--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We may think of peace as the absence of…" description: "\"We may think of peace as the absence of war, that if the great powers would reduce their weapons arsenals, we could have peace. But if we look deeply i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10b/nhat-hanh-515_absence_we-may-think-of-peace-as-the-absence-of_85369.png" --- # We may think of peace as the absence of war, that if the… ![“We may think of peace as the absence of war, that if the great powers would reduce their weapons arsenals, we could have peace. But if we look deeply into the weapons, we will see our own minds - our own prejudices, fears, and ignorance.” quote by Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10b/nhat-hanh-515_absence_we-may-think-of-peace-as-the-absence-of_85369.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10b/nhat-hanh-515_absence_we-may-think-of-peace-as-the-absence-of_85369.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10b/nhat-hanh-515_absence_we-may-think-of-peace-as-the-absence-of_85369.png) > “We may think of peace as the absence of war, that if the great powers would reduce their weapons arsenals, we could have peace. But if we look deeply into the weapons, we will see our own minds - our own prejudices, fears, and ignorance.” [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) ## 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 confronting internal biases and fears, not merely disarmament; true tranquility stems from mental clarity. **In simple terms:** Inner mindset drives peace Key Takeaway Peace is mental, not just political Themes peace psychology conflict self-awareness prejudice Mood reflective hopeful serene Type philosophical inspirational didactic When to use this quote - diplomatic negotiations - personal meditation - conflict resolution workshops - educational curricula Key Concepts inner conflict cognitive bias fear ignorance Practical Applications - mindfulness training for leaders - peace education programs Questions to Reflect On - How do personal prejudices shape societal conflict? - What steps can individuals take to cultivate inner peace? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Great power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-power/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Karma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/karma/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons/) ## Related quotes > [“We often think of peace as the absence of war, that if powerful countries would reduce their weapon arsenals, we could have peace. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/we-often-think-of-peace-as-the-absence-of-war-that-if-powerful/) [Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [I think that people don't necessary fight with or aren't necessarily beaten by weapons, but it' through their minds and what they think they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abderrahmane-sissako/i-think-that-people-don-t-necessary-fight-with-or-aren-t-necessarily/) [Abderrahmane Sissako](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abderrahmane-sissako/) > [To find peace look for the child in yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/to-find-peace-look-for-the-child-in-yourself/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [If you want peace, look for it where it is, not in conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/if-you-want-peace-look-for-it-where-it-is-not-in-conflict/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [You have more peace if you look at things in a different perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-more-peace-if-you-look-at-things-in-a-different-perspective/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you think that peace and happiness are somewhere else and you run after them, you will never arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/if-you-think-that-peace-and-happiness-are-somewhere-else-and-you-run/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism and governance but over the years we are having opposition government not opposition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rossonero-oladapo-olawole/the-meaning-of-peace-is-the-absence-of-opposition-to-socialism-and/) [Rossonero Oladapo-Olawole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rossonero-oladapo-olawole/) > [Peace is not the absence of chaos, but the presence of God!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/peace-is-not-the-absence-of-chaos-but-the-presence-of-god/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/peace-is-not-absence-of-conflict-it-is-the-ability-to-handle-conflict/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [To be happy & be in peace is not absence of the problem. Is is ability to handle the pressure makes one to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/to-be-happy-be-in-peace-is-not-absence-of-the-problem-is-is-ability/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/peace-is-not-the-absence-of-conflict-but-the-ability-to-cope-with-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Peace must be more than the absence of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-kohl/peace-must-be-more-than-the-absence-of-war/) [Helmut Kohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-kohl/) > [Peace is not the absence of conflict it is authority over chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-silk/peace-is-not-the-absence-of-conflict-it-is-authority-over-chaos/) [Danny Silk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-silk/) > [Peace is something more than the absence of war, although some nations would be thankful for that alone today. A durable and equitable peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willy-brandt/peace-is-something-more-than-the-absence-of-war-although-some-nations/) [Willy Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willy-brandt/) > [“Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-thompson/peace-is-not-the-absence-of-conflict-but-the-presence-of-creative/) [Dorothy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-thompson/) ## More by Nhat Hanh > [Happiness is the cessation of suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/happiness-is-the-cessation-of-suffering/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [We need enlightenment, not just individually but collectively, to save the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/we-need-enlightenment-not-just-individually-but-collectively-to-save/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [If you really know how to live, what better way to start the day than with a smile?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/if-you-really-know-how-to-live-what-better-way-to-start-the-day-than/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Contemplating the bowl, it is possible to see the interdependent elements which give rise to the bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/contemplating-the-bowl-it-is-possible-to-see-the-interdependent/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Our joy, peace and happiness depend very much on our practice of recognizing and transforming habit energies. 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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": "We may think of peace as the absence of war, that if the great powers would reduce their weapons arsenals, we could have peace. 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