Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes

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Hatred paralyses life; love releases it.
Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it.
Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

Martin Luther King

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

Martin Luther King (Speech in Detroit, Michigan, 1963)

There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.

Martin Luther King (Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963)

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

Martin Luther King (Strength to Love, 1963)

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

Martin Luther King

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Martin Luther King (Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963)

Courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear.

Martin Luther King

As long as the mind is enslaved, the body can never be free.

Martin Luther King (Where do We Go from Here, 1967)

True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.

Martin Luther King

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Martin Luther King

A man can't ride your back unless it's bent.

Martin Luther King

The time is always right to do what’s right.

Martin Luther King (Speech at Oberlin College in Ohio, 1964)

Only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars.

Martin Luther King (Speech in Memphis, the day before he was assasinated, 1968)

Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.

Martin Luther King

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

Martin Luther King (Speech in St. Louis, Missouri, 1964)

We are bound together in a single garment of destiny.

Martin Luther King (Where do We Go from Here, 1967)

A riot is at bottom the language of the unheard.

Martin Luther King (Where do We Go from Here, 1967)

He who is devoid of the power to forgive, is devoid of the power to love.

Martin Luther King (Strength to Love, 1963)

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

Martin Luther King (Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963)

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

Martin Luther King (Strength to Love, 1963)

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

Martin Luther King (Strength to Love, 1963)

But life at its best is a creative synthesis of opposites in fruitful harmony.

Martin Luther King (Strength to Love, 1963)

Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

Martin Luther King (Strength to Love, 1963)

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

Martin Luther King (Where do We Go from Here, 1967)

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

Martin Luther King (Strength to Love, 1963)

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

Martin Luther King (Speech in Washington D. C., 1968)

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

Martin Luther King

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 (Speech at a church in New York City, 1967)

I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems. And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go.

Martin Luther King (Where do We Go from Here, 1967)

We must combine the toughness of the serpent with the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart.

Martin Luther King (Strength to Love, 1963)

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Martin Luther King, Jr. Biography

Born: January 15, 1929
Died: April 4, 1968

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman and prominent leader in African-American Civil Right Movement. He is undoubtedly best known for his "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington.

Notable Works

Strength to Love (1963)
Why We Can't Wait (1964)
Where Do We Go from Here (1967)
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