Politics & Power Quote by Silvia Cartwright

Cartwright’s sentence carries the unmistakable cadence of civic instruction: peace is not a slogan to endorse but a discipline to perform. The pivot is “genuinely.” It’s a quiet rebuke to the ceremonial version of peacemaking - conferences, commemorations, official rhetoric - that leaves daily conduct untouched. By treating peace as a “culture,” she frames it as something learned, copied, and normalized, not merely negotiated at the top. Culture is sticky; it spreads through households, schools, and the small permissions adults grant themselves.

The subtext is accountability. “As individuals we must look to our values” shifts responsibility away from institutions and toward private moral inventory, implying that political calm cannot outpace personal example. The phrase “ensure that we all exhibit” also carries a public-facing edge: peace is something you demonstrate, not just believe. There’s almost a courtroom logic to it - evidence matters. You don’t get to claim peacefulness while modeling contempt, casual cruelty, or vendetta politics.

Context matters here: Cartwright, as a statesman and jurist, comes from worlds where “peace” is often discussed in terms of conflict management, law, and national cohesion. She deliberately relocates the battleground to childhood. “Our nation’s children” isn’t sentimentality; it’s a strategic audience. Children are the transmission mechanism of norms, and invoking them pressures adults to align private behavior with public ideals. The intent is clear: if a nation wants peace to last, it must be rehearsed at home, not merely declared in parliament.