Quotes and anectdotes from the wise to the foolish, and the courageous to the drunk

Martin Luther King, Jr. Activist

  • Gender: Male
  • Citizenship: United States
  • Born: Jan 15, 1929
  • Died: Apr 4, 1968

Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. King, a Baptist minister and civil-rights activist, had a seismic impact on race relations in the United States, beginning in the mid-1950s.

Among his many efforts, King headed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Through his activism and inspirational speeches he played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African-American citizens in the United States, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, among several other honors. He was assassinated in April 1968, and continues to be remembered as one of the most influential and inspirational African-American leaders in history.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. leadership

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. good & power

The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood. hope & peace

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. love

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

We have guided missiles and misguided men. men

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

War is a poor chisel to carve out tomorrow. war

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

The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people. good

There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth. life

It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. love, peace & war

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

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

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

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

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. work

The sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. equality & freedom

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

A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan. death & men

That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing. time

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

The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict. great

We must use time creatively. time

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

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

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

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

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

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

Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?' life

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

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

The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favor wish that he might have done you a greater one. art

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

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

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. life & work

One of the greatest casualties of the war in Vietnam is the Great Society... shot down on the battlefield of Vietnam. great, society & war

Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. good

Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. love

Science investigates religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power religion gives man wisdom which is control. knowledge, power, religion, science & wisdom