Without justice and love, peace will always be a great illusion.
Hlder CmaraRead
If there is some corner of the world which has remained peaceful, but with a peace based on injustices the peace of a swamp with rotten matter fermenting in its depths - we may be sure that that peace is false. Violence attracts violence. Let us repeat fearlessly and ceaselessly: injustices bring revolt, either from the oppressed or from the young, determined to fight for a more just and more human world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True peace cannot exist in the presence of injustice; it is a façade that will eventually lead to conflict.
This quote by Hélder Câmara emphasizes the idea that peace built on a foundation of injustice is not genuine. It serves as a warning that while a semblance of tranquility may exist, it is merely a surface level condition concealing deeper societal issues. The notion that 'violence attracts violence' suggests that suppression and injustice will inevitably provoke reactions, leading to revolt from those who suffer the injustices or from younger generations who seek to challenge the status quo. Câmara's words call for a continuous and fearless uprising against injustice to cultivate a truly humane world.
Themes
PeaceInjusticeViolenceRevoltHuman Rights
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about social justice, one might quote, 'If there is some corner of the world which has remained peaceful...' to highlight the necessity of addressing systemic injustices.
More from Hlder Cmara
All quotes →Similar quotes
The usual false conclusions of mankind are these: a thing exists, therefore it has a right to exist.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
At the center of the Christian faith is the affirmation that there is a God in the universe who is the ground and essence of all reality. A Being of infinite love and boundless power, God is the creator, sustainer, and conserver of values....In contrast to the ethical relativism of [totalitarianism], Christianity sets forth a system of absolute moral values and affirms that God has placed within the very structure of this universe certain moral principles that are fixed and immutable.
Martin LutherRead
Things themselves don't hurt or hinder us. Things simply are what they are. How we view these things is another matter.People think what they will think; it is of no concern to us.
EpictetusRead
The demands of internal growth are incomparably more important to us...than the need for any external expansion of our power.
Aleksandr SolzhenitsynRead
Yes, I know, it's not the truth, but in a great history little truths can be altered so that the greater truth emerges.
Umberto EcoRead
"I should hope so," Laigle replied, "for my coat and I live comfortably together. It has assumed all my wrinkles, does not hurt me anywhere, has moulded itself on my deformities, and is complacent to all my movements, and 1 only feel its presence because it keeps me warm."
Victor HugoRead