Mattie Stepanik is a personal friend and one of the most remarkable young people I have known. He wanted to be a peacemaker and through his poems and own courageous example, he proves that finding peace within one's self can lead to harmony among families, communities, and nations. With wisdom and uncomplicated vision Mattie reminds us how easy it is to forgive others, to find something amazing even in the most trivial things, and to celebrate the little gifts of each day.
~ President Jimmy Carter in JOURNEY THROUGH HEARTSONGS by Mattie Stepanik (age 10)
The core of peace lives not in thoughts, not in deeds I do.
It lives inside my heart, in how I feel about me.
When I have learned to be at peace within myself,
then shall I radiate that peace to all.
Let me now go within to calm the inner sea.
