Perhaps the greatest contribution that those of us who come from a Christian tradition can make is to throw out the old just-war theory, embrace the nonviolence of Jesus, refuse to kill one another, and truly follow his commandment to "love our enemies.

Mairead Corrigan

If we want to reap the harvest of peace and justice in the future, we will have to sow seeds of nonviolence, here and now, in the present.

Mairead Corrigan

future inspirational peace

Our common humanity is more important than all the things that divide us.

Mairead Corrigan

common-humanity divides important

It's okay to be scared, but fear is different. Fear is when we let being scared prevent us from doing what love requires of us.

Mairead Corrigan

being-scared scared different

We have really got to create a culture in our world today where we recognize that every human life is sacred and precious and we have no right to take another human life.

Mairead Corrigan

sacred our-world culture

We frail humans are at one time capable of the greatest good and, at the same time, capable of the greatest evil. Change will only come about when each of us takes up the daily struggle ourselves to be more forgiving, compassionate, loving, and above all joyful in the knowledge that, by some miracle of grace, we can change as those around us can change too.

Mairead Corrigan

struggle time knowledge

We are all invited to work together for peace. We shall join hands and minds to work for peace through active nonviolence. We shall help one another, encourage one another and learn from one another how to bring peace to our children and to all.

Mairead Corrigan

teamwork children hands

I witnessed a lot of violence, and I found myself asking the question: Do you ever use violence to try to bring about political change?

Mairead Corrigan

political asking trying

We need radical thinking, creative ideas, and imagination.

Mairead Corrigan

imagination ideas thinking

Love for others and respect for their rights and their human dignity, irrespective of who or what they are, no matter what religion - or none - that they choose to follow, will bring about real change and set in motion proper relationships. With such relationships built on equality and trust, we can work together on so many of the threats to our common humanity.

Mairead Corrigan

common-humanity real rights

We have to start from the fact that there are always alternatives to violence.

Mairead Corrigan

alternatives violence facts

Everyday there are people in our world that do absolutely amazing things. People of all ages are very capable of doing tremendous, courageous things in spite of their fear.

Mairead Corrigan

our-world everyday people

Once we link up and network, there will be new institutions, new beginnings, and a change in the economy because capitalism is destroying many people's lives. It's just one leap to think in a different way.

Mairead Corrigan

new-beginnings people thinking

I believe that hope for the future depends on each of us taking nonviolence into our hearts and minds and developing new and imaginative structures which are nonviolent and life-giving for all.

Mairead Corrigan

future heart believe

We need now to build a culture of genuine nonviolence and real democracy.

Mairead Corrigan

democracy real needs

I have always been inspired by the American peace movement because it is operating in a very hard and militarist environment.

Mairead Corrigan

inspired environment movement

We can rejoice and celebrate today because we are living in a miraculous time. Everything is changing and everything is possible.

Mairead Corrigan

rejoice celebrate today

One great hope lies in the fact that there is a new consciousness in our World, particularly among young people.

Mairead Corrigan

our-world lying people

I was born into a Catholic family. I grew up in West Belfast. Faith was very important to us eight children and my mother and father. It was grounded in the Christian tradition of social involvement.

Mairead Corrigan

christian mother children

...I believe, with Gandhi, that we need to take an imaginative leap forward toward fresh and generous idealism for the sake of all humanity - that we neeed to renew this ancient wisdom of nonviolence, to strive for a disarmed world, and to create a culture of nonviolence.

Mairead Corrigan

wisdom humanity believe

To enable consensus politics to develop we need to empower people where they live. This means devolving financial resources and political power down to the community level. One of the greatest blocks to movement is fear. This fear can only be removed when people feel their voices are being heard by government and when they have a say in their own lives and communities.

Mairead Corrigan

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