Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a serenity of soul. Peace is not merely the absence of war. It is also a state of mind. Lasting peace can come only to peaceful people.

The quotation shifts “peace” from the realm of treaties and geopolitics to the inner life: durable peace is portrayed as a moral-psychological achievement rather than a purely diplomatic arrangement. By insisting that peace is more than the absence of war, it argues that hostility, fear, and aggression can persist even when guns are silent, and that these dispositions will eventually reappear as conflict. The final sentence makes peace reciprocal and self-reinforcing: societies and leaders who cultivate restraint, empathy, and self-command are the only ones capable of sustaining nonviolent relations. It is a character-based theory of international peace, grounded in personal and civic temperament.