--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a certain kind of peace that is…" description: "\"There is a certain kind of peace that is not merely the absence of war. It is larger than that. The peace I am thinking of is not at the mercy of histo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/toni-morrison-271_absence_there-is-a-certain-kind-of-peace-that-is_2047723.jpg" --- # There is a certain kind of peace that is not merely the… ![“There is a certain kind of peace that is not merely the absence of war. It is larger than that. The peace I am thinking of is not at the mercy of history's rule, nor is it a passive surrender to the status quo. The peace I am thinking of is the dance of an open mind when it engages another equally…” quote by Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/toni-morrison-271_absence_there-is-a-certain-kind-of-peace-that-is_2047723.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/toni-morrison-271_absence_there-is-a-certain-kind-of-peace-that-is_2047723.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/toni-morrison-271_absence_there-is-a-certain-kind-of-peace-that-is_2047723.jpg) > “There is a certain kind of peace that is not merely the absence of war. It is larger than that. The peace I am thinking of is not at the mercy of history's rule, nor is it a passive surrender to the status quo. The peace I am thinking of is the dance of an open mind when it engages another equally open one -- an activity that occurs most naturally, most often in the reading/writing world we live in. Accessible as it is, this particular kind of peace warrants vigilance.” [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) ## 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 goes beyond simply avoiding conflict; it requires active, open engagement with others, especially through shared ideas and dialogue. **In simple terms:** Peace needs active, open dialogue. Key Takeaway Cultivate open, respectful conversation. Themes peace dialogue mindfulness vigilance Mood thoughtful hopeful reflective Type philosophical inspirational literary When to use this quote - reading groups - writing workshops - collaborative projects - conflict resolution - community building Key Concepts existentialism humanism communication Questions to Reflect On - How can you foster open dialogue in hostile environments? - What practices keep your mind receptive? A Different Perspective It can be hard to maintain openness when faced with entrenched beliefs or hostility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Open mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-mind/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Status quo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/status-quo/) [Surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Ubuntu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ubuntu/) [Vigilance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vigilance/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The peace I am thinking of is the dance of an open mind when it engages another equally open one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/the-peace-i-am-thinking-of-is-the-dance-of-an-open-mind-when-it/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [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/) > [With stillness comes the benediction of peace”. “Thinking isolates a situation or event and calls it good or bad, as if it had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/with-stillness-comes-the-benediction-of-peace-thinking-isolates-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [We can never be at peace if we keep thinking of two things: when will a favor we've done be returned and how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mufti-ismail-menk/we-can-never-be-at-peace-if-we-keep-thinking-of-two-things-when-will/) [Mufti Ismail Menk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mufti-ismail-menk/) > [The purest form of prayer we can engage in is to feel peace: the kind of peace that comes when we surrender totally to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-tipping/the-purest-form-of-prayer-we-can-engage-in-is-to-feel-peace-the-kind/) Colin Tipping > [I'm more relaxed and just feel like there's kind of a peace with myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hoff/i-m-more-relaxed-and-just-feel-like-there-s-kind-of-a-peace-with/) [Katie Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hoff/) > [Peace is the best time for improvement and preparation of every kind; it is in peace that our commerce flourishes most, that taxes are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-monroe/peace-is-the-best-time-for-improvement-and-preparation-of-every-kind/) [James Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-monroe/) > [“There is the kind of peace that is built on power, lies, and silence. Then there is peace that is built on justice, honestly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vd/there-is-the-kind-of-peace-that-is-built-on-power-lies-and-silence/) VD > [And yet, if it all went away tomorrow, I know I would still have peace. That probably sounds crazy to most people, but that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-howard/and-yet-if-it-all-went-away-tomorrow-i-know-i-would-still-have-peace/) [Tim Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-howard/) > [I want people to feel good about listening to this record, to get some kind of peace. It's just got something magical about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gore/i-want-people-to-feel-good-about-listening-to-this-record-to-get-some/) [Martin Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gore/) > [Peace is preferable to war. But it’s not an absolute value, and so we always ask, “What kind of peace?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/peace-is-preferable-to-war-but-it-s-not-an-absolute-value-and-so-we/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [In the course of my lifetime, that world went from violence to a kind of peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/in-the-course-of-my-lifetime-that-world-went-from-violence-to-a-kind/) [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) > [I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/i-am-talking-about-genuine-peace-the-kind-of-peace-that-makes-life-on/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [But while we all pray for peace, we do not always, as free citizens, support the policies that make for peace or reject those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-b-pearson/but-while-we-all-pray-for-peace-we-do-not-always-as-free-citizens/) [Lester B. Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-b-pearson/) > [If the innocent honest Man must quietly quit all he has for Peace sake, to him who will lay violent hands upon it, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/if-the-innocent-honest-man-must-quietly-quit-all-he-has-for-peace/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) ## More by Toni Morrison > [Perhaps that's what all human relationships boiled down to: Would you save my life? or would you take it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/perhaps-that-s-what-all-human-relationships-boiled-down-to-would-you/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [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/) > [In times of dread, artists must never choose to remain silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/in-times-of-dread-artists-must-never-choose-to-remain-silent/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Not know it was hard;knowing it was harder”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/not-know-it-was-hard-knowing-it-was-harder/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Didn’t everything on God’s earth have or acquire defense?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/didn-t-everything-on-god-s-earth-have-or-acquire-defense/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [If you can't count, they can cheat you. If you can't read, they can beat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/if-you-can-t-count-they-can-cheat-you-if-you-can-t-read-they-can-beat/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“You looked at them and wondered why the were so ugly; you looked closely and could not find the source. Then you realized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/you-looked-at-them-and-wondered-why-the-were-so-ugly-you-looked/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [All she saw, down in the cellar well beneath the stoop, was a light yellow feather with a tip of green. And she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/all-she-saw-down-in-the-cellar-well-beneath-the-stoop-was-a-light/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [For me, Art is the restoration of order. It may discuss all sort of terrible things, but there must be satisfaction at the end.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/for-me-art-is-the-restoration-of-order-it-may-discuss-all-sort-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“To Sethe, the future was a matter of keeping the past at bay”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/to-sethe-the-future-was-a-matter-of-keeping-the-past-at-bay/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Hate does that. Burns off everything but itself, so whatever your grievance is, your face looks just like your enemy's.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/hate-does-that-burns-off-everything-but-itself-so-whatever-your/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“You know how a star is supposed to twinkle? We say twinkle because that is how it looks, but when a star feels itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/you-know-how-a-star-is-supposed-to-twinkle-we-say-twinkle-because/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“There is no bad luck in the world but whitefolks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-is-no-bad-luck-in-the-world-but-whitefolks/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [My father saw two black men lynched on his street in Cartersville, as a child. And I think seeing two black businessmen - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/my-father-saw-two-black-men-lynched-on-his-street-in-cartersville-as/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“She was fierce in the presence of death, heroic even, as she was at no other time. Its threat gave her direction, clarity, audacity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/she-was-fierce-in-the-presence-of-death-heroic-even-as-she-was-at-no/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) [Explore all 774 Toni Morrison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) ## 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": "There is a certain kind of peace that is not merely the absence of war. It is larger than that. The peace I am thinking of is not at the mercy of history's rule, nor is it a passive surrender to the status quo. The peace I am thinking of is the dance of an open mind when it engages another equally open one -- an activity that occurs most naturally, most often in the reading/writing world we live in. 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