The 70 best famous quotes of Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King is one of the most influential figures of modernity. This American Baptist pastor is especially known for his important role in defending the rights of the population. of the United States, fighting racial segregation and participating in protests against conflicts such as the Vietnam.

He proposed an unarmed struggle, holding numerous marches in defense of civil rights and achieving the enactment of laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 64. His thought is long-winded and inspired many people to fight for his rights and pursue their dreams both during his life and after his death, assassinated.

In this article you will find a selection of the best phrases of Martin Luther King.

• Related article: "123 wise phrases to reflect on life"
• Another selection of phrases for equality: "The 24 best phrases of Malcolm X"

Famous quotes and phrases from Martin Luther King

Here we present a series of seventy phrases by Luther King that allow us to visualize and deepen his thought and way of understanding life and society.

1. I dream that one day, in the red hills of Georgia, the children of former slaves and the children of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the brotherhood table

In this part of his mythical speech, King reflects his desire for equality between Caucasians and African Americans and end racial segregation and differences between people with different color of skin.

2. I have a dream, only one dream, keep dreaming. Dreaming of freedom, dreaming of justice, dreaming of equality and I wish I no longer had the need to dream them

In this sentence, the pastor expresses his desire to achieve equality and justice among people. It is a slogan of the pro-equality movements that position themselves against the racism.

3. Your truth will increase as you know how to listen to the truth of others

This phrase refers to the need to listen, value, accept and take into account the positions of others regardless of whether they resemble or contradict their own in order to have a more impartial vision and a greater perspective of things.

4. What is worrisome is not the wickedness of the wicked but the indifference of the good

There are people who do not accept positions different from their own, who want to impose themselves and even who will try to harm others by crushing their integrity and their rights. However, if those who do not share this point of view do not act to stop them and protect their rights others are being complicit and allowing them to succeed despite initially opposing their performance.

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

Life events can hurt us and disappoint our expectations, but we must never lose hope.

6. Darkness cannot undo darkness: only light can

Violence cannot be ended with more violenceInstead, it is necessary to work from peace, peaceful disobedience and resistance, and dialogue.

• Related article: "The 11 types of violence (and the different types of aggression)"

7. If man has discovered nothing to die for, he is not worth living

Having something to fight for and live for, and what we could give our lives for, is fundamental for this pastor of the Baptist church.

8. What is obtained with violence can only be maintained with violence

With this phrase, King expresses his belief that achievements and social struggles are won through non-violent actions.

9. A man does not measure his height in moments of comfort, but in times of change and controversy

A person's worth manifests itself in bad times, when he must put his beliefs and abilities to the test.

10. Freedom is never voluntarily granted by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the one being oppressed.

True freedom is what is achieved despite challenges and impediments, not what is granted as a simple whim that can come and go at the whim of the oppressor.

11. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter

King indicates in this sentence that we must fight for what matters to us and not give in to difficulties and impediments.

12. We must build dams of courage to contain the onslaught of fear

Fear paralyzes us and can lead us not to act or to act contrary to what we would like. It is necessary to face our fears.

13. The time comes when silence is betrayal

Again the author of this phrase expresses the need not to consent to the actions of those who abuse and destroy the rights of others, since silence makes them able to do what they want and makes us indirect accomplices of their actions by allowing them to harm others.

14. I am looking for the day when people are not judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character

We should not judge people by their physical characteristicsBut by their actions and how they act with others.

15. One of the biggest problems in our society is that the concept of love and power have always been seen as opposites.

Power and love have traditionally been seen as opposites, but in reality they should act together in order to obtain an efficient action as well as fair to the citizens.

16. Power without love is abusive and oppressive, while love without power is anemic and too permissive

Power exercised without love is despotic and does not care about others, while love without power is not capable of being decisive or acting.

17. It is always the right time to do what is right

What needs to be done should be done regardless of the time, without looking for excuses.

18. Peace is not only a distant goal that we seek, but in the middle by which we reach that goal

King proposed the use of peaceful methods to fight for civil rights. It is not an end but also a means to other goals.

19. Only in the dark can you see the stars

Only those who have suffered are capable of appreciating the little things and moments of peace and happiness in their fair measure. Through suffering we learn to fight and to dream of goals and objectives.

20. If I help a single person to have hope, I will not have lived in vain

Seek the good for others, defend their rights or even just make someone dream or smile, even if it only affects a single person, it can give meaning to a whole life.

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

One of the most powerful forces, love can lead us to change our perception of others and accept their points of view.

22. If I knew that the world ends tomorrow, I would still plant a tree today

Don't give up hope even though things may get bad. You always have to fight for what you want.

23. Injustice anywhere is a threat to anyone's justice

The fact that people's rights are not respected in one place poses a threat to everyone.

24. If you can not fly, run. If you can not run, walk. If you can not walk, crawl. But whatever you do, always keep moving forward

We always have to move forward, even if we have to go little by little and the road is full of difficulties.

25. I'm not black, I'm a man

In this sentence King reflects that we are all people regardless of our skin color or condition.

26. Nothing is forgotten slower than an offense and nothing faster than a favor

What they do for us is quickly forgotten by most people, while what they do for us done against tends to linger in the mind and is held up in the face and used to justify hostilities.

27. Whatever your life's work, do it right. A man must do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could not do better.

The vocation and the effort must be constant whatever we do. If we are passionate about something, we must apply ourselves to it with all our effort.

28. The first question asked by the priest and the Levite was: “If I stop to help this man, what is he going to do? happen to me? " But the Good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I don't stop to help this man, what will happen? with the?"

Fear is often what stops us from fighting for the rights of others even though we think they should have them. However, you have to ask yourself what will happen to the people we choose not to help and the consequences of our inaction.

29. I have decided to bet on love. Hate is too heavy a burden

Although hating the one who hurts us can be easy, it is a heavy burden that leads us to hurt each other. Although it may require more effort, forgiveness and love can lead us to achieve our goals in peace and free from the chain of hatred.

30. Nonviolence is not sterile passivity, but a powerful moral force that is made for social transformation

Sometimes non-violence is understood as the absence of action and is considered ineffective when making changes. However, great transformations have been achieved through this force due to the manifestation of values, beliefs and intentions that can be expressed through its application without causing damage to the position opposite.

31. Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see all the stairs

Through faith and hope, human beings are able to face the unknown and act despite not being able to foresee what will happen.

32. In the end we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of friends

Enemies can hurt us, but what is really going to affect us is the passivity of those we love in the face of their own suffering.

33. Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step towards the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle

Achievements and the pursuit of justice are not achieved without effort.

34. There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor political, nor popular. But one must take it because it is the right one

King encourages us to do what is right and just despite the fact that this is not socially acceptable or may cause us harm.

35. We have learned to fly like birds, to swim like fish: but we have not learned the simple art of living as brothers

The human being has achieved considerable milestones in different fields. But even today we continue to treat each other with contempt and attack each other.

36. Let us be dissatisfied until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort, the inner city of poverty and despair are crushed by the blows of the forces of Justice

This phrase proposes to fight for justice and equality among all human beings.

37. Nothing a man does debases him more than allowing himself to sink so low as to hate someone.

Hating brings out our lowest passions and the desire for bad things to happen to the hated. The person who hates focuses her being on emotions and feelings that debase her and undermine his performance. In fact, hatred is one of the main reasons why so many crimes are committed.

38. Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity

The lack of knowledge regarding an element or aspect of reality causes that element to be dismissed, ignored or even attacked. We fear what we do not know, and such fear often leads to rejection.

39. Despite our efforts, we have not had earth-shaking victories, but neither have we been defeated.

The process of fighting racial segregation was long and convulsed, full of difficulties. However, the fact that people did not give up was what made many people begin to assess the situation differently and express their opinion.

40. The best way to fix any problem is to eliminate its cause

Martin Luther King expresses the need to focus not on the problem at hand, but on the cause that generates it, so that both the specific problem and possible re-growth or new growth are solved problems.

41. An individual has not begun to live until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all mankind.

Being able to see and fight for the needs of others and put aside our own allows us to advance in life and in the betterment of the community and society.

42. Intelligence plus character. That is the goal of true education

Education should seek to promote not only the intelligentsia, but also help build character, foster positive values ​​and enhance the ability to strive for what we want and what we believe.

• You may be interested: "Educational psychology: definition, concepts and theories"

43. Submission and tolerance is not the moral path, but it is often the most comfortable

It is easy to submit and follow what is dictated to us, but often we will have to fight and act against what is dictated if we want to improve the world and society.

44. If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep the streets even as Michelangelo painted, or as Beethoven composed music, or as Shakespeare wrote poetry. It should sweep the streets so well that all the armies of heaven and earth can stop and say: here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well

All work is worthy and, if it is what we are passionate about, it must be carried out with maximum efficiency and with the maximum possible effort. We have to give the best of ourselves in whatever we do.

45. Almost always the creative dedicated minority has made the world better

Minorities are always usually those who promote a change in society, especially those who create and introduce new elements that have not been taken into account by the majority.

46. I have three dangerous dogs: ingratitude, pride and envy. When they bite they leave a deep wound

King indicates in this sentence some of the elements that pose a danger when it comes to achieving a just and egalitarian society.

47. The hope for a safe and livable world rests with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood

Those who fight for justice are the ones who can achieve a just, equal and secure future for all.

48. Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows

Violence is hardly going to generate peace, and when he does it is only temporary.

49. When we look at modern man, we have to face the fact that modern man suffers from a kind of poverty of the spirit, which stands in stark contrast to its scientific abundance and technological

The current human being has advanced greatly in technical aspects and knowledge, but nevertheless he is increasingly individualistic, egocentric, materialistic and conformist.

50. Keep me from violence, whether it is expressed through the tongue, the fist or the heart

King always opposed violence, which he considers does not contribute anything and is useless and unnecessary whatever its form of expression.

51. Violence creates more social problems than it solves

In line with the previous sentence, we are told that a large part of the problems that may arise are derived from violence even when it is applied to try to solve problems.

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

King criticizes the attitude of those who do not take a position on important situations because they prefer to ignore what happens.

53. No one will ride on us if we don't bend our backs

This phrase urges us not to let ourselves be submitted. We must not let others place us below them or bend our rights.

54. Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dams that block the flow of social progress.

Although the initial intention of the law is to create a more just world, it is usually rigid and difficult to modify, so that when it is not Achieving this justice can be an impediment to introducing changes or social improvements that allow its original objective.

55. He who is unable to forgive is unable to love

We all harm others at times, voluntarily or involuntarily. Whoever loves must be able to forgive the loved one. If we cannot forgive, we will have stopped being able to love.

56. Take your first step now. You don't need to see the entire path. Just take the first step. The rest will appear as you walk

The well-known Baptist pastor urges us with this phrase to dare to act despite not knowing where such action is going to take us.

57. Love your enemies

If we want to agree, it is necessary to establish an understanding, and for this it is necessary that the one who is considered an enemy becomes a friend. We need to be able to forgive and love even those who hurt us.

58. It does not matter how long you live but how you live. If you live well and die young, you may have contributed more than a person up to eighty years worried only about himself

The time we live is not what is important, but what we do with it to contribute to a better world.

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

The correct and the legal do not always go hand in hand. Many laws have been created, modified and used for the benefit of one or a few and to the detriment of others, ignoring what is fair. It is for this reason that sometimes it is necessary to fight to achieve this justice even if it goes against what is established by law.

60. No lie lives forever

No matter how long the lie may be, at some point it will seek the truth. However long the injustice may be, in the end it will be defeated by those who seek justice.

61. People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear because they do not know each other; they are not known because they have not been communicated

Martin Luther King reflects in this phrase the need to communicate and establish contact between different people and groups so that we learn one of the others and we realize that deep down we are alike, thus removing fear of others. the rest.

• Related article: "The 28 types of communication and their characteristics"

62. We have to speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we have to speak

We may not know everything and perhaps our perception may be partly wrong, but we must speak out and show our position.

63. Returning hatred for hatred multiplies hatred, adds a deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.

Hatred and violence only generate more hatred and violence, so responding to them in the same way only enlarges and prolongs the original problem.

64. The Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty, in the middle of an immense ocean of material prosperity.

The situation of the black population in those times was dramatic: they were attacked, less valued, less paid and practically ignored by the majority of the population, in addition to having very little access to studies, well-paying jobs or high positions in the social ladder. In fact, even marriage between people of different races was prohibited and punishable by law.

65. Dig a tunnel of hope through a dark mountain of hopelessness

Many people despair and give up, ceasing to fight. It is necessary to overcome this feeling and have hope in order to face and overcome situations.

66. To have enemies you don't have to declare a war; just say what you think

Expressing your thoughts and beliefs can lead to the enmity of those who do not understand them or see them as a threat to their own, although they should not be censored for that.

67. Those who do not seek happiness are more likely to find it, because those who seek it forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others

This phrase indicates that those who pursue being happy at all costs tend to focus on themselves and put aside everything else, when in reality a large part of the moments of happiness occur when we try to make happy others.

68. Never, never be afraid of doing the right thing, especially if the welfare of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.

We must fight for what we believe is correct, even if it involves a breach of the law and a penalty for it.

69. Segregation is a cancer in the body politic, which must be eliminated before our democratic health can be realized. Segregation is bad because it is nothing more than a new form of slavery disguised with certain subtleties of complexity. Segregation is bad because it is a system of adultery perpetuated by an illicit relationship between injustice and immorality. And in Birmingham, Alabama, and across the South and across the country, we are simply saying that we will no longer be able to sell our birthright to freedom for a segregated bowl of lentils.

In these phrases King reflects what represents segregation, the boredom of the African American population and its intention to fight against the injustice that it supposes.

70. Love is the most enduring power in the world. This creative force, so well exemplified in the life of our Christ, is the most powerful instrument available in humanity's search for peace and security.

In this phrase by Martin Luther King, the importance of love is expressed as the main force that moves the world towards the search for the common good and that seeks justice and peace.