It's no secret that we're living in divisive times.

Nearly every day there are headlines that, if you let them, can cause you to lose hope in the state of the world. We all could use some words of humanity, compassion, courage, and most importantly, unity. I turned to inspiring women for motivation to strive for peace, speak out against injustice, stand up against ignorance, and fight for basic human decency.

Below are famous women including Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai, and Arundhati Roy on peace—how to define it, how to work for it, and how to share it.

1. "Tolerance, like any aspect of peace, is forever a work in progress, never completed, and, if we're as intelligent as we like to think we are, never abandoned." - Octavia Butler

2. "There can be no real peace without justice. And without resistance there will be no justice." - Arundhati Roy

3. "Let us pick up our books and our pens, they are the most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world." - Malala Yousafzai

4. "It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it." - Eleanor Roosevelt

5. "You're going to come across all kinds of people from all different places and faiths and walks of life. And you can choose to pass them by without a word, or you can choose to reach out to them, no matter who they are or where they come from or what ideas they might have." - Michelle Obama

6. "We are all part of one another." - Yuri Kochiyama

7. "Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution." - Maya Angelou