Peace, if it ever exists, will not be based on the fear of war but on the love of peace.
Julien BendaIt may be said that modern Europe with teachers who inform it that its realist instincts are beautiful, acts ill and honors what is ill.
Julien BendaPeace, if it ever exists, will not be based on the fear of war, but on the love of peace. It will not be the abstaining from an act, but the coming of a state of mind. In this sense the most insignificant writer can serve peace, where the most powerful tribunals can do nothing.
Julien BendaI shall go further and say that even if an examination of the past could lead to any valid prediction concerning man's future, that prediction would be the contrary of reassuring.
Julien BendaAnd History will smile to think that this is the species for which Socrates and Jesus Christ died.
Julien BendaPeace is only possible if men cease to place their happiness in the possession of things "which cannot be shared," and if they raise themselves to a point where they adopt an abstract principle superior to their egotisms. In other words, it can only be obtained by a betterment of human morality.
Julien Benda