Happy Easter! In a world full of war and turmoil, here are some quotes to chew on over this weekend!

Meet the Peacemakers

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.—Matthew 5:9 NIV

We who work for peace must not falter. We must continue to pray for peace and to act for peace in whatever way we can, we must continue to speak for peace and to live the way of peace; to inspire others, we must continue to think of peace and to know that peace is possible.—Peace Pilgrim (1908–1981), born Mildred Lisette Norman, pacifist and peace activist

As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself…. Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.—Nelson Mandela (b. 1918), South African statesman and recipient of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize

The followers of Jesus have been called to peace. When He called them they found their peace, for He is their peace. But now they are told that they must not only have peace but make it.—Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945), German Lutheran pastor and theologian

I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion, and elimination of ignorance, selfishness, and greed.—The 14th Dalai Lama (b. 1935)

If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.—Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926), Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist

If you yourself are at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world.—Thomas Merton (1915–1968), Anglo-American Catholic writer and mystic Peacemaking is a healing process and it begins with me, but it does not end there.—Gene Knudsen Hoffman (1919–2010), writer and peace activist