Óscar Arias

The effect of one good-hearted person is incalculable.

— Oscar Arias

The most deadly disease truly is the failure of the heart.

— Oscar Arias

I often say that poverty needs no passport to travel.

— Óscar Arias

There are too many war museums.

— Óscar Arias

Justice and peace can only thrive together, never apart.

— Oscar Arias

“The effect of one good-hearted person is incalcuable.”

— Oscar Arias

Poverty and lack of education are ruining our planet.

— Óscar Arias

Our world is certainly dangerous, but it is made more dangerous, not less, by those who value profits over peace.

— Óscar Arias

The absence of significant development aid has only increased the importance of trade for Central America's future.

— Óscar Arias

I think it's in the hands of each head of state: the future of peace in his own country.

— Óscar Arias

Free trade will go a long way toward alleviating poverty in Central America. Yet trade alone is not enough.

— Óscar Arias

The more freedom we enjoy, the greater the responsibility we bear, toward others as well as ourselves.

— Oscar Arias

The existence of nuclear weapons presents a clear and present danger to life on Earth.

— Oscar Arias

Mine is an unarmed people, whose children have never seen a fighter or a tank or a warship.

— Óscar Arias

A nation that mistreats its own citizens is more likely to mistreat its neighbours.

— Óscar Arias

It is in the U.S. interest to have a more prosperous neighbor to the south. Because if we cannot export goods, we…

— Óscar Arias

It's not fair for the U.S. to spend, on arms and weapons, so much money and then not spend on health care…

— Óscar Arias

In the United States, resources exist to retrain displaced workers and promote the development of technologies that create new job opportunities for…

— Óscar Arias

At one time in the history of the Americas, weapons and armies were associated with liberty and independence, and with new opportunities…

— Óscar Arias

The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In…

— Óscar Arias

Peace is not a matter of prizes or trophies. It is not the product of a victory or command. It has no…

— Óscar Arias

An overall trend of political moderation in Latin America makes for far less interesting headlines, but it also makes for far better…

— Óscar Arias

It's clear to me that many weapons sales are very short-sighted. The U.S. and other arms-producing countries sell weapons for a variety…

— Oscar Arias

I am constantly challenged by pessimists who insist that military solutions are the only way to go. This was true in the…

— Oscar Arias

The best way to perpetuate poverty is spending on arms, and poverty itself is a form of violence. The wealthy industrialized countries…

— Oscar Arias

In 1995, world military spending totaled nearly $800 billion. If we redirected just $40 billion of those resources over the next 10…

— Óscar Arias

We are calling on countries that supply weapons to comply with certain restrictions: not to sell weapons to human rights abusers, not…

— Oscar Arias

The existence of nuclear weapons presents a clear and present danger to life on Earth. Nuclear arms cannot bolster the security of…

— Oscar Arias

Peace consists, very largely, in the fact of desiring it with all one's soul. The inhabitants of my small country, Costa Rica,…

— Oscar Arias

Action had to be taken in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, but I am very concerned about the current…

— Oscar Arias

I cannot accept that to be realistic means to tolerate misery, violence and hate. I do not believe that the hungry man…

— Oscar Arias

Costa Rica believes in building bridges, in looking for solutions to problems, and not clinging to positions.

— Óscar Arias

I do not believe that the hungry man should be treated as subversive for expressing his suffering.

— Óscar Arias

Peace is not a dream; it is hard work, and there is nothing naive, glamorous or simplistic about it.

— Oscar Arias

Our experience shows that security does not lie in weapons or fences or armies.

— Óscar Arias

Latin Americans glorify their past so ceaselessly that they make it almost impossible to advocate change.

— Óscar Arias

Peace consists, very largely, in the fact of desiring it with all one's soul.

— Oscar Arias

I saw no reason why other nations should tell Central Americans how to solve their problems.

— Óscar Arias

Indeed, it is quite sad to see the United States becoming the main exporter of arms. It is quite sad to look…

— Óscar Arias

How ironic for peacemaking efforts to discover that hatred is stronger for many than love; that the longing to achieve power through…

— Oscar Arias