Without darkness
nothing comes to birth,
as without light
nothing flowers.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

I said - War! Huh!
Good God y'all.
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing.

If you want peace and harmony in the world, you must have peace and harmony in your hearts and minds. Such change cannot be imposed; it must come from within. Those who abhor war must get war out of their system. Without peaceful people how can you have peace in the world? As long as people are as they are, the world must be as it is.

Militarists say that to gain peace we must prepare for war. I think we get what we prepare for. If we want a world where peace is valued, we must teach ourselves to believe that peace is not a 'utopian vision' but a real responsibility that must be worked for each and every day in small and large ways. Any one of us can contribute to building a world where peace and justice prevail.

Sorrow shared is halved. Joy shared is doubled.

It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more "manhood" to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind.

When I dare to be powerful - to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.

Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.

If there's any surge that's needed in Iraq it's a surge in diplomacy.