Today, 21^st September 2016, is not only the last day of summer in the northern hemisphere, but it is also International World Peace Day, and if there is one thing that our planet needs right now, it would have to be peace!

Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981, World Peace Day is observed across the globe as a day of non-violence and ceasefire, and it is devoted to “strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples”.

While we can only dream that we will one day live in a world free from war, conflict and terror attacks, days like today give us hope, and by travelling the world, learning about new cultures, understanding different religions, and being more accepting of others, perhaps we will, one day, live in a peaceful, happy world.

To celebrate World Peace Day, here are a few of my favourite peace quotes from around the world…

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves. – Dalai Lama

If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner. – Nelson Mandela

We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace. – William Ewart Gladstone

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding. – Albert Einstein

It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Those who are at war with others are not at peace with themselves. – William Hazlitt

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. – Mother Teresa

An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. – Mahatma Gandhi

Peace is not an accident. Peace is not a gift. Peace is something we must all work for, every day, in every country. – Ban Ki-Moon