--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Peace is not merely the absence of…" description: "\"Peace is not merely the absence of warfare, any more than true health is simply the absence of disease. Nor is peace simply a quiet state of equilibriu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/anodea-judith-15476_absence_peace-is-not-merely-the-absence-of-warfa_1582789.jpg" --- # Peace is not merely the absence of warfare, any more than… ![“Peace is not merely the absence of warfare, any more than true health is simply the absence of disease. Nor is peace simply a quiet state of equilibrium-impossible to achieve in an evolving system. Though refraining from harm is an essential first step, lasting peace is created by actively…” quote by Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/anodea-judith-15476_absence_peace-is-not-merely-the-absence-of-warfa_1582789.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/anodea-judith-15476_absence_peace-is-not-merely-the-absence-of-warfa_1582789.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/anodea-judith-15476_absence_peace-is-not-merely-the-absence-of-warfa_1582789.jpg) > “Peace is not merely the absence of warfare, any more than true health is simply the absence of disease. Nor is peace simply a quiet state of equilibrium-impossible to achieve in an evolving system. Though refraining from harm is an essential first step, lasting peace is created by actively redressing harm done. Peace is a creative process of actively joining I and thou into a co-creative we. It requires authentic communication, empathic listening, and wildly creative solutions.” [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Peace requires active repair of harm, not just the absence of conflict; it is a collaborative, creative process. **In simple terms:** Peace is built by fixing wrongs, not just avoiding war. Key Takeaway Engage in restorative actions and empathetic dialogue. Themes peace reconciliation active healing collaboration Mood hopeful inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - community conflict resolution - post‑war rebuilding - organizational culture change - personal relationships Key Concepts restorative justice empathy creative problem solving Questions to Reflect On - How can you actively address past harms in your community? - What creative solutions can foster mutual understanding? A Different Perspective Peace efforts can falter without genuine commitment to change underlying injustices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/) [Creative solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-solutions/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Equilibrium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equilibrium/) [First step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-step/) [First steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-steps/) [Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harm/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Lasting peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasting-peace/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warfare/) ## Related quotes > [Refraining from harm, not out of fear, but out of concern for others, their well-being and out of respect is non-violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/refraining-from-harm-not-out-of-fear-but-out-of-concern-for-others/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [“This tree wishes you no harm. Go around it in peace. You are hurting yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-berry/this-tree-wishes-you-no-harm-go-around-it-in-peace-you-are-hurting/) [Don Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-berry/) > [Empathic listening takes time, but it doesn't take anywhere near as much time as it takes to back up and correct misunderstandings when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/empathic-listening-takes-time-but-it-doesn-t-take-anywhere-near-as/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > ['In empathic listening you listen with your ears, but you also, and more importantly, listen with you eyes and with your heart. You listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/in-empathic-listening-you-listen-with-your-ears-but-you-also-and-more/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [“When I say empathic listening, I mean listening with intent to understand. I mean seeking first to understand, to really understand. It’s an entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/when-i-say-empathic-listening-i-mean-listening-with-intent-to/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [Empathic listening is so powerful because it gives you accurate data to work with. Instead of projecting your own autobiography and assuming thoughts, feelings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/empathic-listening-is-so-powerful-because-it-gives-you-accurate-data/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [It was psychological trick called empathic listening. You say what the person is feeling so they feel understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-was-psychological-trick-called-empathic-listening-you-say-what-the/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Peace has to be created, in order to be maintained. It will never be achieved by passivity and quietism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-thompson/peace-has-to-be-created-in-order-to-be-maintained-it-will-never-be/) [Dorothy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-thompson/) > [“…I refused to go for police or military service, not because I fear anything, just because I want PEACE, and I know that PEACE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finland-bernard/i-refused-to-go-for-police-or-military-service-not-because-i-fear/) Finland Bernard > [The arts can open the door to the imagination, pushing the envelope of how peace can be created. It takes courage to take this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-shorter/the-arts-can-open-the-door-to-the-imagination-pushing-the-envelope-of/) [Wayne Shorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-shorter/) > [For the only way in which a durable peace can be created is by world-wide restoration of economic activity and international trade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forrestal/for-the-only-way-in-which-a-durable-peace-can-be-created-is-by-world/) [James Forrestal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forrestal/) > [Peace has to be created, in order to be maintained. It is the product of Faith, Strength, Energy, Will, Sympathy, Justice, Imagination, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-thompson/peace-has-to-be-created-in-order-to-be-maintained-it-is-the-product/) [Dorothy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-thompson/) > [Wisdom and inner peace must be created by yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/wisdom-and-inner-peace-must-be-created-by-yourself/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [The Healthiest Response to life is Laughter.There is always a reason to be grateful.You belong in the scheme of the universe. There's nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-healthiest-response-to-life-is-laughter-there-is-always-a-reason/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“Operational innovation happens when a company discovers inefficiencies in a business operation and works to address those inefficiencies through creative solutions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-ulwick/operational-innovation-happens-when-a-company-discovers/) [Anthony Ulwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-ulwick/) ## More by Anodea Judith > [Mind severed from body, culture from planet- to lose our ground is to lose our home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/mind-severed-from-body-culture-from-planet-to-lose-our-ground-is-to/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [The cultural transformation from the love of power to the power of love is the drama of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/the-cultural-transformation-from-the-love-of-power-to-the-power-of/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [We are the higher synthesis of the union of the archetypal Mother and Father. As we recognize the divinity within ourselves, we see it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/we-are-the-higher-synthesis-of-the-union-of-the-archetypal-mother-and/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [We've created the almost godly power of being able to alter the climate, to change the face of the earth, now we need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/we-ve-created-the-almost-godly-power-of-being-able-to-alter-the/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [We either get success or lessons. If we learn our lessons successfully, we get both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/we-either-get-success-or-lessons-if-we-learn-our-lessons-successfully/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [We take for granted that we need to take showers, clean our house, and wash our clothes. Yet the mind and its thoughts need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/we-take-for-granted-that-we-need-to-take-showers-clean-our-house-and/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who claim to have found it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/believe-those-who-are-seeking-the-truth-doubt-those-who-claim-to-have/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [As civilization grows more complex, it is simultaneously becoming increasingly interrelated. We are converging upon ourselves, and this is forcing us to relate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/as-civilization-grows-more-complex-it-is-simultaneously-becoming/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [For it is indeed consciousness that makes the body fully alive, and the body that gives consciousness a place to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/for-it-is-indeed-consciousness-that-makes-the-body-fully-alive-and/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [Chakras are organizational centers for the reception, assimilation, and transmission of life-force energy. They are the stepping stones between heaven and earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/chakras-are-organizational-centers-for-the-reception-assimilation-and/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [“All abusive relationships teach a form of love. JOHN BRADSHAW”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/all-abusive-relationships-teach-a-form-of-love-john-bradshaw/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [“Devotion is a spiritual act of egoless surrender. When the Self blinds the spirit too tightly, then devotion expands the blinding by lifting us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/devotion-is-a-spiritual-act-of-egoless-surrender-when-the-self-blinds/) [anodea judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [To love ourselves is to act respectfully toward ourselves, to enjoy our own company when in solitude, to honor our limits and speak our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/to-love-ourselves-is-to-act-respectfully-toward-ourselves-to-enjoy/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [Like a garden that is carefully tended, the rewards are well worth the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/like-a-garden-that-is-carefully-tended-the-rewards-are-well-worth-the/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) > [The universe exists only through a constant dance of consistency and change. Through consistency, consciousness finds meaning; through change it finds stimulation and expansion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/the-universe-exists-only-through-a-constant-dance-of-consistency-and/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) [Explore all 43 Anodea Judith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) ## More Absence quotes > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/) [Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/) > [Total depravity means the entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin. A totally depraved man is not as bad as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/total-depravity-means-the-entire-absence-of-holiness-not-the-highest/) [William Greenough Thayer Shedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/) > [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“I was thinking how most people don't make you feel much of anything at all. Don't make you feel like time spent with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/i-was-thinking-how-most-people-don-t-make-you-feel-much-of-anything/) [Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/) > [Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/cooperation-isn-t-the-absence-of-conflict-but-a-means-of-managing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. 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Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) [Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Peace is not merely the absence of warfare, any more than true health is simply the absence of disease. Nor is peace simply a quiet state of equilibrium-impossible to achieve in an evolving system. Though refraining from harm is an essential first step, lasting peace is created by actively redressing harm done. Peace is a creative process of actively joining I and thou into a co-creative we. 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