Quotes about Conflict

There's something very wrong with this world, and it isn't just the wars going on in Asia or the Middle East.

People seem to fight about things very unsuitable for fighting. They make a frightful noise in support of very quiet things. They knock each other about in the name of very fragile things.

Give no answer to contentious arguments or irresponsible accusations. Let such things "fly out open windows" until they spend themselves.

A gun is not an argument.

I won't undertake war until I have tried all the arts and means of peace.

Accepting him, I find, is the best way to tame him.

Instead of attacking, focused on taking away the stick.

If you open a door, however, as Diane Nash did with her persistent questions, you offer the other a way out and all your power can be deployed in persuading them to take it. In short, rather than working to frustrate the other, focus on redirecting their attention to a positive outcome.

Framing your solution negatively, such as "Don't shout at me," tends to focus the other's attention even more on the unwanted behavior and may unconsciously reinforce it, particularly if you are shouting back at them. It is more effective to say, quietly, "Please talk to me in a quiet tone." Focus the other's mind clearly on the positive action you want them to take.

You need confidence to stand up for yourself in the face of the other's reaction. You need power to be able to follow through on your No if the other refuses to respect it.

There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them

I decline utterly to be impartial between the fire brigade and the fire.