--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Peace is only possible when one of the…" description: "\"Peace is only possible when one of the warring sides takes the first step, the hazardous initiative, the risk of opening up dialogue, and decides to ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/jacques-derrida-3948_armistice_peace-is-only-possible-when-one-of-the-w_1490445.jpg" --- # Peace is only possible when one of the warring sides takes… ![“Peace is only possible when one of the warring sides takes the first step, the hazardous initiative, the risk of opening up dialogue, and decides to make the gesture that will lead not only to an armistice but to peace.” quote by Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/jacques-derrida-3948_armistice_peace-is-only-possible-when-one-of-the-w_1490445.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/jacques-derrida-3948_armistice_peace-is-only-possible-when-one-of-the-w_1490445.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/jacques-derrida-3948_armistice_peace-is-only-possible-when-one-of-the-w_1490445.jpg) > “Peace is only possible when one of the warring sides takes the first step, the hazardous initiative, the risk of opening up dialogue, and decides to make the gesture that will lead not only to an armistice but to peace.” [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) ## 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 a courageous first move to open dialogue, risking vulnerability for reconciliation. **In simple terms:** Peace starts with a brave first step. Key Takeaway Take the initiative to start conversation. Themes peace dialogue risk Mood hopeful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - diplomacy - community mediation - personal relationships Key Concepts conflict resolution ethical responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Are you willing to be the first to reach out? - What safeguards can protect honest dialogue? A Different Perspective Risking openness can be exploited by hostile parties. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Armistice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armistice/) [Armistice Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armistice-peace-5446645/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogue/) [First step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-step/) [First steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-steps/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Gestures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gestures/) [Initiative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/initiative/) [Opening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opening/) [Opening up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opening-up/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Peace Possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace-possible-1055201/) [Possible Warring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possible-warring-5446646/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Warring Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warring-sides-5135059/) ## Related quotes > [It is notorious that no war between countries elicits as much hate and cruelty as civil war, in which there is no lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/it-is-notorious-that-no-war-between-countries-elicits-as-much-hate/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [If you believe in peace it is possible. If it is possible it is a duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-paul-vi/if-you-believe-in-peace-it-is-possible-if-it-is-possible-it-is-a-duty/) [Pope Paul VI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-paul-vi/) > [“We may soon find that peace is made possible not through negotiation but through innovation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/we-may-soon-find-that-peace-is-made-possible-not-through-negotiation/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Negative peace is possible as long as you have a strong army.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abiy-ahmed/negative-peace-is-possible-as-long-as-you-have-a-strong-army/) [Abiy Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abiy-ahmed/) > [Don't demand or expect that events happen as you would wish them do. Accept events as they actually happen. That way, peace is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/don-t-demand-or-expect-that-events-happen-as-you-would-wish-them-do/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [People talk of peace, "We should have peace" - how can you have peace? It's not possible, is an impossible situation. You see we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/people-talk-of-peace-we-should-have-peace-how-can-you-have-peace-it-s/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [Without changing one's self, without peace in one's self, world peace is not possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/without-changing-one-s-self-without-peace-in-one-s-self-world-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Peace, if possible, but justice at any rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/peace-if-possible-but-justice-at-any-rate/) [Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/) > [Seek peace. When you have peace within, real peace with others will be possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/seek-peace-when-you-have-peace-within-real-peace-with-others-will-be/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Peace if possible, truth at all costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/peace-if-possible-truth-at-all-costs/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [In the end, it is conscience that will have the last word, stronger than all strategies, all ideologies and also all religions… Peace is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-etchegaray/in-the-end-it-is-conscience-that-will-have-the-last-word-stronger/) [Roger Etchegaray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-etchegaray/) > [Peace is only possible if men cease to place their happiness in the possession of things which cannot be shared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-benda/peace-is-only-possible-if-men-cease-to-place-their-happiness-in-the-2/) [Julien Benda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-benda/) > [“Without respect for the freedom of choice, peace is not possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ruiz-jr/without-respect-for-the-freedom-of-choice-peace-is-not-possible/) [Miguel Ruiz Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ruiz-jr/) > [Peace is only possible if men cease to place their happiness in the possession of things "which cannot be shared," and if they raise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-benda/peace-is-only-possible-if-men-cease-to-place-their-happiness-in-the/) [Julien Benda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-benda/) > [If we do not create inner peace, outer peace is not possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsem-tulku/if-we-do-not-create-inner-peace-outer-peace-is-not-possible/) [Tsem Tulku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsem-tulku/) ## More by Jacques Derrida > [“Still less, despite appearances, will it have been a collection of three “essays” whose itinerary it would be time, after the fact, to recognize;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/still-less-despite-appearances-will-it-have-been-a-collection-of/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [Cinema plus Psychoanalysis equals the Science of Ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/cinema-plus-psychoanalysis-equals-the-science-of-ghosts/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [The traditional statement about language is that it is in itself living, and that writing is the dead part of language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/the-traditional-statement-about-language-is-that-it-is-in-itself/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [We are all mediators, translators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/we-are-all-mediators-translators/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [“... and in the homosexual phase which would follow Eurydice's death ... Orpheus sings no more, he writes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/and-in-the-homosexual-phase-which-would-follow-eurydice-s-death/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [These critics organize and practice in my case a sort of obsessive personality cult which philosophers should know how to question and above all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/these-critics-organize-and-practice-in-my-case-a-sort-of-obsessive/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [Each time this identity announces itself, someone or something cries: Look out for the trap, youre caught. Take off, get free, disengage yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/each-time-this-identity-announces-itself-someone-or-something-cries/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [Within the university... you can study without waiting for any efficient or immediate result. You may search, just for the sake of searching, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/within-the-university-you-can-study-without-waiting-for-any-efficient/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [“Here again, the difference between the effective and the virtual, between mourning and its possibility, seems fragile and porous. The anguished apprehension of mourning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/here-again-the-difference-between-the-effective-and-the-virtual/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [“The wound can have (should only have) just one proper name. I recognize that I love — you — by this: you leave in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/the-wound-can-have-should-only-have-just-one-proper-name-i-recognize/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [Everything is arranged so that it be this way, this is what is called culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/everything-is-arranged-so-that-it-be-this-way-this-is-what-is-called/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [But can one not conceive of a presence, and of a presence to itself of the subject before speech or signs, a presence to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/but-can-one-not-conceive-of-a-presence-and-of-a-presence-to-itself-of/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [“It goes without saying that these effects do not suffice to annul the necessity for a “change of terrain.” It also goes without saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/it-goes-without-saying-that-these-effects-do-not-suffice-to-annul-the/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [In philosophy, you have to reckon with the implicit level of an accumulated reserve, and thus with a very great number of relays, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/in-philosophy-you-have-to-reckon-with-the-implicit-level-of-an/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [During the fifteen or twenty years in which I tried - it was not always easy with publishers, newspapers, etc. - to forbid photographs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/during-the-fifteen-or-twenty-years-in-which-i-tried-it-was-not-always/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) [Explore all 118 Jacques Derrida quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) ## More Armistice quotes > [We have won an armistice on a single battlefield, not peace in our world. We may not now relax our guard nor cease our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/we-have-won-an-armistice-on-a-single-battlefield-not-peace-in-our/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [I do think it is harder to acknowledge our strengths, or to forgive ourselves and each other for our shortcomings, when there has not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-do-think-it-is-harder-to-acknowledge-our-strengths-or-to-forgive/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [All the people of all the nations which had fought in the First World War were silent during the eleventh minute of the eleventh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/all-the-people-of-all-the-nations-which-had-fought-in-the-first-world/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The last deaths of the Great War on the western front occurred at midnight on the twelfth in Hamont, a Belgian town near the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/the-last-deaths-of-the-great-war-on-the-western-front-occurred-at/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [Yet war doesn't end with armistice, it only ends with forgiveness and reconciliation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/yet-war-doesn-t-end-with-armistice-it-only-ends-with-forgiveness-and/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/when-the-real-history-of-mankind-is-fully-disclosed-will-it-feature/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [Armistice Day has become Veterans' Day. Armistice Day was sacred. Veterans' Day is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/armistice-day-has-become-veterans-day-armistice-day-was-sacred/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Lord, bid war's trumpet cease; Fold the whole earth in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/lord-bid-war-s-trumpet-cease-fold-the-whole-earth-in-peace/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [“Emotionally and politically, Syngman Rhee could not accept the armistice terms. They left his nation and people divided; they left a million South Koreans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-fehrenbach-2/emotionally-and-politically-syngman-rhee-could-not-accept-the/) [T.R. Fehrenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-fehrenbach-2/) > [Art is the terms of an armistice signed with fate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-devoto/art-is-the-terms-of-an-armistice-signed-with-fate/) [Bernard DeVoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-devoto/) > [“Though the issue of collaboration, whether active or passive, remains a highly emotive matter in France, the fact was that, in the summer of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-fenby/though-the-issue-of-collaboration-whether-active-or-passive-remains-a/) [Jonathan Fenby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-fenby/) > [I've been in contact with Marshal Badoglio. We agree that Italy must be saved from the abyss toward which Fascism is driving her. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ugo-cavallero/i-ve-been-in-contact-with-marshal-badoglio-we-agree-that-italy-must/) [Ugo Cavallero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ugo-cavallero/) > [“Ceasefire only postpones war, disarmament instills peace. Armistice empowers armament, demilitarization plants peace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/ceasefire-only-postpones-war-disarmament-instills-peace-armistice/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Valentine's Day is like Armistice Day - you declare a truce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/valentine-s-day-is-like-armistice-day-you-declare-a-truce/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [This is not a peace. It is an armistice for twenty years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-foch/this-is-not-a-peace-it-is-an-armistice-for-twenty-years/) [Ferdinand Foch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-foch/) [Browse all 44 Armistice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armistice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Peace is only possible when one of the warring sides takes the first step, the hazardous initiative, the risk of opening up dialogue, and decides to make the gesture that will lead not only to an armistice but to peace.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacques Derrida" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/peace-is-only-possible-when-one-of-the-warring-sides-takes-the-first/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Armistice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/peace-is-only-possible-when-one-of-the-warring-sides-takes-the-first/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/jacques-derrida-3948_armistice_peace-is-only-possible-when-one-of-the-w_1490445.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/jacques-derrida-3948_armistice_peace-is-only-possible-when-one-of-the-w_1490445.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/jacques-derrida-3948_armistice_peace-is-only-possible-when-one-of-the-w_1490445.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Peace is only possible when one of the warring sides takes the first step, the hazardous initiative, the…” — Jacques Derrida", "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": "Jacques Derrida", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Peace is only possible when one...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/peace-is-only-possible-when-one-of-the-warring-sides-takes-the-first/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/peace-is-only-possible-when-one-of-the-warring-sides-takes-the-first/#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 } } ] } ```