“No external power can bring about a transformation of hearts and minds.”

— Barack Obama

2014, Address to the United Nations (September 2014)
Context: Now, ultimately, the task of rejecting sectarianism and rejecting extremism is a generational task -- and a task for the people of the Middle East themselves. No external power can bring about a transformation of hearts and minds. But America will be a respectful and constructive partner. We will neither tolerate terrorist safe havens, nor act as an occupying power. We will take action against threats to our security and our allies, while building an architecture of counterterrorism cooperation. We will increase efforts to lift up those who counter extremist ideologies and who seek to resolve sectarian conflict. And we will expand our programs to support entrepreneurship and civil society, education and youth -- because, ultimately, these investments are the best antidote to violence.

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Barack Obama 1158

44th President of the United States of America 1961

Ralph Smart

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Richard Blackmore (1654–1729) English poet and physician

Preface to Prince Arthur (1695)

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Pandurang Shastri Athavale (1920–2003) Indian philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer

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Source: Leader of Spiritual Movement Wins $1.2 Million Religion Prize http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9902E3DB1230F935A35750C0A961958260 New York Times, March 6, 1997.

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Yann Martel book Life of Pi

Source: Life of Pi

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Tenzin Gyatso (1935) spiritual leader of Tibet

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Martin Fowler (1963) British programmer

Martin Fowler at refactoring.com as cited in: Lawrence Bernstein, C. M. Yuhas (2005) Trustworthy Systems Through Quantitative Software Engineering. p. 266