Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes.
A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.
That old law about ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.
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.
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.
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 moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.
I agree with Dante, that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality. There comes a time when silence becomes betrayal.
A riot is the language of the unheard.
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.
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.
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.
I want to be the white man’s brother, not his brother-in-law.
Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power; religion gives man wisdom which is control.
It’s not the violence of the few that scares me, it’s the silence of the many
The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.
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.
Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.
