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About this quote

What does it mean?
Lasting peace requires respect for human rights, basic needs, and freedom. Inner mental peace is necessary to achieve true peace with oneself and the world.
In plain terms
Peace needs freedom and basic needs to last, and you must find peace inside your mind first.
What can you take from it?
Work on inner mental peace alongside social conditions like rights and freedom to sustain peace.

Where it applies

  • community building
  • personal development
  • policy making

Putting it to work

  • practice mindfulness
  • support human rights initiatives

Questions to consider

  • What conditions make peace last in your view?
  • How do inner and outer peace relate?

Another view

Inner peace alone cannot fix structural injustices like hunger or oppression.

More from Tenzin Gyatso (Dalai Lama)

  1. Our own security is enhanced when peace breaks out between warring parties in other continents. But war or peace; the destruction or the protection of nature; …

    Permalink to quote #41
  2. Inner peace is the key: if you have inner peace, the external problems do not affect your deep sense of peace and tranquility. In that state of mind you can de…

    Permalink to quote #43
  3. Today, we are truly a global family. What happens in one part of the world may affect us all. This, of course, is not only true of the negative things that hap…

    Permalink to quote #40

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