Toni Morrison Quotes

Of all the many leaders I have met in the course of my life, none made a deeper impression on me than Nelson Mandela. His courage, compassion, humility and wisdom were without parallel on the world stage, and he himself was an enduring source of inspiration.

Violence is absolutely not our method.

I think our politicians could learn a lot from Mandela.

I've always been strongly on the side of non-violence.

I am committed to the principle that violence is never justified as a means of ameliorating a grievance.

I spent a lot of time with President Mandela supporting his efforts in the peace process in Burundi. The thing that impressed me the most was his humility.

Terror can never be defeated by force alone.

Violence is never a solution in my plays, just as ultimately violence is never a solution in human affairs.

I was one of the first people in the Palestinian world, in the late 1970s, to say that there is no military option, either for us or for them, and I'm certainly the only well-known Arab who writes these things - and who writes exactly the same things in the Arab press that I say here.

There will be no fighting. We know that these fellows won’t fight.

Wise men promote peace in the world.

This is a breath of fresh air for our region—solving a political problem without resorting to violence …

Nelson Mandela just died, so that says so much because it's a tremendously powerful and great man who was very sensitive. Loved all people, forgave his enemies, and showed the world how to stand up and do it the right way.

The person I respect most, in terms of historical figures, is probably Nelson Mandela. I just think that his tolerance in the face of extreme provocation is something every single person on the planet could learn from.

Mandela did go to prison, and he went in there as a burning revolutionary. But look what came out. Mandela let us down.

The true object of war fought for God should always be peace.

We simply believe that we should lean into the world with something other than the pointed edge of a sword.

When your enemies defy you, you must serve them steel and fire. When they go to their knees, however, you must help them back to their feet. Elsewise no man will ever bend the knee to you

War is never a lasting solution for any problem.

You have to see the human being in the enemy. If there is potential for change, there is still hope.

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.

If you're a politician, you might want to learn the Buddhist way of negotiation. Restoring communication and bringing back reconciliation is clear and concrete in Buddhism.

In the words of Michael Jackson: I'm a lover, not a fighter.

I was part of a government that tried to resolve the question of Kosovo by war. Perhaps there is some justice that today I should be the person most responsible for finding a peaceful solution.