True peace must be anchored in justice and an unwavering commitment to universal rights for all humans, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin or any other identity attribute. Desmond Tutu More Quotes by Desmond Tutu More Quotes From Desmond Tutu If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality. Desmond Tutu bullyingelephantspeace If you want peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies. Desmond Tutu friendshippeacelife There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they're falling in. Desmond Tutu riverspeoplefall Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. Desmond Tutu successpeacelife We are made for goodness. We are made for love. We are made for friendliness. We are made for togetherness. We are made for all of the beautiful things that you and I know. We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders. All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, educated, not educated, male, female, gay, straight, all, all, all. We all belong to this family, this human family, God's family. Desmond Tutu inspirational-lovegaybeautiful Differences are not intended to separate, to alienate. We are different precisely in order to realize our need of one another. Desmond Tutu differencesdifferentorder When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land. Desmond Tutu eyeprayerbible Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. Desmond Tutu lightdarknesshope To remain neutral in situations of injustice is to be complicit in that injustice. Desmond Tutu injusticesituation My father always used to say, "Don't raise your voice. Improve your argument." Desmond Tutu voicemorningfather You are either on the side of the oppressed or on the side of the oppressor. You can't be neutral. Desmond Tutu oppressorsoppressedsides Ubuntu is very difficult to render into a Western language. It speaks of the very essence of being human.... you are generous, you are hospitable, you are friendly and caring and compassionate. You share what you have. It is to say, 'My humanity is inextricably bound up in yours.' We belong in a bundle of life. Desmond Tutu ubuntucaringessence One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu - the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality - Ubuntu - you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity. Desmond Tutu ubuntucountrythinking There's no way in which you can ever win a war against terror. As long as there are conditions in many parts of the world that make people desperate: poverty, disease, ignorance, etc. I hope that we will discover soon, that we can survive, only together. We can prosper only together. And I think people are beginning to realize this, that you can't have pockets of prosperity in one part of the world and huge deserts of poverty and deprivation and think you can have a stable, secure world. Desmond Tutu ignorancewinningwar It is through weakness and vulnerability that most of us learn empathy and compassion and discover our soul. Desmond Tutu empathycompassionsoul Our maturity will be judged by how well we are able to agree to disagree and yet continue to love one another, to care for one another, and cherish one another and seek the greater good of the other. Desmond Tutu agree-to-disagreematuritycare You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. Desmond Tutu familygodinspirational Bringing people together is what i call 'ubuntu,' which means 'I am because we are.' Far too often people think of themselves as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity. Desmond Tutu ubuntumeanthinking We are living in an historic moment. We are each called to take part in a great transformation. Our survival as a species is threatened by global warming, economic meltdown, and an ever-increasing gap between rich and poor. Yet these threats offer an opportunity to awaken as an interconnected and beloved community. Desmond Tutu beloved-communitysurvivalopportunity We are each made for goodness, love and compassion. Our lives are transformed as much as the world is when we live with these truths. Desmond Tutu goodnesscompassionworld