Human rights will be a powerful force for the transformation of reality when they are not simply understood as externally defined norms of behavior but are lived as the spontaneous manifestation of internalized values.

Rather than turning away from the staggering scale and depth of misery caused by war, we must strive to develop our capacity to empathize and feel the sufferings of others.

A healthy vision of the future is not possible without an accurate knowledge of the past.

But I believe we must not allow feelings of defeat to take root in our hearts.

But I think we need to remember that democracy everywhere is by its nature incomplete, a work in progress.

Divorced from the cosmos, from nature, from society and from each other, we have become fractured and fragmented.

No one should be left to suffer alone.

So long as nuclear weapons continue to exist, so will the temptation to threaten others with overwhelming military force.

The problems of aging present an opportunity to rethink our social and personal lives in order to ensure the dignity and welfare of each individual.

To communicate the truths of history is an act of hope for the future.

We must take steps to prevent further nuclear weapons development or modernization.

When human beings live together, conflict is inevitable. War is not.

Humanity has experienced many revolutionary changes over the course of history: revolutions in agriculture, in science, industrial production, as well as numerous political revolutions. But these have all been limited to the external aspects of our individual and collective lives.

In the past, human society provided encouragement and opportunity for people to extend support to each other, especially in highly stressful situations.

Japan learned from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the tragedy wrought by nuclear weapons must never be repeated and that humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist.

Likewise, education can direct people toward good or evil ends. When education is based on a fundamentally distorted worldview, the results are horrific.

When one takes action for others, one's own suffering is transformed into the energy that can keep one moving forward; a light of hope illuminating a new tomorrow for oneself and others is kindled.

A commitment to human rights cannot be fostered simply through the transmission of knowledge. Action and experience play a crucial role in the learning process.

Extreme poverty threatens people's right to life itself and makes impossible the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms essential to a humane way of life.

Faced with stress, too many people feel they have nowhere to turn to, that they don't have access to the kind of friendships or communities where they can easily and openly share their problems and worries.