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Martin Luther King, Jr.

64 quotes

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible leader of the Civil Rights Movement. His philosophy of nonviolent resistance and his extraordinary gift for oratory — exemplified by his "I Have a Dream" speech — changed the course of American history and earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

“We have guided missiles and misguided men.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Men

All Quotes by Martin Luther King, Jr.

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Knowledge

“Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Legal

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Money

“War is a poor chisel to carve out tomorrow.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

War

“A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Death

“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 the law.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Respect

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Freedom

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Men

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Peace

“We must use time creatively.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Time

“The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Life

“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.

Change

“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.

Love

“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.

Good

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Peace

“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.

Equality

“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.

Education

“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.

Love

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Love

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Love