The most famous quote by Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia on war and peace comes from his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on October 4, 1963. The 1963 Address to the United Nations "That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned; That until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained. Click here.

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 The most famous quote by Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia on war and peace comes from his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on October 4, 1963.

The 1963 Address to the United Nations

"That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned;

That until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation;

That until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes;

That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race;

That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained.

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And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been overthrown and destroyed;

Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been displaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will;

Until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven;

Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil."

Cultural Impact & Historical Context

  • Bob Marley's "War" (1976): Reggae icon Bob Marley adapted these exact words almost verbatim into his song "War" on the album Rastaman Vibration, bringing Haile Selassie's message on human rights, equality, and peace to a global musical audience.
  • 1936 Warning to the League of Nations: Decades earlier, following the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie delivered another iconic warning on war to the League of Nations in Geneva (June 30, 1936), predicting the onset of World War II:

    "It is collective security: it is the very existence of the League of Nations... It is international morality that is at stake. ... It is us today. It will be you tomorrow."

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