Leopold III Quotes

I am not—as I am sure I will be charged—for peace at any price, but for an honorable rational, and political solution to this [the Vietnam] war.

The alternative is not war or doing nothing. Whoever rejects war is not doomed to appeasement.

Though peace be made, yet it's interest that keep peace.

I have desired as sincerely as any man—I sometimes think more than any other man—that our present difficulties might be settled without the shedding of blood.

Number one, that it is smart to communicate and negotiate with your enemy instead of just waging war with bombs and weapons of mass destruction.

If I could cause world peace by taking someone out to lunch, I'd go, 'Well, war isn't that terrible.'

It is highly probable that in most cases, war could be avoided or ended. For discussions allow passion to subside, and to persuade alienated neighbors, or at least one of them, to listen to the voice of a conciliator is a step in the direction of peace.

The most disadvantageous peace is better than the most just war.

We should seek by all means in our power to avoid war, by analysing possible causes, by trying to remove them, by discussion in a spirit of collaboration and good will.

Every time that we've ever fought, we fought to keep from bein' destroyed. We've never started a war.

But we want peace, I would move all my people down this way. I could then keep them all quietly near camp.

Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the ability to cope with conflict by peaceful means.

My policy is trust—peace, and to put aside the bayonet

Keep us out of war. Be neutral.

I prefer the most unfair peace to the most righteous war.

... the greatest moral victory in the history of civilization if it actually keeps out of a war.

War should never be entered upon until every agency of peace has failed; peace is preferable to war in almost every contingency. Arbitration is the true method of settlement of international as well as local or individual differences.

There is no such thing as a conflict that cannot be ended.

The strength of a civilization is not measured by its ability to fight wars, but rather by its ability to prevent them.

One should not maintain a dispute.

… not merely peace in our time but peace for all time. To achieve it, it is necessary to examine our attitude toward peace itself. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable — that mankind is doomed — that we are gripped by forces we cannot control. We need not accept that view. Our problems are man-made — therefore, they can be solved by man.

… in a tense situation, if time could be given for everyone to discuss what was going on before they actually went to war, we might come to our senses. Most of us are taught as children to count to 30 before we open our mouths when we were angry, and that same lesson should apply to nations.

History has proved that the most ardent enemies have settled their differences through talks and not war.

There should be an honest attempt at the reconciliation of differences before resorting to combat.

Intervention only works when the people concerned seem to be keen for peace.