"Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.
True peace with oneself and with the world around us can only be achieved through the development of mental peace.
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Material progress is of course important for human advancement. In Tibet, we paid much to little attention to technological and economic development, and today we realize that this was a mistake. At the same time, material development without spiritual development can also cause serious problems. In some countries too much attention is paid to external things and very little importance is given to inner development.
I believe both are important and must be developed side by side so as to achieve a good balance between them."
Excerpt from The Noble Lecture by the Dalai Lama 12/11/1989
To read the whole quotation in the excellent website Wisdom Quotes, click here
