Favorite Inspiring Quotes
Peace
Commentary by Peter Shepherd

“If you want peace, stop fighting. If you want peace of mind, stop fighting your thoughts.” ~ Peter McWilliams
You'll never find peace of mind until you listen to your heart; with that inner guidance the verbal conflicts will dissipate. As Einstein said, "Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding." And Buddha: "Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without."
“Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness but because you deserve peace.” ~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie
Refusing to forgive is such a downer, no one suffers but oneself, certainly no real inner peace.
“In my work I have chosen the positive approach. I never think of myself as protesting against something, but rather as witnessing for harmonious living. Those who witness for, present solutions. Those who witness against, usually do not - they dwell on what is wrong, resorting to judgment and criticism and sometimes even name-calling. Naturally, the negative approach has a detrimental effect on the person who uses it, while the positive approach has a good effect. When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others. We are all cells in the same body of humanity.” ~ Peace Pilgrim
I feel this positive approach is empowered by the love that is the nature of our being, and is effective in creating peace and happiness. The alternative - applying resistance, judgment, antagonism and hatred - is to be ruled by fear, which is to deny one's essence, and has the effect of empowering that which one opposes.
See our free Positive Approach Course, inspired by Peace Pilgrim.
“You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
Conflicts between sub-personalities - the parts of you that want one thing, another the opposite - are caused by identification and attachment. Like Buddha said, attachment is the cause of suffering. The real you is not attached, and you can find the real you by recognizing the loving aspect of your self, that which is non-judgmental and compassionate. That's you.
“When we stop opposing reality, action becomes simple, fluid, kind, and fearless.” ~ Byron Katie
Acceptance of what exists doesn't mean you necessarily like or agree with it. You're simply confronting reality without defenses, no need for resistance and avoidance. You get a truer picture that way. You can see what you can do effectively for the better, or what isn't within your control. And you remain peaceful.
“True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
If we deny responsibility, we cannot be peaceful.

Here’s some further reading on this theme...
The Best of Times and the Worst of Times ~ by Philip Humbert
I love the classic line from Charles Dickens, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Truly, these are the best (and the worst) of times. The good news is that you get to choose! Continues
And more...
Healing the Virus of Violence ~ by William T. Hathaway
This is a chapter of 'Radical Peace: People Refusing War,' which presents the experiences of activists who have become criminals for peace, defying the government's laws and impeding its capacity to kill. Continues
Podcast: Peace
There’s no beauty that you could perceive or create if it weren’t already within you. Therefore to find peace you need to find yourself...