Non-Violence must be considered the artwork that more than any other has come to represent Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd's art; it can also be regarded as the most internationally recognised Swedish artwork in the world. A hallmark of genius is often the ability to combine two things that no one has thought to unite before. Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd succeeded in creating an incredibly powerful symbol when he combined the revolver and the knot in his work Non-Violence. The sculpture is far more than an intriguing artwork; the knotted revolver has become an internationally obvious symbol for peace that seems to appeal to humanity that the abhorrent violence in the world must be stopped. Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd describes his thought behind the work with these words: "Humour is the best tool we have to bring people together. When I made my peace symbol, I thought about how important it was to include a bit of humour, just so that my 'weapon' would become symbolically ridiculous and completely useless."
As early as the 1960s, Reuterswärd developed the theme of The Memory of the Medium, where he tied knots in various objects, including pens. The Non-Violence sculpture was created as a reaction to the murder of his friend John Lennon in 1980, and since then, the sculpture has been varied in numerous sculptural models and drawings. One of the first three versions of the sculpture was purchased by the government of Luxembourg and donated in 1988 to the UN, where it has since held its rightful place in front of the UN building in New York. Non-Violence is represented in museums around the world, written about by many, and has earned its rightful place in art history.