Wherever you stand on the recent riots in Ferguson and Baltimore, it’s obvious that conflict is happening, and
that something needs to be done to move towards a more peaceful and productive culture.
Consider the wisdom in the following quotes, and use them as guideposts in your own journey as you face conflict.
Thomas Paine
“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.”
Aberjhani, The River of Winged Dreams
“Quote words that affirm all men and women are your brothers and sisters.”
Shannon L. Alder
“Sometimes, God doesn’t send you into a battle to win it; he sends you to end it.”
Auliq Ice
“You cannot fix a problem in the world unless you’ve already resolved the underlying conflict within yourself.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
Marshall Rosenberg
“At the root of every tantrum and power struggle are unmet needs.”
Indira Gandhi
“You can’t shake hands with a clenched fist.”
Dante Aleghieri
“The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of great moral crises maintain their neutrality.”
Emma Thompson
“Any problem, big or small, within a family, always seems to start with bad communication. Someone isn’t listening.”
Jonathan Kozol
“Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.”
Albert Einstein
“Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
“True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.”
Oliver Gaspirtz
“Imagine a wall that’s green on one side and red on the other. You stand on one side and only see green. I stand on the other side and only see red. We’ll both be right about the color we see, even though we disagree on what color the wall is. Being able to realize that the other person has a valid point, even if you disagree with it, that’s maturity.”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“You don’t always have to fight to win. Give peace a chance.”
Mohandas K. Gandhi
“Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.”
Baruch Spinoza
“No matter how thin you slice it, there will always be two sides.”