The sole source of peace in families, countries and the world is altruism – love and compassion.

The statement condenses a central theme of the Dalai Lama’s public teaching: that durable peace is not primarily a product of force, law, or diplomacy, but of inner moral qualities expressed socially. By naming “families, countries and the world,” it links the intimate sphere to geopolitics, implying that the same emotional habits—self-centeredness versus concern for others—scale up from household conflict to international violence. “Altruism” is glossed as “love and compassion,” stressing active care rather than sentimentality. The quote’s force lies in its exclusivity (“sole source”): it argues that without compassion, other peace-making tools remain fragile or temporary.