Peace is not passive, it is active. Peace is not appeasement, it is strength. Peace does not 'happen,' it requires work.
Interpretation
Peace requires active effort and strength rather than passivity or mere tolerance.
This quote by Hubert H. Humphrey emphasizes that true peace is not a passive state or a product of complacency; rather, it is an active endeavor that requires strength and dedication. It challenges the notion that peace can be achieved simply by avoiding conflict, highlighting instead that it demands continuous effort and engagement from individuals and communities alike.
In practice
In a speech about community building, mentioning this quote highlights the need for active participation in fostering peace.
It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.
Much of our American progress has been the product of the individual who had an idea; pursued it; fashioned it; tenaciously clung to it against all odds; and then produced it, sold it, and profited from it.
We need an America with the wisdom of experience. But we must not let America grow old in spirit.
You cannot go around and keep score. If you keep score on the good things and the bad things, you'll find out that you're a very miserable person. God gave man the ability to forget, which is one of the greatest attributes you have. Because if you remember everything that's happened to you, you generally remember that which is the most unfortunate.
Here we are the way politics ought to be in America; the politics of happiness, the politics of purpose and the politics of joy.
The pursuit of peace resembles the building of a great cathedral. It is the work of a generation. In concept it requires a mater-architect; in execution, the labors of many.
I truly believe there is a field of peace within and that it can be enlivened and brought to the surface to be enjoyed by all.
Peace is rarely denied to the peaceful.
We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature.
The United States strongly seeks a lasting agreement for the discontinuance of nuclear weapons tests. We believe that this would be an important step toward reduction of international tensions and would open the way to further agreement on substantial measures of disarmament.
I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children - not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women - not merely peace in our time but peace for all time.
Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.
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