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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 must use time creatively.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Time

All Quotes by Martin Luther King, Jr.

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Courage

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Men

“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.

Great

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

History

“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.

Society

“We have guided missiles and misguided men.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Men

“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.

Life

“Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Faith

“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.

Time

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Legal

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Forgiveness

“We must use time creatively.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Time

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Freedom

“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.

Good

“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.

Equality

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hope

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

War

“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

“The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Men

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

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Great