You don't have to have fought in a war to love peace.

“You don’t have to have fought in a war to love peace.” Thus spoke Geraldine Ferraro, the trailblazer who stood as the first woman nominated for vice president by a major political party in the United States. In her words lies a truth as gentle as it is powerful: that the longing for peace belongs not only to those who have borne the scars of battle, but to every soul that yearns for harmony, dignity, and life unshattered by violence. For war may reveal the price of peace, but love of peace is born from the heart itself.

When Ferraro declares this, she challenges a false belief—that only those who have tasted the horrors of war can speak with authority about peace. But she reminds us that the human spirit, even untested by battlefields, carries within it an innate desire for safety, kindness, and flourishing. Children love peace when they play without fear; families love peace when they gather without dread; communities love peace when they build together instead of tearing apart. Peace, therefore, is not the property of veterans alone, but the inheritance of all humanity.

History bears witness to this truth. Consider Mahatma Gandhi, who never wielded the sword, yet became the greatest champion of nonviolence in the modern world. He did not need to fight in trenches to love peace—he lived it, embodied it, and through it freed a nation. Or think of Eleanor Roosevelt, who never marched as a soldier but labored tirelessly for human rights and the creation of the United Nations, helping to shape a world order rooted in peace. Their lives echo Ferraro’s wisdom: one need not fight war to understand the pricelessness of peace.

At the same time, Ferraro does not dismiss the soldier’s voice. Those who have suffered in war indeed carry deep testimony of its futility and devastation. But she insists that their witness is not the only path to truth. The farmer tilling his fields, the mother raising her children, the teacher shaping young minds—each knows that peace is necessary for life to flourish. Their love for peace is not lesser because they have not fought; rather, it is purer, for it springs from love of life itself, not from memory of death.

Her words are also a call to responsibility. If only those scarred by war were allowed to love peace, then most would live carelessly, thinking it not their concern. But Ferraro awakens us to the reality that every citizen, every human being, shares in the guardianship of peace. We do not need to wait until violence has touched us to defend harmony. It is our duty to act now—through justice, through compassion, through vigilance—so that wars need not be fought at all.

The lesson is clear: cherish peace before it is lost. Do not wait until the drums of war beat to learn its value. Speak for reconciliation before conflict erupts. Stand for justice before oppression leads to rebellion. Teach your children not only bravery in strife, but the greater bravery of avoiding strife altogether. For to love peace without ever having seen war is not weakness—it is wisdom, the foresight that spares generations from suffering.

Practical wisdom flows from this. In your own life, seek peace not only in great causes, but in small ones. Resolve quarrels before they harden. Offer kindness where you might have offered scorn. Work for fairness in your community, knowing that injustice breeds unrest. Support leaders who pursue diplomacy over aggression, and be yourself a vessel of calm in a turbulent world. By these small acts, you give proof that love of peace requires no battlefield, only a willing heart.

Thus let Geraldine Ferraro’s words echo as a reminder to all: “You don’t have to have fought in a war to love peace.” For peace is not only the reward of warriors—it is the daily bread of humanity, the condition without which no soul can thrive. Let us then not wait for war to teach us its price, but love peace now, protect it fiercely, and pass it as a gift to those who come after us.