Greatest Quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.

Some of the most powerful words and writings from the civil rights leader

From the LifeMinute.TV Team

January 15, 2021

The mark of a true activist is when one’s words can continue to evoke change even decades after they are gone. On what would have been his 92nd birthday, we look at Martin Luther King Jr.’s most powerful words and writings that are still as poignant and inspiring today as ever.

"Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education." – From 1947 article “The Purpose of Education”

"Let no man pull you so low as to hate him."– From his 1956 "The Most Durable Power" sermon

"True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice." – From his 1957 book Stride Toward Freedom.

"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.” –From his April 1960 address at Spelman College.

"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 note circa the mid 1960s

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”–From his 1963 book, Strength to Love.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." –From his 1963 book, Strength to Love.

"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." –From his famous August 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech.

"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."From his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.

"Hate is too great a burden to bear. I have decided to love." –From his 1967 "Where Do We Go From Here?" address.

"Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." –From his April 1963 "Letter from a Birmingham Jail."

"There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”From his February 1968 "A Proper Sense of Priorities" speech.

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