Quotes from Óscar Arias

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.

Peace is not a dream; it is hard work, and there is nothing naive, glamorous or simplistic about it.

Peace is a never ending process... It cannot ignore our differences or overlook our common interests. It requires us to work and live together.

Our world is certainly dangerous, but it is made more dangerous, not less, by those who value profits over peace.

We may believe in the state's responsibility to alleviate the crushing poverty that afflicts 40 percent of Latin America's population, but most of us also affirm that there is no better cure for that poverty than a stronger, more globally integrated economy.

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.

On Dec. 1, 1948, after the triumph of the revolution, which insured the final victory of the will of the people expressed through elections, President Jose Figueres abolished the army in my country.

The effect of one upright individual is incalculable.

It is essential that justice be done, it is equally vital that justice not be confused with revenge, for the two are wholly different.

The effect of one good-hearted person is incalcuable.

Peace is not the product of a victory or a command. It has no finishing line, no final deadline, no fixed definition of achievement. Peace is a never-ending process, the work of many decisions.