Betty Williams Quotes

“I always say that non-violence is not the weapon of the weak. It is the weapon of the strong.”

— Betty Williams

“Peace in the world is everybody's business, no matter where you live or what you do.”

— Betty Williams

“I'm not sexist in any way - sexism is another form of violence, and there are many great men in this world.”

— Betty Williams

“Governments do not have the answers - indeed, quite the reversal. A lot of times, they not only do not have the answers, but they themselves are the problem. If we are committed to helping our world's children, then we must begin to create solutions from the bottom up.”

— Betty Williams

“The voice of women, the voice of those most closely involved in bringing forth new life, has not always been listened to when it pleaded and implored against the waste of life in war after war.”

— Betty Williams

I like to say that arms are not for killing. They are for hugging.

— Betty Williams

Turmoil is everywhere, and the whole world is waiting for solutions to come from the top down. That's not how it works - community change from the bottom up makes a real difference.

— Betty Williams

“Compassion is more important than intellect in calling forth the love that the work of peace needs, and intuition can often be a far more powerful searchlight than cold reason.”

— Betty Williams

“I can assure you I'm quite sane and have proof that dialog 'works.'”

— Betty Williams

“John Irwin became one of the greatest peace workers in Northern Ireland.”

— Betty Williams

Men, once enemies, are now jointly governing in Northern Ireland. And although there have been several hitches, by and large it's working well.

— Betty Williams

The Nobel Peace Prize is not awarded for what one has done, but hopefully what one will do.

— Betty Williams

“The thing that started the peace movement in Ireland was anger - my anger. It wasn't anger; it was fury.”

— Betty Williams

“The voice of women has a special role and a special soul force in the struggle for a nonviolent world.”

— Betty Williams

“War has traditionally been a man's work, although we know that often women were the cause of violence.”

— Betty Williams

We need to assure that we are nurturing our children and meeting their every need in this violent world.

— Betty Williams

“I don't think I'm yet peaceful because I have to struggle every day within myself when I see the suffering of the people of the world, the women and the children. And fury sets in. But I have to transform that and take it out and do something positive with it - but I have to do that sometimes minute to minute.”

— Betty Williams

“Peace is not wimpy. It's about sitting down and negotiating with people you hate. Ultimately, all occupation ends, and you have to deal with the enemy.”

— Betty Williams

“There's nothing women can't do. There's absolutely nothing we can't do. We're far stronger in a lot of ways than men. Way, way stronger than men. And that's my message to any woman I meet - that includes you - there's nothing you can't do, and you know that.”

— Betty Williams

“We want to live, love and build a just and peaceful society. We dedicate ourselves to working with our neighbors day in and day out to create this peaceful society.”

— Betty Williams

“When I received the news of the Nobel Peace Award, I could not believe it. I told my father, 'I think they have the wrong name, Dad. Please, can you talk to this man on the phone? I'm busy cooking!'”

— Betty Williams

“When all else fails, take a vacation.”

— Betty Williams

“To say that on a daily basis you can make a difference, well, you can. One act of kindness a day can do it.”

— Betty Williams

“I have a very hard time with this word 'non-violence,' because I don't believe that I am non-violent ... Right now, I would love to kill George Bush. I don't know how I ever got a Nobel Peace Prize, because when I see children die, the anger in me is just beyond belief. It's our duty as human beings, whatever age we are, to become the protectors of human life.”

— Betty Williams

Nonviolence is the weapon of the strong.

— Betty Williams

“There is no use talking about the problem unless you talk about the solution”

— Betty Williams

Non violence is not a thing that comes easily. You have to learn how to be non-violent

— Betty Williams

“We believe in taking down the barriers, but we also believe in the most energetic reconciliation among peoples by getting them to know each other, talk each other's languages, understand each other's fears and beliefs, getting to know each other physically, philosophically, and spiritually. It is much harder to kill your near neighbor than the thousands of unknown and hostile aliens at the other end of a nuclear missile. We have to create a world in which there are no unknown, hostile aliens at the other end of any missiles.”

— Betty Williams

“We want for our children, as we want for ourselves, lives at home, at work and at play to be lives of joy and peace.”

— Betty Williams

“In a world that we know can feed itself, upwards of 40,000 children die very day from conditions of malnutrition. Surely we must question why we are allowing this carnage to continue”

— Betty Williams

“God doesn't start wars. That's the greatest load of nonsense. Mankind starts wars. But then we bless armies to go and kill in God's name. Somebody's got to blow that myth out of the water.”

— Betty Williams

“We have to create a world in which there are no unknown, hostile aliens at the other end of any missiles, and that is going to take a tremendous amount of sheer hard work. The only force which can break down those barriers is the force of love, the force of truth, soul-force ...”

— Betty Williams

“I'm trying to show by my actions that you can make a far better world if you just care enough. That's all you have to do. It's no big deal. One act of kindness a day can do it.”

— Betty Williams

“Two-point-seven percent unemployment equates to
everybody who wants to work is working. It equates to full employment.”

— Betty Williams

“I'm so grateful that God allowed me to go through that because it's made me.”

— Betty Williams

“We dedicate ourselves to working with our neighbors, near and far, day in and day out, to building that peaceful society in which the tragedies we have known are a bad memory and a continuing warning.”

— Betty Williams

“But without painful experiences, we dont grow”

— Betty Williams

“Fear's contagious, but so is courage.”

— Betty Williams

“We want to live and love and build a just and peaceful society.”

— Betty Williams