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The Essence Of All Religions Is Love, Compassion And Tolerance. Kindness Is My True Religion. No Matter Whether You Are Learned Or Not, Whether You Believe In The Next Life Or Not, Whether You Believe In God Or Buddha Or Some Other Religion Or Not, In Day-to-day Life You Must Be A Kind Person.

-Dalai Lama

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The Essence Of All

Dalai Lama

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The Essence Of All Religions Is Love, Compassion And Tolerance. Kindness Is My True Religion. No Matter Whether You Are Learned Or Not, Whether You Believe In The Next Life Or Not, Whether You Believe In God Or Buddha Or Some Other Religion Or Not, In Day-to-day Life You Must Be A Kind Person.

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From A Certain Point Of View Our Real Enemy, The True Troublemaker, Is Inside.

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Self Confidence

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Lasting Happiness

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Concern For Others

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Again And Again

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Concern For Others

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Peace Must First Be Developed Within An Individual. And I Believe That Love, Compassion, And Altruism Are The Fundamental Basis For Peace. Once These Qualities Are Developed Within An Individual, He Or She Is Then Able To Create An Atmosphere Of Peace And Harmony. This Atmosphere Can Be Expanded And Extended From The Individual To His Family, From The Family To The Community And Eventually To The Whole World.

The Two Most Important Things To Remember In Business Are: To Be Aware Of The Consequential Impact On Ecology, And A Caring Relationship Between Employer And Employee.

Self-discipline, Although Difficult, And Not Always Easy While Combating Negative Emotions, Should Be A Defensive Measure.

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In The Past, The Respect People Had For Religion Meant That Ethical Practice Was Maintained Through A Majority Following One Religion Or Another. But This Is No Longer The Case. We Must Therefore Find Some Other Way Of Establishing Basic Ethical Principles.

Ethical Principles

The Chinese Government Wants Me To Say That For Many Centuries Tibet Has Been Part Of China. Even If I Make That Statement, Many People Would Just Laugh. And My Statement Will Not Change Past History. History Is History.

I Think Every Human Being, Born From Mother, And At Least The Next Few Years, You See, Received Immense Affection From Our Mother. So The Child's First Experience In This Lifetime At The Beginning, I Think That Immense Affection From Other Is In Our Blood. So Therefore, The Whole Rest Of Life, Other People Show You Smile, Genuine Sort Of Closeness Feeling. You Feel Happy. Even Animals Also Like That.

I Believe The Ultimate Aim Of All Human Beings Is To Obtain Happiness And A Sense Of Fulfillment... I Have Always Stressed The Importance Of Combining Both The Mental And Material Approach To Achieving Happiness For Humankind.

Achieving Happiness

True Spirituality Is A Mental Attitude You Can Practice At Any Time.

We Are Beset By Problems And If We Look For Their Source, We Find They Arise Because Of Our Selfishness, Because We Tend To Pursue Our Own Interests At The Expense Of Others. Our Various Religious Traditions Exist To Help Us Reduce These Problems. They All Teach Ways To Overcome Suffering Through Cultivating Love And Compassion, Tolerance, Patience And Contentment.

Generosity Is The Most Natural Outward Expression Of An Inner Attitude Of Compassion And Loving-kindness .

Without Love We Could Not Survive. Human Beings Are Social Creatures, And A Concern For Each Other Is The Very Basis Of Our Life Together.

For Those Who May Not Find Happiness To Exercise Religious Faith, It's Okay To Remain A Radical Atheist; It's Absolutely An Individual Right, But The Important Thing Is With A Compassionate Heart - Then No Problem.

Soul Is At Home In The Deep, Shaded Valleys. Heavy Torpid Flowers Saturated With Black Grow There. The Rivers Flow Like Warm Syrup. They Empty Into Huge Oceans Of Soul.

I Believe That The Very Purpose Of Life Is To Be Happy. From The Very Core Of Our Being, We Desire Contentment. In My Own Limited Experience I Have Found That The More We Care For The Happiness Of Others, The Greater Is Our Own Sense Of Well-being.

I Believe That The Basic Nature Of Human Beings Is Gentle And Compassionate. It Is Therefore In Our Own Interest To Encourage That Nature, To Make It Live Within Us, To Leave Room For It To Develop. If On The Contrary We Use Violence, It Is As If We Voluntarily Obstruct The Positive Side Of Human Nature And Prevent Its Evolution.

All Religions Are Essentially The Same In Their Goal Of Developing A Good Human Heart So That We May Become Better Human Beings.

Today We Face Many Problems. Some Are Created Essentially By Ourselves Based On Divisions Due To Ideology, Religion, Race, Economic Status, Or Other Factors. Therefore, The Time Has Come For Us To Think On A Deeper Level, On The Human Level, And From That Level We Should Appreciate And Respect The Sameness Of Others As Human Beings.

A Good Friend Who Points Out Mistakes And Imperfections And Rebukes Evil Is To Be Respected As If He Reveals The Secret Of Some Hidden Treasure.

Our Enemies Are Our Greatest Teachers.

Tolerance And Patience Should Not Be Read As Signs Of Weakness. They Are Signs Of Strength.

We All Have The Potential To Show Others Love And Affection, But As We Progress In Our Materialistic World, These Values Tend To Remain Dormant. We Can Develop Them On The Basis Of Common Sense, Common Experience And Scientific Findings. The Response To The Recent Tragedy In The Philippines Is An Example Of How Such Values Are Awakened; People Helped Simply Because Others Are Suffering And In Need Of Support.

Just Because They're Not On Your Road Doesn't Mean They've Gotten Lost.

This Is My Simple Religion. There Is No Need For Temples; No Need For Complicated Philosophy. Our Own Brain, Our Own Heart Is Our Temple; The Philosophy Is Kindness.

The Challenge Today Is To Convince People Of The Value Of Truth, Honesty, Compassion And A Concern For Others.

Concern For Others

Even Within One Person, Yesterday And Today, There Are Differences. We Must Look At A Deeper Level.

Being Concerned About Other People Is Especially Relevant In Today's World. If We Consider The Complex Inter-connected Ness Of Our Modern Lives, How We Depend On Others And Others Depend On Us, Our Outlook Will Change. We’ll Begin To See 'others' Not As Somehow Distant From Us, But As People We Are In Touch With, People Close To Us; We Will No Longer Feel Indifferent To Them.

People Need To Climb The Mountain Not Simple Because It Is There But Because The Soulful Divinity Needs To Be Mated With The Spirit.

I Believe All Religions Pursue The Same Goals, That Of Cultivating Human Goodness And Bringing Happiness To All Human Beings. Though The Means Might Appear Different The Ends Are The Same.

Give The Ones You Love Wings To Fly, Roots To Come Back And Reasons To Stay.

Harmony Can Not Thrive In A Climate Of Mistrust, Cheating, Bullying; Mean-spirited Competition.

Giving Material Goods Is One Form Of Generosity, But One Can Extend An Attitude Of Generosity Into All One's Behavior. Being Kind, Attentive, And Honest In Dealing With Others, Offering Praise Where It Is Due, Giving Comfort And Advice Where They Are Needed, And Simply Sharing One's Time With Someone - All These Are Forms Of Generosity, And They Do Not Require Any Particular Level Of Material Wealth.

The Practice Of Patience Guards Us Against Losing Our Presence Of Mind. It Enables Us To Remain Undisturbed, Even When The Situation Is Really Difficult. It Gives Us A Certain Amount Of Inner Peace, Which Allows Us Some Self-control, So That We Can Choose To Respond To Situations In An Appropriate And Compassionate Manner, Rather Than Being Driven By Our Disturbing Emotions.

Internal Peace Is An Essential First Step To Achieving Peace In The World. How Do You Cultivate It? It's Very Simple. In The First Place By Realizing Clearly That All Mankind Is One, That Human Beings In Every Country Are Members Of One And The Same Family.

We Need To Make Material Progress, But We Need Inner Development Too ... Remember That The Real Development We Seek Is Not In The Buildings But In Our Hearts And Minds.

From The Scientific View, The Theory Of Karma May Be A Metaphysical Assumption -- But It Is No More So Than The Assumption That All Of Life Is Material And Originated Out Of Pure Chance

Human Use, Population, And Technology Have Reached That Certain Stage Where Mother Earth No Longer Accepts Our Presence With Silence.

Happiness Can Be Achieved Through Training The Mind.

Our Greatest Duty And Our Main Responsibility Is To Help Others. But Please, If You Can't Help Them, Would You Please Not Hurt Them.

It Is Felt That A Disciplined Mind Leads To Happiness And An Undisciplined Mind Leads To Suffering, And In Fact It Is Said That Bringing About Discipline Within One's Mind Is The Essence Of The Buddha's Teaching.

We Need To Learn How To Want What We Have Not To Have What We Want In Order To Get Steady And Stable Happiness

We Need Material Development, But We Need To Understand That By Itself It Doesn't Bring Peace Of Mind.

Each Of Us Has The Potential To Contribute... You Have A Great Opportunity To Make A New Shape Of The World.

Our State Of Mind Plays A Major Role In Our Day-to-day Experiences As Well As Our Physical And Mental Well-being. If A Person Has A Calm And Stable Mind, This Influences His Or Her Attitude And Behavior In Relation To Others. In Other Words, If Someone Remains In A Peaceful And Tranquil State Of Mind, External Surroundings Can Cause Them Only A Limited Disturbance.

If You Have A Great Deal Of Knowledge, But You're Governed By Negative Emotions, Then You Tend To Use Your Knowledge In Negative Ways. Therefore, While You Are Learning, Don't Forget The Importance Of Warmheartedness.

I Have Been Confronted With Many Difficulties Throughout The Course Of My Life, And My Country Is Going Through A Critical Period. But I Laugh Often, And My Laughter Is Contagious. When People Ask Me How I Find The Strength To Laugh Now, I Reply That I Am A Professional Laugher.

We Have Never Declared War On China. We Have Only Asked Them To Leave Us In Peace, To Let Us Have Our Natural Freedom.

With The Realization Of Ones Own Potential And Self-confidence In Ones Ability, One Can Build A Better World. According To My Own Experience, Self-confidence Is Very Important. That Sort Of Confidence Is Not A Blind One; It Is An Awareness Of Ones Own Potential. On That Basis, Human Beings Can Transform Themselves By Increasing The Good Qualities And Reducing The Negative Qualities.

I Think In Many Ways Narrow Minded-attitudes Lead To Extreme Thinking.

Sectarian Feelings And Criticism Of Other Teachings Or Other Sects Is Very Bad, Poisonous, And Should Be Avoided.

The Question Is Not To Know What Is The Meaning Of Life, But What Meaning I Can Give To My Life.

Meaning Of Life

What Is The Meaning Of Life? To Be Happy And Useful.

The Truly Good Gaze Upon Everything With Love And Understanding.

It Seems To Me That Self Confidence And The Ability To Stand One's Ground Are Essential If We Want To Succeed In Life. I Am Not Talking Of Stupid Self-assurance But Of An Awareness Of Our Inner Potential, A Certainty That We Can Always Correct Our Behavior, Improve Ourselves, Enrich Ourselves, And That Things Are Never Hopeless

Self Confidence

The 20th Century Was The Century Of War And Blood. The 21st Century Is The Century Of Dialogue.

Mentally, Physically And Emotionally We Are The Same. We Each Have The Potential To Good And Bad And To Be Overcome By Disturbing Emotions Such As Anger, Fear, Hatred, Suspicion And Greed. These Emotions Can Be The Cause Of Many Problems. On The Other Hand If You Cultivate Loving Kindness, Compassion And Concern For Others, There Will Be No Room For Anger, Hatred And Jealousy.

It Is My Fundamental Belief That All Human Beings Share The Same Basic Aspirations: That We All Want Hapiness And That We All Share Suffering. Asians, Just Like Americans, Europeans, And The Rest Of The World, Share A Desire To Live Life To Its Fullest, To Better Ourselves And The Lives Of Our Loved Ones.

We Must Each Lead A Way Of Life With Self-awareness And Compassion, To Do As Much As We Can. Then, Whatever Happens We Will Have No Regrets.

If We Want Spiritual Development, The Practice Of Patience Is Essential.

Inner Values Like Friendship, Trust, Honesty And Compassion Are Much More Reliable Than Money - They Always Bring Happiness And Strength.

Never Give Up No Matter What Is Going On Never Give Up Develop The Heart Too Much Energy In Your Country Is Spent Developing The Mind Instead Of The Heart Be Compassionate Not Just To Your Friends But To Everyone Be Compassionate Work For Peace In Your Heart And In The World Work For Peace And I Say Again Never Give Up No Matter What Is Going On Around You Never Give Up

When, From The Depths Of Your Heart, You Spontaneously Wish All Beings To Find True, Lasting Happiness, This Is Great Love.

Lasting Happiness

What Unites All Beings Is Their Desire For Happiness.

If There Were Really Serious Consequences If I Did Not Accept, Then Of Course I Would Do Whatever Was Necessary. But In General I Really Prefer Some Freedom.

Self-discipline Is Crucial To A Simpler, More Contented Life.

Self Discipline

It Is Very Rare Or Almost Impossible That An Event Can Be Negative From All Points Of View.

I Think There's Every Reason This 21st Century Will Be Much Happier.

Spend 5 Minutes Breathing In, Cherishing Yourself; And, Breathing Out Cherishing Others. If You Think About People You Have Difficulty Cherishing, Extend Your Cherishing To Them Anyway.

The Colors Of Light Are Infinite Through Refraction, Yet They All Come From The Same Source. Thus I Cannot Detach Myself From The Wickedest Soul, Nor Fail To Identify With The Most Virtuous.

I Believe All Suffering Is Caused By Ignorance.

If You Wish To Experience Peace, Provide Peace For Another. If You Wish To Know That You Are Safe, Cause Another To Know That They Are Safe. If You Wish To Better Understand Seemingly Incomprehensible Things, Help Another To Better Understand. If You Wish To Heal Your Own Sadness Or Anger, Seek To Heal The Sadness Or Anger Of Another.

Action For Happiness Encourages Each Of Us To Live More Compassionately And Put The Happiness Of Others At The Centre Of Our Lives. This Is The Path To Lasting Peace And Happiness

Peace And Happiness

Happiness Mainly Comes From Our Own Attitude, Rather Than From External Factors.

I Do Not See Any Reason Why Animals Should Be Slaughtered To Serve As Human Diet When There Are So Many Substitutes. After All, Man Can Live Without Meat.

Vegetarian Diet

We Must Live Harmoniously With Our Neighbors.

Unless We Possess High Spiritual Qualifications, There Is No Doubt That The Events Life Throws Upon Us Will Give Rise To Frustration, Emotional Turmoil, And Other Distorted States Of Consciousness. These Imperfect States Of Mind In Turn Give Rise To Imperfect Activities, And The Seeds Of Suffering Are Ever Planted In A Steady Flow.

The Purpose Of Life Is To Increase The Warm Heart.

One Problem With Our Current Society Is That We Have An Attitude Towards Education As If It Is There To Simply Make You More Clever, Make You More Ingenious... Even Though Our Society Does Not Emphasize This, The Most Important Use Of Knowledge And Education Is To Help Us Understand The Importance Of Engaging In More Wholesome Actions And Bringing About Discipline Within Our Minds. The Proper Utilization Of Our Intelligence And Knowledge Is To Effect Changes From Within To Develop A Good Heart.

Hardship, In Forcing Us To Exercise Greater Patience And Forbearance In Daily Life, Actually Makes Us Stronger And More Robust. From The Daily Experience Of Hardship Comes A Greater Capacity To Accept Difficulties Without Losing Our Sense Of Inner Calm. Of Course, I Do Not Advocate Seeking Out Hardship As A Way Of Life, But Merely Wish To Suggest That, If You Relate To It Constructively, It Can Bring Greater Inner Strength And Fortitude.

The Purpose Of All The Major Religious Traditions Is Not To Construct Big Temples On The Outside, But To Create Temples Of Goodness And Compassion Inside, In Our Hearts.

Cultivating Care And Concern For Others Gives Rise To A Kind Of Inner Strength. No Matter What Difficulties Or Problems You Face, In This Wider Context They’ll Seem Less Significant And Troubling To You. The Inner Strength, Self-confidence And Courage You Gain By Focussing On Others’ Needs Instead Of Your Own, Brings With It A Deep, Calm Sense Of Satisfaction.

Self Confidence

Concern For Others

The Problems We Face Today, Violent Conflicts, Destruction Of Nature, Poverty, Hunger, And So On, Are Human-created Problems Which Can Be Resolved Through Human Effort, Understanding And The Development Of A Sense Of Brotherhood And Sisterhood. We Need To Cultivate A Universal Responsibility For One Another And The Planet We Share.

Go At Least Once A Year To A Place You've Never Been Before.

Inspiring Travel

There Is A Saying In Tibetan, 'tragedy Should Be Utilized As A Source Of Strength.' No Matter What Sort Of Difficulties, How Painful Experience Is, If We Lose Our Hope, That's Our Real Disaster.

I Believe That At Every Level Of Society The Key To A Happier World Is The Growth Of Compassion. We Do Not Need To Become Religious, Nor Do We Need To Believe In An Ideology. All That Is Necessary Is For Each Of Us To Develop Our Good Human Qualities.

Despite All Philosophical Differences, All Major World Religions Have The Same Potential To Create Good Human Beings.

World Religions

Whether One Believes In A Religion Or Not, And Whether One Believes In Rebirth Or Not, There Isn't Anyone Who Doesn't Appreciate Kindness And Compassion.

There Must Be A Way Of Promoting Human Values Without Involving Religion, Based On Common Sense, Experience And Recent Scientific Findings.

Ultimately, The Reason Why Love And Compassion Bring The Greatest Happiness Is Simply That Our Nature Cherishes Them Above All Else. The Need For Love Lies At The Very Foundation Of Human Existence.

The Wiser Course Is To Think Of Others When Pursuing Our Own Happiness.

More Often Than Not, Anger Is Actually An Indication Of Weakness Rather Than Of Strength.

Everyone Wants A Happy Life Without Difficulties Or Suffering. We Create Many Of The Problems We Face. No One Intentionally Creates Problems, But We Tend To Be Slaves To Powerful Emotions Like Anger, Hatred And Attachment That Are Based On Misconceived Projections About People And Things. We Need To Find Ways Of Reducing These Emotions By Eliminating The Ignorance That Underlies Them And Applying Opposing Forces.

According To Buddhism, Individuals Are Masters Of Their Own Destiny. And All Living Beings Are Believed To Possess The Nature Of The Primordial Buddha Samantabhadra, The Potential Or Seed Of Enlightenment, Within Them. So Our Future Is In Our Own Hands. What Greater Free Will Do We Need?

The Greater The Level Of Calmness Of Our Mind, The Greater Our Peace Of Mind, The Greater Our Ability To Enjoy A Happy And Joyful Life.

If You Make Your Best Effort To Be Kinder, Nurture Compassion, Make The World A Better Place, Then You Can Say 'at Least I've Done My Best.

"the True Essence Of Humankind Is Kindness. There Are Other Qualities Which Come From Education Or Knowledge, But It Is Essential, If One Wishes To Be A Genuine Human Being And Impart Satisfying Meaning To One's Existence, To Have A Good Heart."

We Must Have A Pure, Honest, And Warm-hearted Motivation, And On Top Of That, Determination, Optimism, Hope, And The Ability Not To Be Discouraged. The Whole Of Humanity Depends On This Motivation.

Spiritual Practice . . . Involves, On The One Hand, Acting Out Of Concern For Others' Well-being. On The Other, It Entails Transforming Ourselves So That We Become More Readily Disposed To Do So.

More Compassionate Mind, More Sense Of Concern For Other's Well-being, Is Source Of Happiness.

Concern For Others

His Holiness Pope John Paul Ii Was A Determined And Deeply Spiritual Minded Person For Whom I Had Great Respect And Admiration. His Experience In Poland, Then A Communist Country, And My Own Difficulties With Communists, Gave Us An Immediate Common Ground

If We Choose An External Marker As The Measure Of Our Inner Worth, Whether It Is The Amount Of Money We Make, Or Others' Opinion Of Us, Or The Success Of Some Project We're Involved In, Sooner Or Later We're Bound To Be Battered By Life's Inevitable Changes. After All, Money Comes And Goes, And Thus Is An Unstable Source Of Self-esteem, An Unreliable Foundation Upon Which To Build Our Identity.

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May I Examine My Mind In All Actions And As Soon As A Negative State Occurs, Since It Endangers Myself And Others, May I Firmly Face And Avert It.

When Reason Ends, Then Anger Begins. Therefore, Anger Is A Sign Of Weakness.

The Very Purpose Of Our Life Is Happiness, Which Is Sustained By Hope. We Have No Guarantee About The Future, But We Exist In The Hope Of Something Better. Hope Means Keeping Going, Thinking, ‘i Can Do This.’ It Brings Inner Strength, Self-confidence , The Ability To Do What You Do Honestly, Truthfully And Transparently.

Self Confidence

Forming A New World Religion Is Difficult And Not Particularly Desirable. However, In That Love Is Essential To All Religions, One Could Speak Of The Universal Religion Of Love.

World Religions

In Some Respects I Have Been The Most Unlucky Because I Have Spent More Time Living As A Refugee Outside My Country Than I Have Spent In Tibet. On The Other Hand, It Has Been Very Rewarding For Me To Live In A Democracy And To Learn About The World In A Way That We Tibetans Had Never Known Before.

If We Human Beings Rely Only On Material Development, We Can’t Be Sure Of A Positive Outcome. Employing Technology Motivated By Anger And Hatred Is Likely To Be Destructive. It Will Only Be Beneficial If We Seek The Welfare Of All Beings. Human Beings Are The Only Species With The Potential To Destroy The World. Because Of The Risks Of Unrestrained Desire And Greed We Need To Cultivate Contentment And Simplicity.

There Is Only One Important Point You Must Keep In Your Mind And Let It Be Your Guide. No Matter What People Call You, You Are Just Who You Are. Keep To This Truth. You Must Ask Yourself How Is It You Want To Live Your Life. We Live And We Die, This Is The Truth That We Can Only Face Alone. No One Can Help Us, Not Even The Buddha. So Consider Carefully, What Prevents You From Living The Way You Want To Live Your Life?

Firstly, As A Buddhist Monk, I Hold That Violence Is Not Good. Secondly, I Am A Firm Believer In The Gandian Ethic Of Passive Resistance. And Thirdly, In Reality, Violence Is Not Our Strength.

Passive Resistance

Each Of Us Must Learn To Work Not Just For One Self, One's Own Family Or One's Nation, But For The Benefit Of All Humankind. Universal Responsibility Is The Key To Human Survival. It Is The Best Foundation For World Peace.

On Those Days When I Can Spend A Few Hours Getting Some Understanding, I Feel Fulfilled. I Feel As If I Have Made Good Use Of My Time.

Ageing Destroys Youth, Sickness Destroys Health, Degeneration Of Life Destroys All Excellent Qualities And Death Destroys Life. Even If You Are A Great Runner, You Cannot Run Away From Death. You Cannot Stop Death With Your Wealth, Through Your Magic Performances Or Recitation Of Mantras Or Even Medicines. Therefore, It Is Wise To Prepare For Your Death.

One Must Be Compassionate To One's Self Before External Compassion.

Constructiveness Is The Human Way.

Ultimately, The Decision To Save The Environment Must Come From The Human Heart. The Key Point Is A Call For A Genuine Sense Of Universal Responsibility That Is Based On Love, Compassion And Clear Awareness.

On Occasions When U Feel Most Hopeless, U Must Take Powerful Effort. We Must Persist In Face Of Failure.

Today, The World Is So Small And So Interdependent That The Concept Of War Has Become Anachronistic, An Outmoded Approach. As A Rule, We Always Talk About Reform And Changes. Among The Old Traditions, There Are Many Aspects That Are Either Ill-suited To Our Present Reality Or Are Counterproductive Due To Their Shortsightedness. These, We Have Consigned To The Dustbin Of History. War Too Should Be Relegated To The Dustbin Of History.

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Mikhail Bakunin

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