Authors: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

84 Most Powerful Martin Luther King Jr Quotes To Inspire You Everyday

Famous As: African-American Civil Rights Movement Leader Who Used Civil Disobedience to Combat Racism
Born On: January 15, 1929
Died On: April 4, 1968
Born In: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Founder / Co Founder: Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
Died At Age: 39
Martin Luther King Jr was an eminent Afro-American Baptist minister and activist. He became the most vocal leader and spokesperson in the ‘Civil Rights Movement’. He is revered for his role his struggle for civil rights and human rights using civil disobedience and non-violence. The first crucial campaign by him was ‘Montgomery Bus Boycott’. The campaign not only led to abolition of racial apartheid on Montgomery public transport system but also turned King Jr into a national figure. The campaign also resulted in making him the boisterous spokesperson of the civil rights movement. He was honoured with the ‘Nobel Peace Prize’ for thwarting racial discrimination through nonviolence. His thoughts, views, opinions, lectures, speeches and life are an example to what life can be and how one can change it. Let us take a look at what we can learn from the quotes and sayings by Martin Luther King Jr on learning, power, spirituality, character, politics, conflict, humanity, freedom and racism which are till date quoted extensively.
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Nonviolence 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.

Nonviolence 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
If I wish to compose or write or pray or preach well, I must be angry. Then all the blood in my veins is stirred, and my understanding is sharpened.

If I wish to compose or write or pray or preach well, I must be angry. Then all the blood in my veins is stirred, and my understanding is sharpened.

Martin Luther King Jr
When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.

When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.

Martin Luther King Jr
War is a poor chisel to carve out tomorrow.

War is a poor chisel to carve out tomorrow.

Martin Luther King Jr
Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.

Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.

Martin Luther King Jr
There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.

There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.

Martin Luther King Jr
All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.

All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr
We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but the postive affirmation of peace.

We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but the postive affirmation of peace.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr
A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.

A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.

Martin Luther King Jr
Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.

Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.

Martin Luther King Jr
The Negro needs the white man to free him from his fears. The white man needs the Negro to free him from his guilt.

The Negro needs the white man to free him from his fears. The white man needs the Negro to free him from his guilt.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr
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 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.

Martin Luther King Jr
Don't let anybody make you think God chose America as His divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world.

Don't let anybody make you think God chose America as His divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world.

Martin Luther King Jr
It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.

It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.

Martin Luther King Jr
To other countries, I may go as a tourist, but to India, I come as a pilgrim.

To other countries, I may go as a tourist, but to India, I come as a pilgrim.

Martin Luther King Jr
I want to be the white man's brother, not his brother-in-law.

I want to be the white man's brother, not his brother-in-law.

Martin Luther King Jr
Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.

Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.

Martin Luther King Jr
Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power; religion gives man wisdom which is control.

Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power; religion gives man wisdom which is control.

Martin Luther King Jr
The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.

The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr
A riot is the language of the unheard.

A riot is the language of the unheard.

Martin Luther King Jr
The sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.

The sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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
We must use time creatively.

We must use time creatively.

Martin Luther King Jr
The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.

The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr
The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.

The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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
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. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent.

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. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent.

Martin Luther King Jr
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 a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.

Martin Luther King Jr
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 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.

Martin Luther King Jr
Since being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity.

Since being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr
Seeing is not always believing.

Seeing is not always believing.

Martin Luther King Jr
Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself.

Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself.

Martin Luther King Jr
Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.

Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.

Martin Luther King Jr
The principle of self defense, even involving weapons and bloodshed, has never been condemned, even by Gandhi.

The principle of self defense, even involving weapons and bloodshed, has never been condemned, even by Gandhi.

Martin Luther King Jr
All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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
Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.

Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.

Martin Luther King Jr
That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.

That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.

Martin Luther King Jr
We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.

We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.

Martin Luther King Jr
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

Martin Luther King Jr
If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

Martin Luther King Jr
At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.

At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr
Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

Martin Luther King Jr
The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.

The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.

Martin Luther King Jr
Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.

Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.

Martin Luther King Jr
I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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
Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'

Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'

Martin Luther King Jr
I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

Martin Luther King Jr
The time is always right to do what is right.

The time is always right to do what is right.

Martin Luther King Jr
Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

Martin Luther King Jr
We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

Martin Luther King Jr
We are not makers of history. We are made by history.

We are not makers of history. We are made by history.

Martin Luther King Jr
A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

Martin Luther King Jr
Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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
Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

Martin Luther King Jr
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.

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.

Martin Luther King Jr
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Martin Luther King Jr

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

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

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.

Martin Luther King Jr

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.

Martin Luther King Jr

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.

Martin Luther King Jr

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?'

Martin Luther King Jr

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.

Martin Luther King Jr

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.

Martin Luther King Jr

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.

Martin Luther King Jr

Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of men and is not concerned about the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them and the social conditions that cripple them is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial.

Martin Luther King Jr

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.

Martin Luther King Jr
One of the greatest casualties of the war in Vietnam is the Great Society... shot down on the battlefield of Vietnam.

One of the greatest casualties of the war in Vietnam is the Great Society... shot down on the battlefield of Vietnam.

Martin Luther King Jr

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.

Martin Luther King Jr