123 Of The Most Powerful Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes Ever
The 123 Martin Luther King Jr. quotes on life, love, progress, and freedom that followed contributed to the progressive world we live in today.
- Inspirational Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes
- Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes on Love
- Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes on Life
- About Life of Martin Luther King Jr.
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Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. During the American Civil Rights Movement, he was a key champion for African Americans.
King was exposed to racism at a young age, and those experiences lingered with him and eventually led him to a life of activism. King became a preacher in Alabama after graduating from college with a doctorate in theology.
He initiated a series of peaceful rallies throughout the south that resulted in the repeal of numerous laws pertaining to African-American equality. King delivered hundreds of inspiring addresses across the country and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Despite the fact that his life came to an end on that day, the work he had done had a lasting impact on the country. King will be remembered not only for his dedication to the cause of African-American equality but also for his inspirational lectures.
MLK Jr.’s statements expressed hope for a better future for African Americans, and that they would eventually be granted the equality they deserved.
Inspirational Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes
Life is like a box of chocolates, and you may be rummaging through the wrappers, debating whether or not to order another case (or two). As you prepare for the new season, empower yourself with these positive affirmations (and quotations about change, too!) if you want to be crowned queen of summer. Scholars, songbirds, and movie stars all contribute their tips for living a happy life. Here are some inspirational Martin Luther King Jr. quotes for times you need a pick-me-up!
Only in the darkness can you see the stars.
Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.
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.
You will change your mind; You will change your looks; You will change your smile, laugh, and ways but no matter what you change, you will always be you.
We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but the positive affirmation of peace.
Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.
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.
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.
A riot is the language of the unheard.
No person has the right to rain on your dreams.
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 man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.
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.
No one really knows why they are alive until they know what they’d die for.
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.
We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.
Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.
We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.
Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes on Love
He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love
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.
Nonviolence is an 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.
There can be no deep disappointment where there is no deep love.
Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.
We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.
Man must evolve for all human conflict a method that rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.
I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes on Life
Life is a wonderful adventure that should be enjoyed to the fullest every day. That doesn’t mean you always wake up ready to seize the day, and you may need a reminder from time to time that life is a wonderful gift. We can all need a little motivation and inspiration these days via a life quote, whether it’s a funny phrase from a renowned celebrity or an encouraging message from a successful business person about giving it your all. Keep a list of these life quotations on your phone or computer so you can look them up and read through them whenever you need a boost.
We are not makers of history. We are made by history.
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.
Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.
All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
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.
Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.
Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.
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.
We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.
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.
Lightning makes no sound until it strikes.
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.
Property is intended to serve life, and no matter how much we surround it with rights and respect, it has no personal being. It is part of the earth man walks on. It is not man.
A lie cannot live.
The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life, is what is important.
The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows
There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.
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.
We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.
The Highlight Life About Martin Luther King Jr.
- Martin Luther King Jr. skipped two grades in high school, 9th and 11th, and began college at the age of 15 in 1944 (Morehouse College). He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology at the age of 19.
- He spent his honeymoon in a funeral home. This was not due to death; rather, a friend who owned the parlor volunteered to let him use it for his honeymoon.
- In the United States, nearly 700 streets are named after Martin Luther King Jr. today. Almost every big city has one of these streets.
- His home had previously been bombed. This took place during the 385-day Montgomery Bus Boycott.
- King’s “I Have a Dream” address at the Lincoln Memorial was not his first.
- Stress had taken a toll on Martin Luther King Jr.’s body, according to his autopsy. Despite the fact that he was only 39 years old at the time of his death, one of his doctors said he had “the heart of a 60-year-old.”
- A decade before his murder, King narrowly evaded an assassination attempt.
- James Earl Ray did not act alone, according to members of King’s family.
- In 1974, King’s mother was also killed by a gunshot.
Only George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays have been commemorated as national holidays in the United States (now combined as Presidents Day).
Martin Luther King Jr. instilled in the human race the desire to live in peace with one another. His untimely death stunned the country, but his thoughts and commitment to equality continue to inspire future generations.