If you want peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.
Interpretation
To achieve peace, one must engage with those who oppose you rather than just conversing with allies.
Desmond Tutu emphasizes that true peace comes from addressing conflicts and engaging in dialogue with adversaries, rather than merely discussing issues with friends who share your views. This approach encourages understanding and reconciliation, suggesting that confronting differences is essential for lasting peace.
In practice
In a speech about conflict resolution, one might say, 'As Desmond Tutu stated, if you want peace, you talk to your enemies.'
The fossil reserves that have already been discovered exceed what can ever be safely used. Yet companies spend half a trillion dollars each year searching for more fuel. They should redirect this money toward developing clean energy solutions
As much as the world has an instinct for evil and is a breeding ground for genocide, holocaust, slavery, racism, war, oppression, and injustice, the world has an even greateer instinct for goodness, rebirth, mercy, beauty, truth, freedom and love.
When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.
Children are a wonderful gift. They have an extraordinary capacity to see into the heart of things and to expose sham and humbug for what they are.
Religion is like a knife: you can either use it to cut bread, or stick in someone's back.
Gaza is going to test who believes in the worth of human beings.
Peace is our gift to each other.
Each moment is a chance for us to make peace with the world, to make peace possible for the world, to make happiness possible for the world.
Settlements may be temporary, but the action of the nations in the interest of peace and justice must be permanent. We can set up permanent processes. We may not be able to set up permanent decisions.
Conflicts are multiplying - people are suffering. But we don't give up, because we know every man, woman, and child deserves a life of peace.
When you find Peace within, you create a Peaceful world around you.
Peace, like charity, begins at home.
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