Quotes of the Year - From the Perpetrators of Conflict, the Peacemakers and the Bystanders - : Back Pages

In 2016, words mattered. Ethnic hatred was enflamed by demagogues' malevolent rhetoric. Chilling threats made by terrorists unsettled societies. Words also soothed and inspired, when visionary leaders captured imaginations with ideals of peace and prosperity, uniting instead of dividing. Depending on what was said, when and by who, some statements also proved memorable, encapsulating the year's developments in a few choice (or thoughtless) words.