Mattie Stepanek Quotes

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.

You don't have to use aggression to squash somebody. You have to use your brain.

I hope everybody will go back to the negotiating table. I've always said this is the only way forward.

We would like to see you departing peacefully.

I spent an important part of my life participating in conflicts. But for me, conflict was not the main principle.

Better talk than fight, if nothing of sovereign value is anyway lost. Dialogue has achieved more than confrontation in many parts of the world.

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

I like to win without fighting. But if I can't, then I'm prepared to fight.

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

The progress and survival of civilization [are] dependent upon ... the realization ... of the utter futility of force as an arbiter.

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

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

There is never a military solution to any problem.

Better build them a golden bridge than offer a decisive battle.

We believe in resolving all disputes peacefully.

When somebody says, 'Oh, Buffy, you're such a warrior for peace', I stop them and say, 'No, I'm not really a warrior for peace. What I promote is alternative conflict resolution'.

Nowhere in the world has the use of force alone resolved a conflict.

We cannot afford to fight our neighbor, even if we disagree on many things.

Mediation is one of the most effective tools of non-violence. It can turn parties away from conflict, towards compromise.

There is no conflict in the world that cannot be solved.

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

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.

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

Violence is my last option.

I try to avoid conflict. I don't want people to be unhappy.