"We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God."

Peace

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Insight & Reflection

This reflection on peace by Thomas Merton resonates across generations. It highlights a fundamental truth about human nature: our continuous search for meaning in peace is what ultimately defines our character and our path forward.

About Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton, religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, theologian, mystic, poet, and social activist. He was a professed member of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky, living there from 1941 to his death.

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Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the Quotes Archive Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by Thomas Merton

"We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have - for their usefulness."

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"The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them."

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More about Peace

"It is a radiant truth that peace of heart is the greatest luxury life can bestow upon the mortal traveler — an essential principle for the reflective life."

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"In the quiet sanctuary of self-reflection, the soul finds its rhythm — an essential principle for the reflective life."

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"It is a profound truth that a quiet mind perceives the subtle truths that noisy ambitions constantly drown out — an essential principle for the reflective life."

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