--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Peace without justice is an impossibility." description: "\"Peace without justice is an impossibility.\" — Desmond Tutu" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/desmond-tutu-442_impossibility_peace-without-justice-is-an-impossibilit_2073233.jpg" --- # Peace without justice is an impossibility. ![“Peace without justice is an impossibility.” quote by Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/desmond-tutu-442_impossibility_peace-without-justice-is-an-impossibilit_2073233.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/desmond-tutu-442_impossibility_peace-without-justice-is-an-impossibilit_2073233.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/desmond-tutu-442_impossibility_peace-without-justice-is-an-impossibilit_2073233.jpg) > “Peace without justice is an impossibility.” [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True peace cannot exist without fairness; justice is the foundation that makes peace sustainable. **In simple terms:** Peace needs justice to be real. Key Takeaway Promote fairness to achieve lasting peace. Themes justice peace social equity human rights Mood hopeful determined Type activist inspirational When to use this quote - community building - policy making - activism - education - law reform Key Concepts political theory ethical foundations conflict resolution Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to foster justice locally? - How does injustice undermine peace? A Different Perspective Justice alone may not guarantee peace without reconciliation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Impossibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossibility/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Justice Impossibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice-impossibility-4012872/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Peace justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace-justice/) ## Related quotes > [Stability and peace in our land will not come from the barrel of a gun, because peace without justice is an impossibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/stability-and-peace-in-our-land-will-not-come-from-the-barrel-of-a/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [There is no peace in South Africa. There is no peace because there is no justice. There can be no real peace and security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/there-is-no-peace-in-south-africa-there-is-no-peace-because-there-is/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Peace without justice is tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-allen-white/peace-without-justice-is-tyranny/) [William Allen White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-allen-white/) > [Violence produces only something resembling justice, but it distances people from the possibility of living justly, without violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/violence-produces-only-something-resembling-justice-but-it-distances/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The first priority of humankind in this era is to establish an effective system of world law that will assure peace with justice among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/the-first-priority-of-humankind-in-this-era-is-to-establish-an/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [There is no peace without justice, and no justice without forgiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/there-is-no-peace-without-justice-and-no-justice-without-forgiveness/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [A truly free society must not include a peace which oppresses us. We must learn on our own terms what peace and freedom mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-kelly/a-truly-free-society-must-not-include-a-peace-which-oppresses-us-we/) [Petra Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-kelly/) > [Dr. King gave his life to peace and justice and reconciliation between people, black and white, rich and poor, and he was a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/dr-king-gave-his-life-to-peace-and-justice-and-reconciliation-between/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/whatever-affects-one-directly-affects-all-indirectly/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Peace is not merely the absence of war. Nor can it be reduced solely to the maintenance of a balance of power between enemies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-paul-vi/peace-is-not-merely-the-absence-of-war-nor-can-it-be-reduced-solely/) [Pope Paul VI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-paul-vi/) > [The peace and justice movement has to expand and not run away from the plight of gang members.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayden/the-peace-and-justice-movement-has-to-expand-and-not-run-away-from/) [Tom Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayden/) > [Unconditional love will have the final word in reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/unconditional-love-will-have-the-final-word-in-reality/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [For peace is not mere absence of war, but is a virtue that springs from force of character: for obedience is the constant will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/for-peace-is-not-mere-absence-of-war-but-is-a-virtue-that-springs/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-means-by-which-we-live-have-outdistanced-the-ends-for-which-we/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-will-not-be-satisfied-until-justice-rolls-down-like-waters/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) ## More by Desmond Tutu > [Each of us is precious to God because each of us has their name written on the palms of God's hands. And God says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/each-of-us-is-precious-to-god-because-each-of-us-has-their-name/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Freedom and liberty lose out by default because good people are not vigilant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/freedom-and-liberty-lose-out-by-default-because-good-people-are-not/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [We shall be free only together, black and white. We shall survive only together, black and white. We can be human only together, black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-shall-be-free-only-together-black-and-white-we-shall-survive-only/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Many people would be surprised that, in fact, I'm quite shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/many-people-would-be-surprised-that-in-fact-i-m-quite-shy/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Too many people think that reconciliation means you soft-pedal differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/too-many-people-think-that-reconciliation-means-you-soft-pedal/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Our Christian faith is actually very subversive of the conventional notion of success - the notion that what invests a person with worth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/our-christian-faith-is-actually-very-subversive-of-the-conventional/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Every situation of justice is an occasion where someone is being humiliated and they want to restore their dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/every-situation-of-justice-is-an-occasion-where-someone-is-being/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Race should not be used to claim privileges and rights for one group, exclusively, which are denied other different groups. Then that is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/race-should-not-be-used-to-claim-privileges-and-rights-for-one-group/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [People are able to justify immense cruelty and say that it is something that is sanctioned by their faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/people-are-able-to-justify-immense-cruelty-and-say-that-it-is/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [South Africa, so utterly improbably, is a beacon of hope in a dark and troubled world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/south-africa-so-utterly-improbably-is-a-beacon-of-hope-in-a-dark-and/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [I don't often want to speak. I try to be a reasonable person and to be diplomatic, but you go to that place and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/i-don-t-often-want-to-speak-i-try-to-be-a-reasonable-person-and-to-be/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“child of God, known by name and whose very hairs are numbered. Praise and adore God and thank him for ever and ever. Amen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/child-of-god-known-by-name-and-whose-very-hairs-are-numbered-praise/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [To remain neutral in situations of injustice is to be complicit in that injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/to-remain-neutral-in-situations-of-injustice-is-to-be-complicit-in/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [It's a fantastic thing that from moment to the next moment if God were to have stopped for a split second we would disintegrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/it-s-a-fantastic-thing-that-from-moment-to-the-next-moment-if-god/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Once lost, trust can only be regained if we are as good as our word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/once-lost-trust-can-only-be-regained-if-we-are-as-good-as-our-word/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) [Explore all 558 Desmond Tutu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) ## More Impossibility quotes > [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [ When the fountains of government \[borrowing\] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowing-abundance-began-to-dry-up/) [John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/) > [It is physically impossible to lick your own elbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tee-shepard/it-is-physically-impossible-to-lick-your-own-elbow/) [Tee Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tee-shepard/) > [A mature mind is one who understands the impossibility of knowing the ultimate, and with this understanding there is a new dimension: the dimension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/a-mature-mind-is-one-who-understands-the-impossibility-of-knowing-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [If you've never had a God-sized dream that scared you half to death, then you haven't really come to life. If you've never been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/if-you-ve-never-had-a-god-sized-dream-that-scared-you-half-to-death/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [The impossibility of separating the nomenclature of a science from the science itself, is owing to this, that every branch of physical science must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-lavoisier/the-impossibility-of-separating-the-nomenclature-of-a-science-from/) [Antoine Lavoisier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-lavoisier/) > [Impossible situations do breed invention and creativity, but they are also where God provides miracles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-blake-michiels/impossible-situations-do-breed-invention-and-creativity-but-they-are/) [Jordan Blake Michiels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-blake-michiels/) > [When you look fear in the face, you are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/when-you-look-fear-in-the-face-you-are-able-to-say-to-yourself-i/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [We are an impossibility in an impossible universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-are-an-impossibility-in-an-impossible-universe/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-possible-to-give-without-loving-but-it-is-impossible-to-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is because of impossibility, possibility came into existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bishop-t-coker/it-is-because-of-impossibility-possibility-came-into-existence/) [Bishop T Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bishop-t-coker/) > [Roads of infinity had a stop sign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/roads-of-infinity-had-a-stop-sign/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [My love is of a birth as rare As 'tis, for object, strange and high; It was begotten by Despair Upon Impossibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-marvell/my-love-is-of-a-birth-as-rare-as-tis-for-object-strange-and-high-it/) [Andrew Marvell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-marvell/) > [If you want to make a substantial reduction in your carbon footprint, doing it on your own is virtually impossible, especially if you're driving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-arnold/if-you-want-to-make-a-substantial-reduction-in-your-carbon-footprint/) [Tom Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-arnold/) [Browse all 620 Impossibility quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossibility/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Peace without justice is an impossibility.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Desmond Tutu" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/peace-without-justice-is-an-impossibility/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Impossibility" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/peace-without-justice-is-an-impossibility/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/desmond-tutu-442_impossibility_peace-without-justice-is-an-impossibilit_2073233.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/desmond-tutu-442_impossibility_peace-without-justice-is-an-impossibilit_2073233.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/desmond-tutu-442_impossibility_peace-without-justice-is-an-impossibilit_2073233.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Peace without justice is an impossibility.” — Desmond Tutu", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Desmond Tutu", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Peace without justice is an impossibility.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/peace-without-justice-is-an-impossibility/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/peace-without-justice-is-an-impossibility/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```