Martti Ahtisaari

“It is clear a Palestinian state is needed.”

“The task of the mediator is to help the parties to open difficult issues and nudge them forward in the peace process. The mediator's role combines those of a ship's pilot, consulting medical doctor, midwife and teacher.”

“I have no superhuman powers. If people don't want to make peace, there is nothing I can do.”

“If the political will is there, we can solve anything.”

“Like several hundred thousand fellow Karelians, we became refugees in our own country as great power politics caused the borders of Finland to be redrawn and left my home town as part of the Soviet Union.”

“With my mother, I moved from one household to another before settling in the eastern part of Finland, in the city of Kuopio.”

“Perhaps it's a curse, but when you are a Lutheran, you have a sense of responsibility.”

“The origins of my career as a peace mediator can be found from my childhood years. I was born in the city of Viipuri, then still part of Finland. We lost Viipuri when the Soviet Union attacked my country. Along with 400,000 fellow Karelians, I became an eternally displaced person in the rest of Finland.”

“I know what it's like when you are a refugee, living on the mercy of others and having to adjust.”

“The only people that can make peace are the parties to the conflict, and just as they are responsible for the conflict and its consequences, so should they be given responsibility and recognition for the peace.”

“In the last year of my presidency, I travelled 200 days out of 365. You have to lead a very disciplined life. To be able to do that, I need a lot of sleep. But I have no problems sleeping. On long days, I can easily take a nap for 20 minutes in the afternoon.”

“No country's policies are eternal; they do vary. People are growing old, and a new generation is coming to power. In a year's time, a government can look different. You can't influence them if you don't talk to them.”

“There are always interests that are furthered by war. Therefore, those who have power and influence can also stop them... we should not accept any excuses from those in power.”

“Peace is a question of will. All conflicts can be settled, and there are no excuses for allowing them to become eternal.”

“I saw an advertisement to work for a Swedish institute in Karachi in Pakistan. I had just been offered a permanent assignment, teaching in Oulu. But I felt, 'My God, I am not going to stay here forever.' You know why? Because I was following international events.”

“Luck has a lot to do with how your life develops.”

“Mediators do not choose the conflicts they became involved in, but the parties to the conflict choose the mediator. Their participation as intermediaries is based on the trust of all the conflicting parties.”

“Wars and conflicts are not inevitable. They are caused by human beings.”

“I'm one of those people who, as long as I am still healthy and my thoughts are more or less clear, I don't think I can retire entirely.”

“Religions themselves are... peace-loving. They can also be a constructive force in peace-building, and this also applies to the Middle East.”