Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. See our disclosure for more info.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15th, 1929. He was a pivotal advocate for African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
King experienced racism from an early age, and those events stayed with and eventually brought him to a life of activism. After graduating college with a doctorate degree in theology, King became a pastor in Alabama. He began a series of peaceful protests in the south that eventually changed many laws dealing with the equality of African Americans. King gave hundreds of moving speeches across the country, and in 1964 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
On April 4th, 1968, Dr. King was shot and killed while in Memphis, Tennessee. Although his life ended that day, the work that he had accomplished changed the nation. King will be remembered not only for his commitment to the cause of equality for African Americans but also for his profound speeches that moved so many.
MLK Jr.’s words were spoken with hope that the future for African Americans would be brighter and that they would finally be given the equality they deserved.
The following 123 Martin Luther King Jr. quotes on life, love, progress, and freedom helped shape the world today.
There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.
We are not makers of history. We are made by history.
Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.
Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals.
Property is intended to serve life, and no matter how much we surround it with rights and respect, it has no personal being. It is part of the earth man walks on. It is not man.
We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.
All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.
Every man lives in two realms: the internal and the external. The internal is that realm of spiritual ends expressed in art, literature, morals, and religion. The external is that complex of devices, techniques, mechanisms, and instrumentalities by means of which we live.
Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.
There comes a time when people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight of life’s July and left standing amid the piercing chill of an alpine November.
A lie cannot live.
The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows
The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility.
MLK Quotes on Love
He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.
I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.
There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.
We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.
Nonviolence is absolute commitment to the way of love. Love is not emotional bash; it is not empty sentimentalism. It is the active outpouring of one’s whole being into the being of another.
Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.
Inspirational Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes
If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.
Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.
There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.
Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.
We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.
Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.
We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.
You will change your mind; You will change your looks; You will change your smile, laugh, and ways but no matter what you change, you will always be you.
Whatever your life’s work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.
Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.
We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but the positive affirmation of peace.
The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favor wish that he might have done you a greater one.
A riot is the language of the unheard.
Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes on Leadership
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.
Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.
Ten thousand fools proclaim themselves into obscurity, while one wise man forgets himself into immortality.
When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.
That old law about ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.
If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.
We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to mankind.
Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.
Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service… You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.
Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.
The soft-minded man always fears change. He feels security in the status quo, and he has an almost morbid fear of the new. For him, the greatest pain is the pain of a new idea.
We cannot walk alone.
I am not interested in power for power’s sake, but I’m interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.
He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes on Progress
Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.
People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.
I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.
We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.
Capitalism does not permit an even flow of economic resources. With this system, a small privileged few are rich beyond conscience, and almost all others are doomed to be poor at some level. That’s the way the system works. And since we know that the system will not change the rules, we are going to have to change the system.
Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience.
I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.
What is wrong in the world today is that the nations of the world are engaged in a bitter, colossal contest for supremacy.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.
A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.
The more there are riots, the more repressive action will take place, and the more we face the danger of a right-wing takeover and eventually a fascist society.
Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes on Justice
No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.
The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.
It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.
Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.
Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.
I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.
The principle of self defense, even involving weapons and bloodshed, has never been condemned, even by Gandhi.
Martin Luther King Jr. on Nonviolence
We who in engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive.
Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.
At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.
Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. I am not unmindful of the fact that violence often brings about momentary results. Nations have frequently won their independence in battle. But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace.
World peace through nonviolent means is neither absurd nor unattainable. All other methods have failed. Thus we must begin anew. Nonviolence is a good starting point. Those of us who believe in this method can be voices of reason, sanity, and understanding amid the voices of violence, hatred, and emotion. We can very well set a mood of peace out of which a system of peace can be built.
Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.
Mankind must put and end to war or war will put an end to mankind.
MLK on Freedom
If the cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. Because the goal of America is freedom, abused and scorned tho’ we may be, our destiny is tied up with America’s destiny.
In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, as ‘right-to-work.’ It provides no ‘rights’ and no ‘works.’ Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining… We demand this fraud be stopped.
In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.
If physical death is the price that I must pay to free my white brothers and sisters from a permanent death of the spirit, then nothing can be more redemptive.
I want to be the white man’s brother, not his brother-in-law.
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!’
MLK on Faith
If any earthly institution or custom conflicts with God’s will, it is your Christian duty to oppose it. You must never allow the transitory, evanescent demands of man-made institutions to take precedence over the eternal demands of the Almighty God.
Courage is an inner resolution to go forward despite obstacles; Cowardice is submissive surrender to circumstances. Courage breeds creativity; Cowardice represses fear and is mastered by it. Cowardice asks the question, is it safe? Expediency asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? But conscience ask the question, is it right? And there comes a time when we must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because it is right.
By opening our lives to God in Christ, we become new creatures. This experience, which Jesus spoke of as the new birth, is essential if we are to be transformed nonconformists … Only through an inner spiritual transformation do we gain the strength to fight vigorously the evils of the world in a humble and loving spirit.
Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, ‘Love your enemies.’ It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.
The God whom we worship is not a weak and incompetent God. He is able to beat back gigantic waves of opposition and to bring low prodigious mountains of evil. The ringing testimony of the Christian faith is that God is able.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.
The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But… the good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’
Seeing is not always believing.
Quotes About Martin Luther King Jr.
The evidence of Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” declaration was a passionate confirmation of how a dream meant for liberation, success and fulfilled life can become true.
Israelmore Ayivor, Shaping the Dream
We can move in that direction as a country, in greater polarization – black people amongst blacks, and white amongst whites, filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King Jr. did, to understand and to comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand, compassion and love…. What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.
Robert F. Kennedy
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream was a manifestation of hope that humanity might one day get out of its own way by finding the courage to realize that love and nonviolence are not indicators of weakness but gifts of significant strength.
Aberjhani, Illuminated Corners: Collected Essays and Articles Volume I
We can’t answer King’s assassination with violence. That would be the worst tribute we could pay him.
Sammy Davis Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. left an indelible mark on the hearts of the American people by his perseverance and non-violent ways.
Larry Berg Martin Luther King, Jr.: Life Lessons from the King Who Had a Dream
Martin Luther King knew a powerful secret. When others gave up chasing their dreams, when others told him that it was time to give up, he continued persevering through adversity.
Jake Anderson, Martin Luther King Greatest Quotes and Life Lessons
10 Facts About Martin Luther King Jr.
- Martin Luther King Jr. skipped two grades in high school, 9th and 11th, and entered college (Morehouse College) at the age of 15 in 1944. By 19, he received a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
- His honeymoon was spent at a funeral parlor. This was not because someone died, simply because a friend owned the parlor and offered to let him use it for his honeymoon.
- His house was once bombed. This was during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted 385 days.
- Martin Luther King Jr.’s autopsy revealed that stress had taken a major toll on his body. Despite being only 39 when he passed away, one of his doctors noted that he had “the heart of a 60 year old”.
- Today over 700 streets in the Unites States are named after Martin Luther King Jr. There is one such street in almost every major city.
- King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was not his first at the Lincoln Memorial.
- King narrowly escaped an assassination attempt a decade before his death.
- Members of King’s family did not believe James Earl Ray acted alone.
- King’s mother was also slain by a bullet in 1974.
- George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are the only other Americans to have had their birthdays observed as a national holiday (now combined as Presidents Day).
Martin Luther King Jr. inspired the human race to strive for harmony among all people. His tragic death shocked the nation, but his words and his dedication to equality continue to inspire younger generations.
We hope these powerful Martin Luther King Jr. quotes lift your heart and spirit.
Last updated: 02/10/15
Martin Luther King changed the course of history through the power of his words.
We’ve searched far and wide to create this collection of what we believe are the best, most important, and most inspirational quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. From the power of persistence, to standing for something, sit back and soak in the wisdom.
♥
“
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
The time is always right to do the right thing.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
I have decided to stick to love… Hate is too great a burden to bear.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Only in the darkness can you see the stars.-Martin Luther King Jr
“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.-Martin Luther King Jr
“Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
There comes a time when silence is betrayal.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
No person has the right to rain on your dreams.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Not only will we have to repent for the sins of bad people; but we also will have to repent for the appalling silence of good people.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
The choice is not between violence and nonviolence but between nonviolence and nonexistence.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way-Martin Luther King Jr
“
The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
The day we see the truth and cease to speak is the day we begin to die-Martin Luther King Jr
“
There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Lightning makes no sound until it strikes.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
There is no gain without struggle.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
It is cheerful to God when you rejoice or laugh from the bottom of your heart.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
A right delayed is a right denied.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
The greatest purveyor of violence in the world : My own Government, I can not be Silent.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Quietly endure, silently suffer and patiently wait.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
No one really knows why they are alive until they know what they’d die for.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.-Martin Luther King Jr
“
It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.-Martin Luther King Jr
Best Martin Luther King jr Quotes with images For Inspiration in Life.
Martin Luther King Quotes: Martin Luther King Junior is one of the most widely known personalities. Born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929, he was not only an American baptist Minister but also a humanitarian that led the African- American Civil Rights movement. He is respected for his nonviolent disobedience in civil rights movements. He was the middle child with one elder sister and one younger brother. His mother was a musician and that was one of the reasons he liked singing and music.
He has mentioned several times that his father whipped him till the age of 15 and his father always said that he would make something of him, even if he had to beat him to death. As a child, he befriended a white boy whose father was a businessman. Though they studied in different schools they were still friends but after the other kid’s father told them not to play together king lost his friend and suffered from depression.
Overcoming all of the hardships of life he went on to become one of the most inspirational leaders in history. He became a civil rights activist early in his life. Since he was an influential public speaker he led many movements against racial inequality and one of the most significant is the nonviolent disobedience civil rights movement. His beliefs were the reason why he believed that violence was not the answer and that peaceful movements are enough to fight for one’s rights. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting against racial inequality without any violence.
He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in a motel in Memphis. He was shot when he was standing on the second-floor balcony of the motel. The bullet entered through his cheek, smashed his jawbone, and then traveled down his spinal column and finally got stuck in his shoulder.
Below are some of the most famous Martin Luther King Quotes.
1: “If i Cannot do great things, i can do small things in a great way.”
2: “We’ve learned to fly the air like birds, we’ve learned to swim the seas like fish, and yet we haven’t learned to walk the earth as brothers and sisters…”
3: “Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you.”
4: “The time is always right to do what is right”
5: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
6: “Use me, GOD.
Shoe me how to take who i am who i want to be, and what i can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.”
7: “Your ignorance is their power.”
8: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things.”
9: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in time of challenge and controversy.”
10: “Almost always the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.”
11: “faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the full staircase.”
12: “Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”
13: “Let no man pull you low enough to hate him.”
14: “To be great, you have to be willing to be mocked, hated and misunderstood stay strong.”
15: “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”
16: “If you can’t fly then run, If you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but by all means keep moving.”
17: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
18: “I’ve decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
19: “The time is always right to do what is right.”
20: “Courage is the power of the mind to overcome the fear.”
21: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
22: “Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”
23: “Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love wear.”
24: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others ?”
25: “Let no man pull you low enough to hate him.”
26: “If i cannot do great things i can do small things in a great way.”
27: “Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”
28: “The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.”
29: “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.”
30: “I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream.”
31: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
32: “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
33: “The time is always right to do what is right.”
34: “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
35: “If you can’t fly then run, If you can’t run then walk if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
36: “returning hate for hare multiple hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
37: “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”
38: “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; It must be demanded by the oppressed.
39: “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character- That is the goal of true education.”
40: “Best martin Luther king quotes with images.”
41: “Martin Luther King quotes about love.
42: “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”
43: Martin Luther King quotes about life.
44: “Nothingin all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignoranceand conscientious stupidity.”
45: “Live like Jesus died yesterday, rose this morning and is coming back tomorrow.”
46: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
47: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
48: “No one really knows why they are alive until, They know what they’d die fir.”
49: “It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people.”
50: “Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.”
Image Credit: Pinterest
By Maxime Lagacé
Maxime is the founder and chief editor of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm, peaceful and powerful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.
New: Get The Peace of Mind Checklist. It’s free.
You can kill the dreamer, but you can’t kill the dream. Martin Luther King Jr
A man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent. Martin Luther King Jr
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Martin Luther King Jr
When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative. Martin Luther King Jr
True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice. Martin Luther King Jr
Advertisement
The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important Martin Luther King Jr
Darkness is only driven out with light, not more darkness. Martin Luther King Jr
Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Martin Luther King Jr
Let no man pull you so low as to hate him. Martin Luther King Jr
Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. Martin Luther King Jr (Related: I am a dream speech transcript here)
Advertisement
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Martin Luther King Jr
Courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear. Martin Luther King Jr
A productive and happy life is not something you find; it is something you make. Martin Luther King Jr
I want to be the white man’s brother, not his brother-in-law. Martin Luther King Jr
Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. Martin Luther King Jr
Related
- 300 Maya Angelou Quotes On Life, Love, Courage
- 130 Mahatma Gandhi Quotes On Peace, Religion, Leadership
- 155 Of The Most Famous Quotes Of All Time
Quick facts
Name at birth: Michael King Jr
Place: Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968 (aged 39)
Occupation: Baptist minister, activist
Known for: Civil rights movement, Peace movement
More Martin Luther King Jr facts (Wikipedia page)
The Best Martin Luther King Jr Quotes (MLK Quotes)
Go to table of contents
The time is always right to do what is right.
Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed; We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal. (See the YouTube video of “I have a dream”)
If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.
Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be the first in love. I want you to be the first in moral excellence. I want you to be the first in generosity.
The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.
Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
I am not interested in power for power’s sake, but I’m interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.
A right delayed is a right denied.
Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.
The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.
Whatever your life’s work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.
We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now.
Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
Advertisement
If physical death is the price that I must pay to free my white brothers and sisters from a permanent death of the spirit, then nothing can be more redemptive.
Whatever career you may choose for yourself – doctor, lawyer, teacher – let me propose an avocation to be pursued along with it.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts.
We spend 322 000$ for each enemy we kill in Vietnam, while we spend in the so-called “war on poverty” in America only about 53$ for each person classified as poor.
Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ Vanity asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ But, conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because one’s conscience tells one that it is right.
There is no deficit in human resources; the deficit is in human will.
Related: 130 Inspirational Quotes For Men
Part 2. Martin Luther King Jr Quotes That Are…
The Most Famous Martin Luther King Jr Quotes
Go to table of contents
We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. brothers or perish together as fools. Martin Luther King Jr
I was not afraid of the words of the violent, but of the silence of the honest.
If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.
A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Perhaps the worst sin in life is knowing right and not doing it.
Free at last, free at last. Thank God almighty we are free at last.
Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love.
I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.
Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.
I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’
Related: 10 Things You May Not Know About Martin Luther King Jr (history.com)
Want more peace of mind and happiness?
Check out our free checklist today!
Get your copy here!
Go to table of contents
One-liners, short MLK quotes, sayings, thoughts, and captions for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, and backgrounds.
No person has the right to rain on your dreams.
Find a voice in a whisper.
A lie cannot live.
Seeing is not always believing.
Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever.
Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.
Be the peace you wish to see in the world.
Without justice, there can be no peace.
We must shift the arms race into a ‘peace race’.
Lightning makes no sound until it strikes.
Music is the best consolation for a despaired man.
We must in strength and humility meet hate with love.
Advertisement
Inspirational Martin Luther King Jr Quotes
Go to table of contents
We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.
In a sense, songs are the soul of a movement.
The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
Part 1. I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions.
Part 2. This will be the day when we bring into full realization the American dream – a dream yet unfulfilled.
Part 3. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed; a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few;
Part 4. A dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man’s skin determines the content of his character;
Part 5. A dream of a nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality.
Related: 5 Life Lessons From Dr. Martin Luther King (fastweb.com)
As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation — either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.
I just want to do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the promised land! I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.
One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.
Pity may represent little more than the impersonal concern which prompts the mailing of a check, but true sympathy is the personal concern which demands the giving of one’s soul.
Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest.
Part 1. I subject myself to self-purification and to endless self-analysis; I question and soul-search constantly into myself to be as certain as I can that I am fulfilling the true meaning of my work, that I am maintaining my sense of purpose, that I am holding fast to my ideals, that I am guiding my people in the right direction.
Part 2. But whatever my doubts, however heavy the burden, I feel that I must accept the task of helping to make this nation and this world a better place to live in – for all men, black and white alike.
The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be… The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.
Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.
All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
Deep, Emotional, And Meaningful Martin Luther King Jr Quotes
Go to table of contents
A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.
We are not makers of history. We are made by history.
The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But the good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’
Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.
We must rapidly begin the shift from a ‘thing-oriented’ society to a ‘person-oriented’ society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.
The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals.
Unconditional love will have the final word in reality.
Part 1. As long as there is poverty in the world I can never be rich, even if I have a billion dollars.
Part 2. As long as diseases are rampant and millions of people in this world cannot expect to live more than twenty-eight or thirty years, I can never be totally healthy even if I just got a good checkup at Mayo Clinic.
Part 3. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the way our world is made.
Part 4. No individual or nation can stand out boasting of being independent. We are interdependent.
We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience.
When I am angry I can write, pray, and preach well, for then my whole temperament is quickened, my understanding sharpened, and all mundane vexations and temptations depart.
There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.
Lukewarm acceptance is more bewildering than outright rejection.
Related: 11 forgotten Martin Luther King quotes that show he was a revolutionary (vox.com)
Wise Martin Luther King Jr Quotes (Words of wisdom)
Go to table of contents
Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.
We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.
Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they can not communicate; they can not communicate because they are separated.
Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.
The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favor wish that he might have done you a greater one.
Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.
Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.
The best way to solve any problem is to remove its cause.
Capitalism is always in danger of inspiring men to be more concerned about making a living than making a life. We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to humanity-thus capitalism can lead to a practical materialism that is as pernicious as the materialism taught by communism.
The difference between a dreamer and a visionary is that a dreamer has his eyes closed and a visionary has his eyes open.
One of the great tragedies of life is that men seldom bridge the gulf between practice and profession, between doing and saying.
A social movement that only moves people is merely a revolt. A movement that changes both people and institutions is a revolution.
The richer we have become materially, the poorer we become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly in the air like birds and swim in the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.
You can have no influence over those for whom you have underlying contempt.
Part 3. Martin Luther King Jr Quotes About…
Martin Luther King Jr Quotes About Courage, Leadership
Go to table of contents
Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.
We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Courageous men never lose the zest for living even though their life situation is zestless; cowardly men, overwhelmed by the uncertainties of life, lose the will to live.
I submit to you that if a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.
All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.
Freedom has always been an expensive thing. History is fit testimony to the fact that freedom is rarely gained without sacrifice and self-denial.
Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom.
Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart.
May I stress the need for courageous, intelligent, and dedicated leadership… Leaders of sound integrity. Leaders not in love with publicity, but in love with justice. Leaders not in love with money, but in love with humanity. Leaders who can subject their particular egos to the greatness of the cause.
Courage faces fear and thereby masters it.
Related: Dr. Martin Luther King’s Courage (YouTube video)
Martin Luther King Jr Quotes About Education
Go to table of contents
Our children need our presence, not our presents.
It’s not burn baby burn, but learn, baby, learn, so that you can earn, baby, earn.
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.
Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.
Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.
We must remember that intelligence is not enough. […] The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate.
The group consisting of mother, father and child is the main educational agency of mankind.
Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification.
Martin Luther King Jr Quotes About Justice, Equality, Poverty
Go to table of contents
The curse of poverty has no justification in our age.
Voting is the foundation stone for political action.
I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.
The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty.
A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.
Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.
Property is intended to serve life, and no matter how much we surround it with rights and respect, it has no personal being. It is part of the earth man walks on. It is not man.
Part 1. A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies.
Part 2. On the one hand, we are called to play the Good Samaritan on life’s roadside, but that will be only an initial act.
Part 3. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life’s highway.
Part 4. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.
There are two types of laws: there are just laws and there are unjust laws… What is the difference between the two?…An unjust law is a man-made code that is out of harmony with the moral law.
It is hardly a moral act to encourage others patiently to accept injustice which he himself does not endure.
Now everyone knows that the labor movement did not diminish the strength of the nation but enlarged it. By raising the living standards of millions, labor miraculously created a market for industry and lifted the whole nation to undreamed of levels of production. Those who attack labor forget these simple truths, but history remembers them.
Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.
One who breaks an unjust law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.
It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.
It is a tragic mix-up when the United States spends $500,000 for every enemy soldier killed, and only $53 annually on the victims of poverty.
The time has come for an all-out world war against poverty. The rich nations must use their vast resources of wealth to develop the underdeveloped, school the unschooled, and feed the unfed. Ultimately a great nation is a compassionate nation.
What good does it do to sit at the counter when you cannot afford a hamburger?
Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.
Martin Luther King Jr Quotes About Faith, Hope, Spirituality, God
Go to table of contents
We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
My obligation is to do the right thing. The rest is in God’s hands.
In a real sense faith is total surrender to God.
To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.
Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals.
Evil can be cast out, not by man alone nor by a dictatorial God who invades our lives, but when we open the door and invite God through Christ to enter.
Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism.
When our days become dreary with low hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.
If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values – that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control.
If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.
When people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.
So I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!
Part 1. At times, life is hard, as hard as crucible steel. It has its bleak and painful moments. Like the ever flowing water of a river, life has its moments of drought and its moments of flood.
Part 2. Like the ever-changing cycle of the seasons, life has the soothing warmth of the summers and the piercing chill of its winters.
Part 3. But through it all, God walks with us. Never forget that God is able to lift you from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope, and transform dark and desolate valleys into sunlit paths of inner peace.
This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.
My faith in man is, at bottom, a faith in God.
Martin Luther King Jr Quotes About Love, Unity, Service, Humanity
Go to table of contents
Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.
There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.
Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
In some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.
Part 1. This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one’s tribe, race, class and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all men.
Part 2. This often misunderstood and misinterpreted concept has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man.
Part 3. When I speak of love, I am speaking of that force which all the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life.
Part 4. Love is the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality.
Power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose… one of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as opposites – polar opposites – so that love is identified with a resignation of power, and power with a denial of love.
There is nothing more dangerous than to build a society with a large segment of people in that society who feel that they have no stake in it; who feel that that have nothing to lose. People who have stake in their society, protect that society, but when they don’t have it, they unconsciously want to destroy it.
Make a career of humanity… It will enrich your spirit as nothing else possibly can. It will give you that rare sense of nobility that can only spring from love and selflessly helping your fellow man… You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.
Whenever you are engaged in work that serves humanity and is for the building of humanity, it has dignity and it has worth.
Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.
Part 1. I am convinced that love is the most durable power in the world. It is not an expression of impractical idealism, but of practical realism.
Part 2. Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, love is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization. To return hate for hate does nothing but intensify the existence of evil in the universe.
Part 3. Someone must have sense enough and religion enough to cut off the chain of hate and evil, and this can only be done through love.
Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act. It means, rather, that the evil act no longer remains as a barrier to the relationship. Forgiveness is a catalyst creating the atmosphere necessary for a fresh start and a new beginning.
A genuine revolution of values means in the final analysis that our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Every nation must now develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies.
Part 1. We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.
Part 2. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.
I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.
Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
We have before us the glorious opportunity to inject a new dimension of love into the veins of our civilization.
Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service.
Related: 79 Positive Quotes To Uplift Yourself
Martin Luther King Jr Quotes About Racism, Civil And Human Rights
Go to table of contents
The evils of capitalism are as real as the evils of militarism and evils of racism.
Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity.
The Negro needs the white man to free him from his fears. The white man needs the Negro to free him from his guilt.
It is incontestable and deplorable that Negroes have committed crimes; but they are derivative crimes. They are born of the greater crimes of the white society.
The sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.
I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.
Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.
Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them.
To be a Negro in America is to hope against hope.
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.
In the struggle for human rights and justice, Negros will make a mistake if they become bitter and indulge in hate campaigns.
I always had a deep affection for Malcolm and felt that he had a great ability to put his finger on the existence and the root of the problem. He was an eloquent spokesman for his point of view and no one can honestly doubt that Malcolm had a great concern for the problems we face as a race.
In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, as ‘right-to-work.’ It provides no ‘rights’ and no ‘works.’ Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining… We demand this fraud be stopped.
We have deluded ourselves into believing the myth that capitalism grew and prospered out of the Protestant ethic of hard work and sacrifices. Capitalism was built on the exploitation of black slaves and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor, both black and white, both here and abroad.
The problem of racism, the problem of economic exploitation, and the problem of war are all tied together. These are the triple evils that are interrelated.
Commit yourself to the noble struggle for human rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country and a finer world to live in.
The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and, therefore, brothers.
Related: Top 10 Accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr (topinspired.com)
Martin Luther King Jr Quotes About Darkness, Negativity
Go to table of contents
Only in the darkness can you see the stars.
I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will.
Darkness cannot be overcome with more darkness, only with light. Violence cannot be overcome with more violence, only with peace.
I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate, adding deeper darkness to a night that is already void of stars.
We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is deaf to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: ‘Too late’.
Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked and dejected with a lost opportunity.
A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.
Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies – or else? The chain reaction of evil – hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars – must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.
There is little hope for us until we become tough-minded enough to break loose from the shackles of prejudice, half-truths, and downright ignorance. The shape of the world today does not permit us the luxury of soft mindedness.
A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.
He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.
Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
We stand in life at midnight; we are always at the threshold of a new dawn.
Martin Luther King Jr Quotes About Violence, Hate, Riots, War
Go to table of contents
A riot is the language of the unheard.
War is a poor chisel to carve out tomorrow.
Stumbling and groping through the wilderness finally must be replaced by a planned, organized and orderly march.
The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.
If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in the struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos.
Part 1. Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert.
Part 2. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue.
Part 3. Violence ends by defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.
Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man’s sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.
The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility.
The more there are riots, the more repressive action will take place, and the more we face the danger of a right-wing takeover and eventually a fascist society.
One of the greatest casualties of the war in Vietnam is the Great Society… shot down on the battlefield of Vietnam.
Part 1. The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Part 2. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
In spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace.
Martin Luther King Jr Quotes About Peace, Nonviolence
Go to table of contents
At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.
Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.
We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.
We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent coannihilation. This may well be mankind’s last chance to choose between chaos and community.
We who in engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive.
There is something strangely inconsistent about a nation and a press that would praise you when you say, ‘Be nonviolent toward Jim Clark,’ but will curse and damn you when you say, ‘Be nonviolent toward little brown Vietnamese children.’ There is something wrong with that press.
I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.
We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but the positive affirmation of peace.
Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.
The choice is not between violence and nonviolence but between nonviolence and nonexistence.
Part 1. Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence, when it helps us to see the enemy’s point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves.
Part 2. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition.
Related: Learn what MLK had to say about Gandhi and nonviolence (short YouTube video)
Gandhi was inevitable. If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. He lived, thought and acted, inspired by the vision of humanity evolving toward a world of peace and harmony.
I firmly believe that the Gandhian philosophy of nonviolent resistance is the only logical and moral approach to the solution of the race problem in the United States.
Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.
Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence.
Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.
We adopt the means of nonviolence because our end is a community at peace with itself. We will try to persuade with our words, but if our words fail, we will try to persuade with our acts.
It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.
Peace is not simply the absence of conflict, but the existence of justice for all people.
Related: Six principles of nonviolence (opendemocracy.net)
Martin Luther King Jr Quotes About Silence
Go to table of contents
To ignore evil is to become an accomplice to it.
It’s not the violence of the few that scares me, it’s the silence of the many.
The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.
History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.
The silence of the good people is more dangerous than the brutaliy of the bad people.
Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.
We must learn that passively to accept an unjust system is to cooperate with that system, and thereby to become a participant in its evil.
We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak.
There comes a time when silence is betrayal.
Part 4. Conclusion
Go to table of contents
We are challenged to rise above the narrow confines of our individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
Further Readings
- Topic: Life And Inspiration
- 83 Life Quotes To Transform Your Life Today
- 117 Short Quotes That Will Inspire You (Fast)
- 155 Freedom Quotes To Inspire Liberty And Independence
- 5 Lessons from MLK on Living, Leading, & Communicating (goinswriter.com)
- 120 Inspirational Quotes For Teens To Cheer Yourself Up
- 100 Inspirational Quotes For Women To Empower You
To commemorate the great Martin Luther King this January we’ve assembled all of his most notable quotes. We’ve curated MLK’s quotes into categories to help you find the quote you need, for when you need it to express your unique message. By using his words you help keep his vision alive.
Beyond being a champion of human rights and a leader of men, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) was extraordinarily eloquent with words. His speeches, interviews, and texts are a well of deep and meaningful quotes that can serve to motivate and inspire us all. This article brings you the most famous Martin Luther King quotes.
Any of the Martin Luther King best quotes of all time is set to inspire, encourage, and deeply move anyone. His words will no doubt guide your readers or listeners to a righteous path and help you compel them towards committed action.
Find MLK quotes by category
- Quotes on hope
- Inspirational quote
- Quotes on life
- Quotes on racism
- Quotes about love
- Quotes on progress
- Quotes on non-violence
- Quotes on peaceful protest
- Quotes on freedom
- Quotes on leadership
- Hate quotes
- ‘I have a dream’ speech quotes
- Letter from Birmingham jail quotes
- Quotes on equality
Add Martin Luther King Jr. quotes and banner to you email signature
This is a big day, and you can let it show in all of your email communication, by adding an MLK Day banner to your email signature, and by ending your emails with a strong MLK quote. We’ve created a few options for you to choose from when using our email signature generator. Create your MLK email signature.
A bit of background on Dr. King and his life’s work
The mid-50s to late-60s was a time filled with pain, sorrow, and grief; people of color throughout the US refused equal treatment for everything from the schools they could attend to the water fountains they got to use.
However, it was also a time of significant revolution and hope, with critical Civil Rights Movement leaders turning the tide closer towards true freedom for all.
Martin Luther King Jr. was undoubtedly one of the most crucial, leading a series of peaceful protests and impassioned speeches across the conservative south that would ultimately lead to the passage of America’s first equality laws.
Although his life was tragically cut short by assassination on April 4th of 1968, his influence can still be felt to this very day, his protests inspiring the dramatic legislation changes that help ensure “separate but equal” never again stands and his profound speeches moving entire generations past and present to unite against hatred everywhere.
As the title of this article undoubtedly discloses, MLK left us a great number of fantastic and beautiful quotes that inspired millions during the days of the Civil Rights Movement. These quotes still hold the power to arouse strong feelings and move people to action.
1. “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now because I’ve been to the mountaintop… I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
3. “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not-too-distant tomorrow, the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. inspirational quotes
Martin Luther King Jr. was a man unwavering in his belief that doing your best, and small acts of courage are the way forward. Some of his most inspirational quotes reflect that, so make them part of your own personal code. Let them inspire your readers or listeners to take action and do what they can – no matter how small – to promote your cause.
1. “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now because I’ve been to the mountaintop… I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “If you can’t fly — then run. If you can’t run — then walk. If you can’t walk — then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
4. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
5. “I came to the conclusion that there is an existential moment in your life when you must decide to speak for yourself; nobody else can speak for you.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King quotes on courage
Courage isn’t being unafraid; it’s directly facing your fears and doing what’s right in despite of them. MLK approached it this way, and so should you. Use these quotes to encourage people who may feel paralyzed in the face of uncertainty, anxiety, or worry. These quotes will remind them to take that step forward anyways.
1. “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “Courage is an inner resolution to go forward despite obstacles. Cowardice is submissive surrender to circumstances. Courage breeds creativity; Cowardice represses fear and is mastered by it. Cowardice asks the question, is it safe? Expediency asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? But conscience asks the question, is it right?
– Martin Luther King Jr.
3. “Courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
4. “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
5. “We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.
6. “Never, never be afraid to do what’s right – especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the ones we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King quotes on life
There’s something that unites most of these quotes together: the idea that we’re interconnected, that service to one is service to all. Always seek to live with the same attitude in mind. Today and every day, look for ways to be a helper in the world. You never truly realize how big of an impact it will make.
1. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
3. “God never intended for one group of people to live in superfluous, inordinate wealth, while others live in abject, deadening poverty.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
4. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
5. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
6. “If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King quotes on racism
MLK’s thoughts on racism often echoed a note of hopefulness about the future while still expressing deep disappointment about the reality of the racial issues around him. We should strive to do the same.
Feel free to celebrate how far we’ve come but don’t forget to recognize there’s still a remarkably long way to go – and beyond this, put in the effort to get there.
Use these quotes on racism to inspire others to commit to doing the hard work of unlearning wrong attitudes and stereotypes and actively fighting against racism.
1. “The price that America must pay for the continued oppression of the Negro and other minority groups is the price of its own destruction.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “Whites, it must frankly be said, are not putting in a similar mass effort to reeducate themselves out of their racial ignorance. It is an aspect of their sense of superiority that the white people of America believe they have so little to learn.
The reality of substantial investment to assist Negroes into the twentieth century, adjusting to Negro neighbors and genuine school integration, is still a nightmare for all too many white Americans…These are the deepest causes for contemporary abrasions between the races.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
3. “We must see now that the evils of racism, economic exploitation, and militarism are all tied together. And you can’t get rid of one without getting rid of the other.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
5. “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality…. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
6. “They will not be judged by the color of there skin but the content of their character”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King quotes on love
Direct discussions about love weren’t really the reverend’s primary focus, but his feelings are still apparent. He felt that love was always the better way to win the hearts and minds of America, and we would be wise to take a leaf out of his book.
Love doesn’t mean letting others walk on you or making excuses for bad behavior, though. It means wanting better for us all, loving people enough to hold them accountable, and loving ourselves enough to do just the same.
Use these quotes to remind people that love and caring is the only way to build bridges between groups and factions and create a nation.
1. “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
3. “There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
4. “We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
5. “He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King quotes on progress
King’s words on progress hammer one main point, that actual change and equality only happen through convictions and action. As Elie Wiesel once said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
Resting on our laurels, staying silent in the face of injustice, or attempting to stay out of hard discussions only ensures racism will remain alive and well for the rest of our days.
King also makes it clear that. progress is a gradual thing. And sometimes you gain ground only to lose more soon after. So progress should be played as a long game, on all fronts, till the roots of prejudices are finally eradicated.
Use these quotes when you want to remind people that doing nothing to stop injustice is actively allowing it to happen. Neutrality is not an option. Use them also to inspire patience and bring people to take the long road of gradual but constant change.
1. “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice, and when they fail in this purpose, they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
3. “All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
4. “I feel that the time is always right to do what is right. Where progress for the Negro in America is concerned, there is a tragic misconception of time among whites. They seem to cherish a strange, irrational notion that something in the very flow of time will cure all ills.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
5. “The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists, who are dedicated to justice, peace, and brotherhood. The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific, and religious freedom have always been nonconformists. In any cause that concerns the progress of mankind, put your faith in the nonconformist!”
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King quotes on non-violence
Contrary to popular belief, MLK’s opinion about violence was complex and nuanced. He never automatically condemned the people behind it, understanding that violence was a symptom of and reaction to horrible, unjust treatment.
He then recognized – unlike many of us today – that it can be regarded as problematic, ineffectual, and something to be avoided without blindly damning the people who engage in it. Let us attempt to see it in the same light while advocating for non-violence as the ideal way forward
1. “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
– Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “Non-violence is absolute commitment to the way of love. Love is not emotional bash; it is not empty sentimentalism. It is the active outpouring of one’s whole being into the being of another.”-
– Martin Luther King Jr.
3. “Nonviolent action, the Negro saw, was the way to supplement, not replace, the progress of change. It was the way to divest himself of passivity without arraying himself in vindictive force.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
4. “We who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
5. “Non-violence is a powerful and just weapon. Indeed, it is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
6. “A riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear? …That the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last few years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met.
And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality, and humanity…
And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King quotes on peaceful protest
While we often see peace as our end goal, as a destination we’ll eventually reach with enough time and action, MLK reminds us that it’s also a journey itself.
Peace begets peace. Use these quotes to convince people that if they want a peaceful world, they must commit to spreading around that same energy, and approach all things with the care and attention they deserve.
1. “We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say, ‘We must not wage war.’ It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but on the positive affirmation of peace.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
3. “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but means by which we arrive at that goal.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
4. “The only weapon that we have in our hands this evening is the weapon of protest.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
5. While we often see peace as our end goal, as a destination we’ll eventually reach with enough time and action, MLK reminds us that it’s also a journey itself. Peace begets peace. If you want a peaceful world, commit yourself to spread around that same energy and approach all things with the care and attention they deserve.
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King quotes on freedom
Like many of Martin Luther King’s other famous quotes, his well-known words on freedom and also integrally bound up with hope. The end message is that freedom will ring for us all.
It’s not an easy road by any means, but one that is accomplishable as long as we demand it together. Use these quotes to remind your listeners of the great human goal of achieving freedom even in their darkest hours.
1. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “Whatever your life’s work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
3. “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
4. “We need leaders not in love with money but in love with justice – not in love with publicity but in love with humanity.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
5. Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace – a soul generated by love.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King hate quotes
Hate in any capacity was antithetical to MLK and his message, and we’d be remiss not to make that true for ourselves, too. Be angry at people and situations, feel irritation, dislike things – that’s only human.
Uses these quotes to encourage people to rise above hate whenever possible and embrace love instead. They’ll get further in the long run, and their life will be far better without hate’s inky blackness residing in their heart.
1. “Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
3. “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
4. “Let no man pull you low enough to hate him.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
5. “So, the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
“I have a dream” speech quotes
Many of Dr. King’s most memorable quotes come from his profound “I have a dream” speech. Martin Luther King Jr. gave this speech in the summer of 1963 in Washington DC at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial in front of a large audience of civil rights protesters. This speech came to be most often connected to his character, vision, and deep caring for humanity, because of its clear humanistic, universalistic, and liberal message.
In his speech, Dr. King talks about the struggle to end discrimination against the black population in America, but he does so in the scope of his vision for a better future for all people and for America as a nation. His words connect the civil rights movement’s demands with the founding ideals of the USA of equality before the law. He also makes sure to denounce the use of violence for achieving political change. In his speech, MLK attempts to convince his listeners not to yield to hatred, knowing that the only way to maintain his vision of equality is by building on a foundation of love and brotherhood among all people.
We feel confident you will find the right quote within this well of wisdom and goodwill.
1. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
Martin Luther King Jr. – “I have a dream” speech, 1963
2. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘we hold these truths to be self-evident – that all men are created equal’.
Martin Luther King Jr. – “I have a dream” speech, 1963
3. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.
Martin Luther King Jr. – “I have a dream” speech, 1963
4. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.
Martin Luther King Jr. – “I have a dream” speech, 1963
5. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.
Martin Luther King Jr. – “I have a dream” speech, 1963
6. In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
Martin Luther King Jr. – “I have a dream” speech, 1963
7. We will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.
Martin Luther King Jr. – “I have a dream” speech, 1963
8. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.
Martin Luther King Jr. – “I have a dream” speech, 1963
Letter from Birmingham jail quotes
Martin Luther King’s letter from Birmingham Jail is a powerful document, a major testament to the activist’s depth that’s too often looked over in favor of his more feel-good and unchallenging statements.
It’s both a serious order and warning to remember that lawfulness does not equal goodness, order does not equal justice, and that true advocacy is not that which begs for time and convenience. Remind your readers to heed this, and the world will be a far more moral world than it is today.
1. “I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the white citizen’s councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice… who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
3. “Over the last few years, I have consistently preached that non-violence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. So, I have tried to make it clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or even more, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
4. “For years now, I have heard the word “Wait!” It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This “Wait” has almost always meant “Never.” We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
5. “Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
6. “Justice too long delayed is justice denied.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King quotes on equality
We’ve come a long way in the fight for equal rights, but we’ve still got a long road ahead of us. And until all of us are free, none of us are (a statement of truth echoed by MLK time and time again).
Use these quotes to let your readers hold onto that and let it guide their interactions going forward. May they treat others the way they want to be treated and constantly work for the betterment of all, not just themselves, for we’re all connected.
1. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people, but the silence over that by the good people.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
3. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
4. “Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
5. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Final thoughts about MLK
History is rife with remarkable historical heroes, full of people who’ve taken risks and righted wrongs when nobody else would. Yet Martin Luther King Jr. truly earns a special spot amongst them all.
Born in 1929, MLK laid witness to some truly terrible times for African Americans in the US, forced to undergo unfair, embarrassing, and downright cruel treatment simply because of the color of his skin. Yet, he didn’t let any of that define his worth or warp what he knew to be true: that all people – no matter class, creed, or color – should be equal and free.
He took this conviction and turned it into a massive driving force for change, constantly throwing himself into harm’s way and peacefully protesting in the hopes that someone, anyone, would pay attention.
Sure enough, they did. While many people still wrongly turned against him, others were drawn in by his natural charisma and strong belief in creating a better country for us all, and the Civil Rights Movement eventually prospered because of it.
Soon, Martin Luther King became the very face of the movement and ushered in a new era, one marked by the end of segregation and the beginning of a (slightly) more perfect union.
It’s thanks to the efforts of many, but still, King played a massive role in securing progress. Without him, the America we know today probably wouldn’t exist, and he deserves all the recognition in the world for it.