Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
There are too many war museums.
I like to build bridges... not walls.
Poverty and lack of education are ruining our planet.
I often say that poverty needs no passport to travel.
The effect of one good-hearted person is incalculable.
Justice and peace can only thrive together, never apart.
The most deadly disease truly is the failure of the heart.
Peace consists, very largely, in the fact of desiring it with all one's soul.
Our experience shows that security does not lie in weapons or fences or armies.
A nation that mistreats its own citizens is more likely to mistreat its neighbours.
The existence of nuclear weapons presents a clear and present danger to life on Earth.
I think it's in the hands of each head of state: the future of peace in his own country.
Mine is an unarmed people, whose children have never seen a fighter or a tank or a warship.
I saw no reason why other nations should tell Central Americans how to solve their problems.
I do not believe that the hungry man should be treated as subversive for expressing his suffering.
Peace is not a dream; it is hard work, and there is nothing naive, glamorous or simplistic about it.
The more freedom we enjoy, the greater the responsibility we bear, toward others as well as ourselves.
Latin Americans glorify their past so ceaselessly that they make it almost impossible to advocate change.
Free trade will go a long way toward alleviating poverty in Central America. Yet trade alone is not enough.
Costa Rica believes in building bridges, in looking for solutions to problems, and not clinging to positions.
Our world is certainly dangerous, but it is made more dangerous, not less, by those who value profits over peace.
The absence of significant development aid has only increased the importance of trade for Central America's future.
It's not fair for the U.S. to spend, on arms and weapons, so much money and then not spend on health care the money that is needed.
Nuclear arms kill many people all at once, but other weapons kill many people, little by little, every day, everywhere in the world.
It is essential that justice be done, and it is equally vital that justice not be confused with revenge, for the two are wholly different.
The children of the world, what they want and what they need are health clinics and schools, not tanks or armed helicopters or fighter jets.
Latin America has not achieved the development that it deserves... I'm not optimistic for all of Latin America, not only for Central America.
More combat planes, missiles and soldiers won't provide additional bread for our families, desks for our schools, or medicine for our clinics.
Peace is a never ending process... It cannot ignore our differences or overlook our common interests. It requires us to work and live together.
Hope is the strongest driving force for a people. Hope which brings about change, which produces new realities, is what opens man's road to freedom.
War, and the preparation for war, are the two greatest obstacles to human progress, fostering a vicious cycle of arms buildups, violence and poverty.
If there is no peace in Central America, it will not be because Costa Rica, and myself as president, have not done what is necessary to obtain peace.
An overall trend of political moderation in Latin America makes for far less interesting headlines, but it also makes for far better lives for our people.
The Central American isthmus is a region of great contrasts, but also of heartening unison. Millions of men and women share dreams of freedom and progress.
Indeed, it is quite sad to see the United States becoming the main exporter of arms. It is quite sad to look at the U.S. government subsidizing arms exports.
In a democracy, a leader must be the head teacher, someone eager to respond to doubts and questions and explain the need for and the benefits of a new course.
It often seems... the human race has twittered away its existence singing an endless song - a song of waste and hatred, where there should be progress and love.
In the United States, resources exist to retrain displaced workers and promote the development of technologies that create new job opportunities for American workers.
During my administration, our desire has been to strengthen the civilian spirit of our people. Thus, we have eliminated military ranks and salutes from our civil guard.
We had the courage to face the superpowers that wanted a military triumph for each side they supported in Central America. We told them, 'No,' and presented a peace plan.
Peace is not a matter of prizes or trophies. It is not the product of a victory or command. It has no finishing line, no final deadline, no fixed definition of achievement.
The world does not lack the financial resources to feed, educate and clothe its inhabitants. Rather, it lacks leaders committed to addressing the problems of the impoverished.
During the 41 years that have elapsed since Costa Rica abolished its army, our fundamental freedoms have never been threatened, nor do we know a shameful history of repression.
It is in the U.S. interest to have a more prosperous neighbor to the south. Because if we cannot export goods, we will keep exporting people. And that's not what the U.S. wants.
Peace is a never-ending process, the work of many decisions by many people in many countries. It is an attitude, a way of life, a way of solving problems and resolving conflicts.
When Harvard University opened its doors in 1636, there were already well-established universities in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru.
The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st century, we must resurrect solidarity and compassion.
We need a force that recognizes that only through development and liberty, through education and health care, through better priorities and wiser investments, can we achieve the stability we seek.
India, Pakistan, China, Singapore and South Korea are heavily investing in nuclear arms. Since 21st century is the century of Asia, Asian countries should be the first ones to drop this arms race.
The best way to perpetuate poverty is by spending on arms and military, and the best way to fight terrorism is by fighting the basic needs of humanity, because hunger and poverty perpetuate crime.