Morihei Ueshiba Quotes

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

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

Calm can solve all issues.

History is filled with tragic examples of wars that result from diplomatic impasse. Whether in our local communities or in international relations, the skillful use of our communicative capacities to negotiate and resolve differences is the first evidence of human wisdom.

Making peace is harder than making war.

Diplomacy is like jazz: endless variations on a theme.

I can do the PR thing until the cows come home. That's my nature. I never want to upset anybody.

You cannot shake hands with a clinched fist.

Negotiating is a little like jazz. You improvise on a theme. You know where you want to go, but you’re not always sure how to get there.

There is no conflict that can’t be solved.

Diplomacy is a little bit like Jazz. It’s improvisation on a theme.

Strong men know when to compromise.

What I've learned - after working for, I guess, some time now - is when you're approaching a relationship like that, like, any working relationship, it's good to be open. To know that someone might have a different way of doing things and listen to them. And hopefully, you come to a common understanding.

Negotiation is empathy. It's almost trite to say that if you can't put yourself in the seat of the other person you're speaking with, you're not going to do well. It's not about being a bully, not about making offers people can't refuse.

To make peace, one must be an uncompromising leader. To make peace, one must also embody compromise.

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

Compromise is a skill, and like all skills it atrophies from lack of use.

By fighting you never get enough, but by yielding you get more than you expected.

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

When neighbours interact with each other, it is only natural that sometimes they will run into problems of some kind or another. As long as they respect each other, properly manage differences, and pursue mutual benefits, there will be harmonious sound instead of jarring noises.

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.

It's a necessary quality of a diplomat or a politician that he will compromise. Uncompromising politicians or diplomats get you into the most terrible trouble.

But I think that sensitivity is also a good counsellor when it comes to enforcing one's interests.

But you've got to understand what the other guy is about, even if at the end of the process you decide that there is no ground with this man or woman except to fight them.