WORDS FROM A GREAT MIND

Lester B. Pearson Quotes

Canadian prime minister & diplomat

Born: 1897
Died: 1972
Lived in: Ontario, Canada & international diplomacy

Lester B. Pearson was a Canadian diplomat and prime minister. His work on international peacekeeping earned the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize, and his speeches examined the gap between technical power and the institutions needed for a peaceful world.

A LESSER-KNOWN DETAIL

In his Nobel lecture he drew on his own experience of both world wars to argue for a peace built on more than fear of destruction.

Words by Lester B. Pearson

“Man has conquered outer space. He has not conquered himself.”

Nobel Lecture, 11 December 1957

Lester B. Pearson ↗

“Moral sense and physical power are out of proportion.”

Nobel Lecture, 11 December 1957

Lester B. Pearson ↗

“Yet ideas can also be explosive.”

Nobel lecture, 11 December 1957 · On the power of ideas

Lester B. Pearson ↗