George J. Mitchell Quotes

In order to have peace in the Middle East both sides are going to have to put away history and make a leap of faith.

We extend our hand towards peace. Our people are committed to peace. We know that peace entails painful compromise for both sides.

Peace in the Middle East isn't going to be created by another war or violent act on the other side.

Peace is a question of will. All conflicts can be settled, and there are no excuses for allowing them to become eternal.

In Turkey, we have lived almost everything that could be lived; war and torture... The war concept was consumed to its limits. But there is only one way we have not tried: negotiations, peace, and talking.

Like all Israelis, I yearn for peace. I see the utmost importance in taking all possible steps that will lead to a solution of the conflict with the Palestinians.

In some ways, Israel has achieved a peace. There are fewer rockets being sent into Sderot, there are no rockets to speak of from the North, there has been very little terrorism from the West Bank. It's a kind of peace. I hope for a better and more enduring peace. Peace is not an endgame; we will never be completely at peace.

Peace is not the product of a victory or a command. It has no finishing line, no final deadline, no fixed definition of achievement. Peace is a never-ending process, the work of many decisions.

Peace is a never ending process... It cannot ignore our differences or overlook our common interests. It requires us to work and live together.

Religions themselves are... peace-loving. They can also be a constructive force in peace-building, and this also applies to the Middle East.

I want to arrive at the possibility of peace with the Syrians, and when I believe that the conditions are right, I will not miss the opportunity.

War is not the only arena where peace is done to death.

That feeds anger, and I mean when we went and at last thank heavens got towards peace in Northern Ireland we went for justice within Northern Ireland as well as using security well, as well as a political settlement, but surely that is the lesson.

Peace is something that unfortunately cannot be made unilaterally.

Peace has its price, but it is much less expensive than war.

There are universal traits and aspects of all these conflicts, and I think that all of them have bridgeable solutions. The only question is whether you are ready to take the challenge, to pay the price, to compromise in order to get more. This, I believe, is the challenge for all the peacemakers in the world.

Believe me, it is much harder to make peace than war.

What you have in the Middle East is tension not between Jews and Arabs, not between Israelis and Palestinians, but between the radical wing and the moderate people.

We call upon all warring parties in the world to lay down their arms and pursue the path of peace, dialogue, and inclusive resolution of disputes.

You don't despair about something like the Middle East, you just do the best you can.

Our problem with Israel is that its leaders always talk about war and security but never about peace.

There are no short cuts, no detours in the Middle East.

Middle East history is replete with examples of missed and lost chances to make peace.

The violence seems to be diminishing. They've stared into the abyss a bit. I think they've all concluded that further violence... is not in their interests.

Peace in Palestine is inevitable. The question is how do we make it happen today.