As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Nelson Mandela – former President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize.

Universal Rights begin In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighbourhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.
Eleanor Roosevelt - Widow of the former USA President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Chair of the United Nations Commission that wrote the Universal Declaration in 1948.

Peace starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. When our community is in a state of peace, it can share that peace with neighbouring communities, and so on. When we feel love and kindness towards others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace. *
The Dalai Lama – Head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize

Is the spirit capable of achieving what we in our distress expect of it? Let us not underestimate its power, the evidence of which can be seen throughout the history of mankind. The spirit created this humanitarianism which is the origin of all progress toward some form of higher existence. Inspired by humanitarianism we are true to ourselves and capable of creating. Inspired by a contrary spirit we are unfaithful to ourselves and fall prey to all manner of error. *
Albert Schweitzer – Nobel Peace Prize. Theologian, philosopher, musician and physician, he dedicated his life to medical missionary in Africa.

People everywhere need to be continually reminded that violations of human rights, whether arbitrary arrest and detention, unjust imprisonment, torture, or political assassination, are threats to world peace. Each violation, wherever it occurs, can set in motion a trend towards the debasement of human dignity. From individuals to groups, from groups to nations, from nations to groups of nations, in chain reaction a pattern sets in, a pattern of violence and repression and a lack of concern for human welfare. This must never be allowed to start. And the place to stop it is at the level of the individual. Therefore, the protection of the rights of the individual to think freely, to express himself freely, to associate freely with others and to disseminate his thoughts is essential to the preservation of world peace. *
Mümtaz Soysal, representing Amnesty International  - Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech

It's a wave. I think the next generation is going to roll right over us. There's a new kind of hard-headed idealism out there, which is not about "Let's hold hands and wish away the world's problems." People are ready to change the world one brick at a time. I really believe that.
Bono – musician-singer of U2 and activist, interviewed by Rolling Stone

A lot of the problems in the world can have a human face. With new technologies we actually see for the first time who is dying of aids, who has beaten up, and we can hear those stories in a way the blogger culture. If we can move that into this sort of feels, I think we can transform the world in all sort of ways. There could be a new movement growing up, rising from the ground, reaching for the light and going strong, just like a tree.
Peter Gabriel – musician and activist - speech (www.ted.com) about co-founded watchdog group WITNESS.

 * from the book “The Words of Peace”, selections from the Speeches of the Winners of the Nobel Peace Prize – Editor Irwin Abrams – Newmarket Press