Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes
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Though we live in the colony of time, we are ultimately responsible to the empire of eternity.
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Carve a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment.
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Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.
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There is such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.
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We must have the faith that things will work out somehow, that God will make a way for us when there seems no way.
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Justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere.
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Nothing pains some people more than having to think.
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I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good.
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Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.
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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.
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Capitalism started out with a noble and high motive, but like most human systems it fell victim to the very thing it was revolting against.
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No man (sic) has learned to live until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. Length without breadth is like a self-contained tributary having no outward flow to the ocean. Stagnant, still and stale, it lacks both life and freshness. In order to live creatively and meaningfully, our self-concern must be wedded to other concerns.
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We all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade.
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Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life's difficulties.
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The time has come for an all-out 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. No individual or nation can be great if it does not have a concern for "the least of these".
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The spirit of Lincoln still lives; that spirit born of the teachings of the Nazarene, who promised mercy to the merciful, who lifted the lowly, strengthened the weak, ate with publicans, and made the captives free. In the light of this divine example, the doctrines of demagogues shiver in their chaff.
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Being a Negro in America means trying to smile when you want to cry. It means trying to hold on to physical life amid psychological death. It means the pain of watching your children grow up with clouds of inferiority in their mental skies. It means having their legs off, and then being condemned for being a cripple.
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Love is understanding, redemptive goodwill for all men, so that you love everybody.
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We must develop a federal program of public works, retraining, and jobs for all - so that none, white or black, will have cause to feel threatened . . . There is nothing except shortsightedness to prevent us from guaranteeing an annual minimum and livable income for every American family.
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Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was seen sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar because a higher moral law was involved. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks, before submitting to certain unjust laws of the Roman empire.
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Returning hate for hate multiplies hate.
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We need to recapture the gospel glow of the early Christians who were nonconformists in the truest sense of the word . . . Their powerful gospel put an end to such barbaric evils as infanticide and bloody gladiatorial contests. Finally, they captured the Roman Empire for Jesus Christ.
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It is purposeless to tell Negroes they should not be enraged when they should be. Indeed, they will be mentally healthier if they do not suppress rage, but vent it constructively and use its energy peacefully but forcefully to cripple the operations of an oppressive society. Civil disobedience can utilize the militance wasted in riots to seize clothes or groceries many do not even want.
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We must use time creatively.