850 Inspiring Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes On Leadership
1. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. – Martin Luther King, Jr.
2. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.
3. A right delayed is a right denied.
4. “We who in 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.
5. There is no gain without struggle.
6. “A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
7. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” ―Martin Luther King, Jr.
8. “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.”
9. “I have decided to stick to love…Hate is too great a burden to bear.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
10. “Seeing is not always believing.”
11. “Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating that absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.”
12. “If any earthly institution or custom conflicts with God’s will, it is your Christian duty to oppose it. You must never allow the transitory, evanescent demands of man-made institutions to take precedence over the eternal demands of the Almighty God.”
13. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
14. I have decided to stick to love…Hate is too great a burden to bear.
15. “Justice too long delayed is justice denied.”
16. “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.
17. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.
18. “A time comes when silence is betrayal.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
19. “Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
20. A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
21. “Ultimately, a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus. I would rather be a man of conviction than a man of conformity.”
22. “The time is always right to do what is right.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
23. A man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent. Martin Luther King Jr
24. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.- Martin Luther King, Jr.
25. “Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
26. “Teams bring together a broader mix of skills that exceed those of any single individual. 2. Teams jointly develop and strive toward clear goals. 3. Teams can adjust with greater speed and effectiveness. 4. Trust and confidence are more easily built in teams.”
27. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
28. “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” ― Martin Luther King, Jr.
29. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
30. "If you can’t fly then run; if you can’t run then walk; if you can’t walk then crawl; but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."— Martin Luther King, Jr.
31. “If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.” These prophetic words by MLK point us to discover our own deeper sense of purpose.
32. If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But, whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr
33. “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.”
34. “All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.”
35. “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.
36. “I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream.” (“I Have a Dream,” 1963.)
37. Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.
38. “I ain’t Martin Luther King. I don’t need a dream. I have a plan.” ― Spike Lee, actor and director
39. “If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.”
40. “If democracy is to have breadth of meaning, it is necessary to adjust this inequity. It is not only moral, but it is also intelligent. We are wasting and degrading human life by clinging to archaic thinking.” (“Where Do We Go From Here?” 1967.)
41. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (“Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 1963.)
42. “There comes a time when one must take the position that it is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because his conscience tells him it is right.”
43. “No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”
44. “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.
45. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King Jr
46. “As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation — either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.”
47. History has proven that social systems have a great last-minute breathing power, and the guardians of the status quo are always on hand with their oxygen tents to keep the old order alive.
48. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others.
49. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
50. “In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.”
51. ‘You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step’ – Martin Luther King
52. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. –Martin Luther King Jr.
53. If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
54. “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” (Speech at Cornell College, 1962.) Here are more powerful quotes that speak volumes in the fight against racism.
55. “A riot is the language of the unheard.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
56. “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
57. “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
58. “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.”
59. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
60. Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?' - Martin Luther King, Jr.
61. “There are some things so dear, some things so precious, some things so eternally true, that they are worth dying for. And I submit to you that if a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”
62. “Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.”
63. “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.
64. “There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
65. If you can’t fly then run; if you can’t run then walk; if you can’t walk then crawl; but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward. — Martin Luther King, Jr
66. “The time is always right to do what is right.”
67. “Mother Dear, one day I’m going to turn this world upside down.”
68. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a moulder of consensus.” - Martin Luther King Jr
69. “At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.”
70. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others”
71. “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
72. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” (Speech in St. Louis, 1964.)
73. “If you can’t fly then run. If you can’t run, then walk. And, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
74. “The time is always right to do what is right” – Martin Luther King Jr.
75. “We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers.”
76. “If a man is called a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and Earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’” — Martin Luther King Jr.
77. We are not makers of history. We are made by history.
78. “Nothing could be more tragic than for men to live in these revolutionary times and fail to achieve the new attitudes and the new mental outlooks that the new situation demands.”
79. “The function of education, therefore, 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.
80. “I want to be the white man’s brother, not his brother-in-law.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
81. “Everything that is done in this world is done by hope.” ~ Martin Luther King
82. Power at its best, power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.
83. “Don't allow anybody to make you feel that you're nobody.”
84. “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.
85. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
86. "But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
87. A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. – Martin Luther King Jr
88. You know, a lot of people don’t love themselves. And they go through life with deep and haunting emotional conflicts. So the length of life means that you must love yourself. And you know what loving yourself also means? It means that you’ve got to accept yourself.
89. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” ― Martin Luther King
90. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.
91. “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” (“Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 1963.)
92. “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.
93. 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.
94. “Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes (Author of The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.).” Goodreads. Goodreads. Accessed January 4, 2020. https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/23924.Martin_Luther_King_Jr_?page=1.
95. “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” (Strength to Love, 1963.)
96. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr
97. “If a man is called a street-sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street-sweeper who did his job well.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
98. Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?
99. “Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”
100. “TRUE PEACE IS NOT MERELY THE ABSENCE OF TENSION. IT IS THE PRESENCE OF JUSTICE.”
101. “There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
102. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
103. “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
104. “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now because I’ve been to the mountaintop… 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.”
105. A true leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
106. “THERE ARE SOME THINGS SO DEAR, SOME THINGS SO PRECIOUS,SOME THINGS SO ETERNALLY TRUE, THAT THEY ARE WORTH DYING FOR. AND I SUBMIT TO YOU THAT IF A MAN HAS NOT DISCOVERED SOMETHING THAT HE WILL DIE FOR, HE ISN’T FIT TO LIVE.”
107. Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.
108. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
109. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
110. “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.”
111. On being in tune with other people’s emotions
112. “What is wrong in the world today is that the nations of the world are engaged in a bitter, colossal contest for supremacy.”
113. “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.
114. “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
115. Only in the darkness can you see the stars. —Martin Luther King, Jr.
116. “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”- Martin Luther King Jr.
117. “Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”
118. I am convinced that men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don’t know each other, and they don’t know each other because they don’t communicate with each other, and they don’t communicate with each other because they are separated from each other.
119. “Nonviolent action, the Negro saw, was the way to supplement, not replace, the progress of change. It was the way to divest himself of passivity without arraying himself in vindictive force.”
120. “The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.”
121. “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
122. “THE TIME IS ALWAYS RIGHT TO DO THE RIGHT THING.”
123. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” - Martin Luther King Jr
124. “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
125. “We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
126. “I ain’t Martin Luther King. I don’t need a dream. I have a plan.” – Spike Lee
127. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
128. We must rise above the narrow confines of our individualistic concerns, with a broader concern for all humanity. You see, this new world is a world of geographical togetherness. No individual can afford to live alone now.
129. We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. – Martin Luther King Jr.
130. “There is no gain without struggle.”
131. Here, Martin Luther King, Jr is saying that it is up to the self how one will decide to live.
132. “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
133. Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. – Martin Luther King Jr.
134. "You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
135. “The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
136. “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
137. “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.”– Martin Luther King
138. “All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
139. “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.
140. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
141. “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. ”
142. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
143. “Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
144. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over and men are no longer willing to be plunged into an abyss of injustice where they experience the bleakness of corroding despair.
145. Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
146. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
147. “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.”
148. “The soft-minded man always fears change. He feels security in the status quo, and he has an almost morbid fear of the new. For him, the greatest pain is the pain of a new idea.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
149. “Non-violence is absolute commitment to the way of love. Love is not emotional bash; it is not empty sentimentalism. It is the active outpouring of one’s whole being into the being of another.”-
150. “There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
151. “We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.”
152. “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.”
153. Inspirational quote from Martin Luther King Jr.
154. “I have decided to stick to love; hate is too great a burden to bear.“ -Martin Luther King, Jr.
155. “The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”
156. “If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”
157. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”- Martin Luther King, Jr.
158. While we often see peace as our end goal, as a destination we’ll eventually reach with enough time and action, MLK reminds us that it’s also a journey itself. Peace begets peace. If you want a peaceful world, commit yourself to spread around that same energy and approach all things with the care and attention they deserve.
159. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
160. “One day we will learn that the heart can never be totally right when the head is totally wrong.” (Strength to Love, 1963.)
161. I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
162. “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.”
163. “I came to the conclusion that there is an existential moment in your life when you must decide to speak for yourself; nobody else can speak for you.”
164. “Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.”
165. “True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.”
166. “THE ULTIMATE MEASURE OF A MAN IS NOT WHERE HE STANDS IN MOMENTS OF COMFORT, BUT WHERE HE STANDS AT TIMES OF CHALLENGE AND CONTROVERSY.”
167. “We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but the positive affirmation of peace.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
168. “The time is always right to do what is right.” Martin Luther King Jr.
169. “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.
170. “It does not matter how long you live, but how well you do it.”
171. Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude.
172. “One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”
173. “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
174. “I have decided to stick to love; hate is too great a burden to bear.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
175. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
176. “I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
177. “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”– Martin Luther King, Jr.
178. “If a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live.”
179. “A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.”
180. “Without Coretta Scott King. there would not have been a Martin Luther King. Jr. in the way that we know him.” - Coretta Scott King
181. “He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.”
182. “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
183. “If you can’t fly then run. if you can’t run then walk. if you can’t walk then crawl. but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr
184. “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.”
185. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
186. “We cannot walk alone.”
187. “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.”
188. “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.” (“A Proper Sense of Priorities,” 1968.) Now, learn how the clenched fist became a Black power symbol.
189. “The more there are riots, the more repressive action will take place, and the more we face the danger of a right-wing takeover and eventually a fascist society.”
190. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” –-Martin Luther King Jr.
191. “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.
192. The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.
193. “At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
194. “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
195. A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on an installment plan.
196. "In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”– Martin Luther King, Jr.
197. “Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
198. A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.
199. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King Jr
200. “Whatever your life’s work is, do it well.”
201. “If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl, but by all means, keep moving.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
202. “The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.” (Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, 1964.)
203. “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.”- Martin Luther King
204. Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education. —Martin Luther King Jr.
205. Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals.
206. “A lie cannot live.”
207. “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.
208. “Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.”
209. “A lie cannot live.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
210. “I came to Nashville, not to bring inspiration, but to gain inspiration from the great moment that has taken place in this community.” – Martin Luther King
211. “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
212. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.
213. “The greatest channel to peace” he said, “[involves] talking about problems…. For as long as we have men, we are going to have differences. And it seems to me we can disagree without being disagreeable.”
214. “Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest.” (Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence Digital History, 1967.)
215. “Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.”
216. “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
217. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’”
218. “Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
219. On the importance of being part of a team
220. “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.
221. “Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude.” (“Love in Action,” 1962.)
222. “Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals.”
223. “They will not be judged by the color of there skin but the content of their character”
224. If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
225. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
226. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
227. The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.
228. "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." - Lincoln Memorial, March on Washington, 1963
229. “If you can’t fly then run. If you can’t run, then walk. And, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” — Martin Luther King Jr., leader of the civil rights movement
230. “Lightning makes no sound until it strikes.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
231. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘we hold these truths to be self-evident – that all men are created equal’.
232. “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted,or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
233. “The God whom we worship is not a weak and incompetent God. He is able to beat back gigantic waves of opposition and to bring low prodigious mountains of evil. The ringing testimony of the Christian faith is that God is able.”
234. “God is not interested merely in the freedom of black men, and brown men, and yellow men; God is interested in the freedom of the whole human race.”
235. “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
236. “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” ~ MLK
237. “Like the word hope, we often think of power as negative. It's not. The best definition of power comes from Martin Luther King Jr. He described power as the ability to effect change.”
238. “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."
239. On standing up for what is right
240. 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.
241. If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.
242. “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”- Martin Luther King, Jr.
243. “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.
244. “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., reverend, orator, and activist
245. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only love can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.CLICK TO TWEET
246. “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” – Martin Luther King
247. Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
248. “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward” -Martin Luther King Jr.
249. “A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.”
250. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?”
251. “CREATIVE POWER CAN PULL DOWN MOUNTAINS OF EVIL AND LEVEL HILLTOPS OF INJUSTICE.”
252. “A lie cannot live.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
253. “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.”
254. “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,” 1963.)
255. “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. ” — Martin Luther King, Jr
256. “If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.” (Christmas Sermon, 1967.)
257. Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. – Martin Luther King Jr.
258. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
259. “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
260. “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
261. “Find a voice in a whisper.”
262. “We shall overcome.”
263. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
264. “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.”
265. “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
266. We are not makers of history. We are made by history. strength on love.
267. “We must set out to do a good job, irrespective of race, and do it so well that nobody could do it better.”
268. “We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” (“The Purpose of Education,” 1947.)
269. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” - Martin Luther King
270. "Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
271. The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.
272. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”
273. “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
274. “No person has the right to rain on your dreams.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
275. “Everyone can be great because everyone can serve.” -Martin Luther King, Jr
276. “It may be true that the law cannot change the heart but it can restrain the heartless.” ― Martin Luther King, Jr.
277. “We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
278. “DARKNESS CANNOT DRIVE OUT DARKNESS; ONLY LIGHT CAN DO THAT. HATE CANNOT DRIVE OUT HATE; ONLY LOVE CAN DO THAT.”
279. “I SUBMIT TO YOU THAT IF A MAN HASN’T DISCOVERED SOMETHING HE WILL DIE FOR, HE ISN’T FIT TO LIVE.”
280. “Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is a participant in the being of God.” (From a handwritten letter, mid-1960s.)
281. “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”
282. “I have decided to stick with love. . . . Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
283. “If you can’t fly, then run, If you can’t run, then walk, If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” –Martin Luther King Jr.
284. “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
285. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
286. “Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
287. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” (From a sermon delivered in Selma, Alabama, 1965.)
288. “There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.”
289. “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.”
290. “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.
291. “There can be no deep disappointment where there is not love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
292. “But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
293. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
294. Hate is just as injurious to the hater as it is to the hated. Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Many of our inner conflicts are rooted in hate. This is why psychiatrists say, “Love or perish.” Hate is too great a burden to bear.
295. The time is always right to do what is right. – Martin Luther King Jr.
296. “What is wrong in the world today is that the nations of the world are engaged in a bitter, colossal contest for supremacy.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
297. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; Only love can do that.”- Dr. Martin Luther King
298. “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic.” Martin Luther King
299. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'” Martin Luther King Jr.
300. “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.” (“The Most Durable Power,” 1956.) Keep the inspiration flowing with these inspiring John Lewis quotes about voting, education, and social justice.
301. “I WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED, I WILL NOT BE HARASSED. I WILL NOT BE SILENT, AND I WILL BE HEARD.”
302. “For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
303. “If you desire to mine the gold of good intentions in others, then forgiveness is essential. And it’s rarely a one-time thing. Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was right when he said, “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.”
304. “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” (Stride Toward Freedom, 1957.) Anyone can battle against injustice with these small ways to fight racism every day.
305. “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward” —Martin Luther King Jr.
306. “In some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.”
307. “If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, like Shakespeare wrote poetry, like Beethoven composed music; sweep streets so well that all the host of Heaven and earth will have to pause and say, “Here lived a great street sweeper, who swept his job well.”
308. “The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.” — Martin Luther King Jr
309. “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice, say that I was a drum major for peace, I was a drum major for righteousness, and all the other shallow things will not matter.” (Sermon in Atlanta, 1968.)
310. “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but means by which we arrive at that goal.”
311. “If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
312. “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” (“All Labor Has Dignity,” 1968.)
313. “A riot is the language of the unheard.”
314. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
315. “The ultimately measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others”
316. “Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
317. “We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.”
318. "If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
319. “We who in engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive.”
320. Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
321. No person has the right to rain on your dreams. - Martin Luther King Jr.
322. Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.
323. “Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase.”
324. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
325. “He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
326. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, keep moving." -Martin Luther King, Jr.
327. “Free at last, free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.”
328. “All we say to America is, ‘Be true to what you said on paper.’ … Somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly, Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech, Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
329. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
330. “If the cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. Because the goal of America is freedom, abused and scorned tho’ we may be, our destiny is tied up with America’s destiny.”
331. On understanding how to mould people to your goals
332. On how it’s possible for good things to come too late
333. “EVERYBODY CAN BE GREAT…BECAUSE ANYBODY CAN SERVE. YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE TO SERVE. YOU DON’T HAVE TO MAKE YOUR SUBJECT AND VERB AGREE TO SERVE. YOU ONLY NEED A HEART FULL OF GRACE. A SOUL GENERATED BY LOVE.”
334. “Hate destroys the hater.”
335. “Intelligence plus character-- that is the goal of true education.”- Martin Luther King Jr.
336. Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.
337. “Martin Luther King Jr. gave the “I have a dream” speech, for example. He didn’t give the “I have a plan” speech. There is no doubt he needed a plan. We know he had meetings to discuss the plan.”
338. “One day we will learn that the heart can never be totally right if the head is totally wrong. Only through the bringing together of head and heart—intelligence and goodness—shall man rise to a fulfillment of his true nature.”
339. For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. –Martin Luther King Jr.
340. “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
341. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
342. “We must learn that passively to accept an unjust system is to cooperate with that system, and thereby to become a participant in its evil.”
343. “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.”
344. “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
345. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
346. “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.
347. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now because I've been to the mountaintop... 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.
348. “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” – Martin Luther King, Jr
349. “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
350. Keep moving, for it may well be that the greatest song has not yet been sung, the greatest book has not been written, the highest mountain has not been climbed.
351. On how no one is above another person
352. “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself.”
353. “Seeing is not always believing.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
354. 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.
355. “Through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can’t murder murder,” he said. “Through violence you may murder a liar but you can’t establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can’t murder hate. Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that.”
356. “I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind’s problems.” (“Where Do We Go From Here?” 1967.)
357. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
358. “If you can’t fly — then run. If you can’t run — then walk. If you can’t walk — then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”
359. “Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
360. “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.
361. “We must see now that the evils of racism, economic exploitation, and militarism are all tied together. And you can’t get rid of one without getting rid of the other.”
362. In some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.
363. “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.” (Speech at Park-Sheraton Hotel, 1962.) Learn why Black History Month shouldn’t be just a single month.
364. “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.”
365. “Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.”
366. “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
367. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?” Transformational leaders are motivated by creating a positive change in the lives of others. Who are the others you are most inspired to serve?
368. “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
369. “I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.”
370. “WHEN YOU ARE RIGHT YOU CANNOT BE TOO RADICAL; WHEN YOU ARE WRONG, YOU CANNOT BE TOO CONSERVATIVE.”
371. “The time is always right to do what is right.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
372. We often end up with the high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds.
373. “If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. And If you can’t walk, crawl, but by all means, keep moving.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
374. A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus — Martin Luther King Jr.
375. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
376. “Press on and keep pressing. If you can’t fly, run; if you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk—CRAWL.”
377. “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”
378. “No person has the right to rain on your dreams.”
379. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” (“The Domestic Impact of the War in Vietnam, 1967.)
380. We will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.
381. “THE MEASURE OF A MAN IS NOT WHERE HE STANDS IN MOMENTS OF COMFORT, BUT WHERE HE STANDS AT TIMES OF CHALLENGE.”
382. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
383. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.
384. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.
385. “We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.”
386. We may have come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.
387. "We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
388. “We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but the positive affirmation of peace.”
389. “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity.” – Martin Luther King
390. “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.”
391. “Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.”
392. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” – Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights icon
393. “Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.”
394. Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. – Martin Luther King, Jr.
395. “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.”
396. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.
397. “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” (“I Have a Dream,” 1963.)
398. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
399. “The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.” – Martin Luther King Jr
400. Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.
401. “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed.” (“Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 1963.)
402. “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
403. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
404. “Mentoring brings us together – across generation, class, and often race – in a manner that forces us to acknowledge our interdependence, to appreciate, in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words, that ‘we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied to a single garment of destiny.’” –Marc Freedman
405. “The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists, who are dedicated to justice, peace, and brotherhood. The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific, and religious freedom have always been nonconformists. In any cause that concerns the progress of mankind, put your faith in the nonconformist!”
406. “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
407. The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold. Martin Luther King Jr
408. Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.
409. “We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.” – Martin Luther King. Jr.
410. “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity. ” —Martin Luther King Jr
411. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” MLK reminds us of the power we have as leaders to listen deeply and bring people together in discourse.
412. “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”
413. “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.
414. “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
415. “You don't have to see the whole staircase; just take the first step.” Martin Luther King
416. “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
417. “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there ‘is’ such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”
418. “We need leaders not in love with money but in love with justice – not in love with publicity but in love with humanity.”
419. “It may be true that the law cannot change the heart, but it can restrain the heartless.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
420. “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
421. “It may be true that the law cannot change the heart but it can restrain the heartless.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
422. “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
423. “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
424. “The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
425. “If a man is called a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and Earth will pause to say, Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well. ” – Martin Luther King Jr
426. Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. – Martin Luther King Jr.
427. “Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.” ―Martin Luther King Jr.
428. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”—Martin Luther King, Jr.
429. “No person has the right to rain on your dreams.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
430. “We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
431. “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.”
432. “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.”
433. "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
434. “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.”
435. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that” — Martin Luther King Jr.
436. “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
437. We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. – Martin Luther King Jr
438. “If you can’t fly, then run; if you can’t run, then walk; if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
439. We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
440. “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way. ” — Martin Luther King Jr
441. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus” — Martin Luther King Jr
442. “I feel that the time is always right to do what is right. Where progress for the Negro in America is concerned, there is a tragic misconception of time among whites. They seem to cherish a strange, irrational notion that something in the very flow of time will cure all ills.”
443. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” – Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights Leader
444. Within the best of us, there is some evil, and within the worst of us, there is some good. When we come to see this, we take a different attitude toward individuals.
445. “No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
446. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. ”—Martin Luther King, Jr
447. “Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
448. Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.
449. “Non-violence 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.”
450. “ We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
451. 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.
452. “GREATNESS IS DETERMINED BY SERVICE.”
453. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
454. 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 plain and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.
455. “Nonviolence is absolute commitment to the way of love. Love is not emotional bash; it is not empty sentimentalism. It is the active outpouring of one’s whole being into the being of another.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
456. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
457. “The principle of self-defense, even involving weapons and bloodshed, has never been condemned, even by Gandhi.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
458. “We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.” (“I Have a Dream,” 1963.)
459. “If a man is called a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and Earth will pause to say, Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
460. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
461. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
462. “Quietly endure, silently suffer and patiently wait.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
463. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only love can do that.” (Strength to Love, 1963.)
464. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
465. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”—Martin Luther King, Jr.
466. “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” - Martin Luther King, Jr., American Christian Minister and Civil Rights Activist
467. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.
468. “The Ultimate Measure Of A Man Is Not Where He Stands In Moments Of Comfort And Convenience, But Where He Stands At Times Of Challenge And Controversy.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of the civil rights movement
469. “If a man hasn’t discovered something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” —Martin Luther King Jr.”
470. “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”
471. “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not-too-distant tomorrow, the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.”
472. “Lightning makes no sound until it strikes.”
473. “Life’s most urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'” -Martin Luther King Jr.
474. “I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.”
475. “Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service… You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
476. So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?
477. “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
478. “Let no man pull you low enough to hate him.”
479. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” —Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights activist
480. “The time is always right to do right.”
481. “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.” (“The Death of Evil upon the Seashore,” 1956.)
482. “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. So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. ”
483. “Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”
484. “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”- Martin Luther King, Jr.
485. “If the cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. Because the goal of America is freedom, abused and scorned tho’ we may be, our destiny is tied up with America’s destiny.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
486. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King Jr
487. “Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.” (Speech at Glenville High School, 1967.)
488. “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.”
489. Either we go up together, or we go down together.
490. “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.
491. “He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lives a great street sweeper who did his job well'” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
492. “A lie cannot live.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
493. “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” – Martin Luther King Jr
494. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education. —Martin Luther King Jr.
495. "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
496. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
497. “We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
498. “We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
499. “For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.”
500. “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.” (Nobel Lecture, 1964.) Check out some more of our favorite inspiring peace quotes from world leaders.
501. “By opening our lives to God in Christ, we become new creatures. This experience, which Jesus spoke of as the new birth, is essential if we are to be transformed nonconformists … Only through an inner spiritual transformation do we gain the strength to fight vigorously the evils of the world in a humble and loving spirit.”
502. “Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals.” (“A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart,” 1959.)
503. “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
504. If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.
505. Humble leadership quotes by Martin Luther King, Jr.
506. “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
507. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”— Martin Luther King Jr.
508. “Faith is taking the first step. Even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
509. “For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.” (“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” 1968.)
510. “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.”
511. “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
512. “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
513. “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
514. Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are. — Martin Luther King Jr.
515. “If you can’t fly then run if you can’t run then walk if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”—Martin Luther King, Jr.
516. “Our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant, and to face the challenge of change.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
517. “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.”
518. As long as the mind is enslaved, the body can never be free. Psychological freedom, a firm sense of self-esteem, is the most powerful weapon against the long night of physical slavery. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
519. “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people, but the silence over that by the good people.”
520. “If you can’t fly then run if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
521. No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
522. 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.
523. “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.
524. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
525. “Tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”
526. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
527. “Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
528. “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
529. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
530. “The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.”
531. “We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience.”
532. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
533. An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
534. “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
535. “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
536. “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
537. “If a man is called a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and Earth will pause to say, Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
538. “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred."
539. Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
540. I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history.
541. “When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
542. “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
543. “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
544. “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable … Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”
545. 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.
546. “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.