Nelson Mandela Quotes

Our position is that we can sit down and talk to try to solve our problems through dialogue.

The main aim of the [political] dialogue should be to resolve the problems of the nation, not to find who is the winner and who is the loser. That's not what it's all about. It's to try and find an answer that is acceptable to all parties concerned, which would of course require some give and take.

Even when the views are contradictory, talks are the only way forward and problems should be resolved through dialogue.

We have to start from the fact that there are always alternatives to violence.

The best weapon is to sit down and talk.

I have always believed in dialogue and in nonviolence, and if you look at my background you will see that it has always been my policy to talk to everyone.

The best way to solve problems and to fight against war is through dialogue.

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.

Costa Rica believes in building bridges, in looking for solutions to problems, and not clinging to positions.

Negotiations can create conditions that can lead to solutions.

The fact that talk may be boring or turgid or uninspiring should not cause us to forget the fact that it is preferable to war.

Conflict resolution cannot be merely about eliminating all opposition or reducing the choices in negotiating the problem to two mutually exclusive sets of rights and wrongs. Rather, it must consist of laboring to bring everybody to accept reality and then to project a future with this understanding as the foundation.

The object of Parliament is to substitute argument for fisticuffs.

I'm always ready to negotiate in good faith with others.

If there are sound reasons or bases for the points you demand, then there is no need for violence. On the other hand, when there is no sound reason that concessions should be made to you but mainly your own desire, then reason cannot work and you have to rely on force. Thus using force is not a sign of strength but rather a sign of weakness.

War is the admission of defeat in the face of conflicting interests.

You'll get more from being a peacemaker than a warrior.

I will go anywhere, anytime, to meet with anyone to find common ground.

Negotiation and discussion are the greatest weapons we have for promoting peace and development.

Violence is not the only means of persuasion.

By mutual respect, understanding and with good will we can find acceptable solutions to any problems which exist or may arise between us.

We have to choose between dialogue and utter devastation.

It's very dramatic when two people come together to work something out. It's easy to take a gun and annihilate your opposition, but what is really exciting to me is to see people with differing views come together and finally respect each other.

The U.S. generally wants to solve problems with coercion. That's kind of the default way the American state wants to try to solve problems. So there are many parallels between that: mass incarceration, mass surveillance, and militarism.