Peace and Optimism 

Aung Naing Oo, Center for Peace & Reconciliation

"Hope and Optimism are indispensable ingredients in a peace process."

Sneha Ayyagari, Schneider Sustainable Energy Fellow, Natural Resources Defense Council

“Optimism is a source of strength and peace. It fuels the hope needed to see challenges as opportunities for learning and helps us to lead our lives more intentionally with love.”

Judy Rodgers, President, Images & Voices of Hope

“It is the nature of the human spirit to express love, peace and joy.  We do drift from our true nature in some moments, but time and truth ultimately call us back to who we really are, which is the deepest rationale for optimism.”

Prayer in The Fairmont News

"And we hope and pray that your hope and optimism floods the world with peace, love, compassion and grace, and effects real, positive change for generations to come."

Sirajuddin Aziz

"Is optimism – a choice? Yes, it is. All of us choose to be either an optimist or a pessimist. Optimism ushers peace from within, while being the other, leads to a turbulent mind, making negative waves, for action or reaction."

Frances Adamson, Governor of South Australia

“My Aunt Nancy, now in her nineties, recently wrote to one of our children in hospital: “My prayer for you is to be optimistic. Remember - dark clouds pass and blue skies follow.” That’s true in life, but in international relations optimism needs to be harnessed to policy development, advocacy, consensus building and effective implementation in order to produce outcomes which support peace and prosperity.  Blue skies are infinitely preferable to dark clouds and that is why I am, personally and professionally, an active optimist!”

Tenzing Lamsang

“Optimism?  The broad sweep of history shows we are more prosperous, peaceful and equal than at any time in history. Yes, we have our issues (the biggest  one is climate change) but humanity is getting better”

Diane G. Tillman, Living Values Author

“Optimistic leadership is very needed at this critical juncture in the world. While some governments and many NGOs are moving toward positive solutions to the environmental and the plethora of social challenges, other governments and radical groups are engaged in blatant injustice and violence. Optimistic leadership generates hope; it nourishes the belief that all will be well. This belief is important for emotional wellbeing; it fuels greater cooperation and harmony in the community and workplace with tangible benefits in productivity, health and happiness. But optimistic leadership must be paired with values to be sustainable. Optimistic leadership paired with guile and egocentric selfishness deceives over time, generating mistrust, cynicism, and hopelessness, fear or hate. Optimistic leadership paired with respect for others empowers. I feel we need leaders who deeply understand the importance of inclusion and equality. A visible commitment to the values of peace, respect and equality help ameliorate the feelings of exclusion and bitterness which fuel violence and unite us to work for the common good. Optimistic leadership based on respect for all creates hope, positive solutions, a sense of belonging, and humanizes us all.”

Lilia Perton, Yogi

“Daily practice of yoga and meditation are ways of achieving an optimistic mindset and presence. We can light up the room and light up the lives of people around us with a positive manner, mode of speech and a smile. I am so fortunate to have been a Yoga teacher for 50 years and inspire others to spread light, love, peace and optimism into the world.”

Andrew Macleod, Global Humanitarian