the enemy. P. 304

[Jesus'] power was not in crushing but in being crushed, triumphing over the empires sword with his cross. P. 337

From The Call to Conversion, by Rev. Jim Wallis:

We are barely conscious of the harm we inflict on others when it is done through the social institutions to which we belong. P. 31

God’s kingdom is never brought into the world by force, but rather through a cross; not through a warrior king, but a suffering servant. P. 86

The cross is both the symbol of our salvation and the pattern for our lives. P. 93

A church that places its trust in weapons and war is a church that no longer trusts in the Lord. P. 94

Perhaps we can better comprehend the deaths in war if we realize that that Jesus is the central victim… Jesus is there with every father, mother, and terrified child. He feels every death. P. 107

The making of peace… can result in great conflict. Such a ministry of reconciliation will cost something, and it will often make us misunderstood in a world that knows violence better than peace. P. 108

The greatest need of our time is for koinonia, the call simply to be the church, to love one another, and to offer our lives for the sake of the world. p. 112

The experience of God’s forgiveness occurs most directly through the forgiveness of [our] brothers and sisters. P. 131

Becoming known as peacemakers in the world is not simply a political stance, it is through and through a reflection of our worship. P. 149

Nonviolence turns adversaries into friends, not by winning over them, but by winning them over. P. 152

The love that established the pattern of servanthood in Jesus Christ [will] forever be the heartbeat of Christian faith. P. 162

BIBLE (NIV Translation)

Isaiah 6:8 "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, Here I am, send me!"

Love your enemy
"44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven." Matthew 5:44-45

"27 But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Luke 6:27-28

"But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." Luke 6:35

1 John 3:15 “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in Him.”

Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.

Obedience/Authorities
“Everyone should submit themselves to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Romans 13:1

"1Remind the people to be subject to the rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility to all men." Titus 3:1-2

"1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." 1Timothy 2:1-2

“Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than men!’” Acts 5:29

Shiphrah and Puah, Hebrew midwives, risked their lives by refusing Pharaoh's order
to kill all the Hebrew baby boys (Exodus 1:15-22).

Moses challenged mighty Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go into the desert to worship God
(Exodus 5-12).

Elijah confronted King Ahab when he killed Naboth and confiscated his vineyard
(I Kings 21).

Three youths named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were willing to be thrown into a
fiery furnace rather than bowing down to King Nebuchadnezzar's 90-foot golden
statue (Daniel 3).

When King Darius ordered his subjects to pray only to the king, Daniel continued to
pray to God -- and was thrown into a lion's den (Daniel 6).

Esther risked her life to plead the case of her people before King Ahasuerus
(Esther 4-8).

The people appealed to Nehemiah, the governor, about unjust economic practices of
the ruling class (Nehemiah. 5).

John the Baptist lost his head challenging King Herod about his unlawful marriage
to Herodias (Mark 6:14-29).

The birth of hierarchy: “But when [the elders] said, ‘Give us a king to lead us,’ this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” 1 Samuel 8:6-7

Peace

God’s eternal covenant is called a “covenant of peace;”
Numbers 25:12,
Isaiah 54:10,
Ezekiel 34:25 & 37:26,
Malachi 2:5

Judges 6:24 So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
1 Kings 2:33 May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the LORD's peace forever."
Psalms 34:14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Psalms 85:10 Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
*compare to Isaiah 32:17 - “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.”

1 Peter 2:16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.

Psalms 12:20 There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace.

Psalms 68:30b Scatter the nations who delight in war

Zechariah 9:10 [the Messiah] will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.

Isaiah 9:6 - Messiah is the “Prince of Peace”

Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Luke 1:79 (the end of Zechariah’s song) “to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."
Romans 14:19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
1 Corinthians 7:15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.
Galatians 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord [disagreement or strife between people], jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions [disagreement or difference of opinion, especially when leading to open conflict], factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Ephesians 6:14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Colossians 3:14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
1 Thessalonians 5:13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
Hebrews 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
1 Peter 3:11 He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
2 Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Romans 8:6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

Luke 6:36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Colossians 1:21, 2:15 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior… having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Hosea 10:13b-14 Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors, the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be devastated.

Romans 3:8 Paul explains to the Church in Rome what to do about people who say “Let us do evil so that good may result”– he says their condemnation is deserved.
He goes on to say: “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” (Romans 3: 15-17, quoting Isaiah 59:7-8: “Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways. The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks in them will know peace.”)

Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

James 4:1-3 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but you don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you spend what you get on your pleasures.
Matthew 26:51 With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”
1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

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