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Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes

Civil rights activist

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Famous Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes

“I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the eighth century prophets left their little villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns; and just as the Apostle Paul left his little village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to practically every hamlet and city of the Graeco-Roman world, I too am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my particular home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.”

WorldLittlesHomeJesusLeftChristCitiesLordCenturyParticularJesus ChristTownsInjusticeAidsBoundariesProphetVillageCompelledApostlesBirminghamApostle PaulHome Town
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.”

IfsDoeStatesSpiritualSocialChurchMoralMastersAuthorityConscienceToolsCriticsClubsGuidesServantIrrelevantZealProphetic
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was “legal” and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was “illegal.” It was “illegal” to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler’s Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. If todayI lived in a Communist country where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate disobeying that country's antireligious laws.”

IfsShouldCountryChristianLawCertainForgetPrinciplesBrotherComfortDearJewAidsFighterRadicalGermanyIllegalNever ForgetCommunistChristian FaithFreedom FighterHungaryHungariansDisobeying
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“History is a great teacher. Now everyone knows that the labor movement did not diminish the strength of the nation but enlarged it. By raising the living standards of millions, labor miraculously created a market for industry and lifted the whole nation to undreamed of levels of production. Those who attack labor forget these simple truths, but history remembers them.”

KnowsWholeRememberNationsSimpleForgetLevelsMillionsTeacherMovementIndustryStandardsLaborUnionsProductionsDiminishGreat TeacherLabor UnionSimple TruthsLabor MovementOrganized LaborLabour Movement
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“History will have to recordThat the greatest tragedy of this period of social transitionWas not the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad peopleBut the appalling silence and indifference of the good.Our generation will have to repent notOnly for the words and actions of the children of darknessBut also for the fears and apathy of thechildren of light.”

ChildrenLightActionSocialSilenceCourageGenerationsPeriodsTragedyViolentIndifferenceApathyRepentBad PeopleOur GenerationWords And Actions
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“The intellectual and moral satisfaction that I failed to gain from the utilitarianism of Bentham and Mill, the revolutionary methods of Marx and Lenin, the social contract theory of Hobbes, the "back to nature" optimism of Rousseau, and the superman philosophy of Nietzsche, I found in the nonviolent resistance philosophy of Gandhi. I came to feel that this was the only morally and practically sound method open to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom.”

PeopleFeelsPhilosophyFoundSocialSoundMoralStruggleTheoryIntellectualGainsOptimismMethodSatisfactionResistanceRevolutionaryContractsOppressedMillsPeacemakingAhimsaHobbesSocial ContractNonviolent ResistanceUtilitarianismStruggle For Freedom
Book:A Martin Luther King Treasury
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“What are you doing for others?”

HelpingSocialKingsCharityHumanitarianHelping OthersCivil RightsActivistPhilanthropyVolunteerAltruismFiniteVengeancePersistentGiving BackUrgentPublic ServiceServing OthersService To OthersPeace And JusticeVolunteerismPhilanthropicGiving InActs Of KindnessInspire OthersPeace JusticeInspirational SuccessService To HumanityKindness To OthersGiving To CharityInspirational CharityInspirational ServiceGiving To OthersMaking A Difference In The WorldBe Kind To OthersSocial EntrepreneurshipPhilanthropy GivingKings And LoveGood KingsGreat SacrificePhilanthropy InspirationSuccess Of OthersActs Of ServiceInspirational VolunteerVolunteerism And ServiceOthers Helping YouShared HumanityAfrican American Civil RightsDoing For OthersCivil Rights LeadersInfinite HopeHelping Humanity
Book:I have a dream: the life and words of Martin Luther King, Jr
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“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. [...] You only need a heart full of grace.”

NeedsHeartHelpingGraceGreatnessCharityHelping OthersServantMaking A DifferenceServingVolunteerHelping PeopleBecause I CanServing OthersVerbsService To OthersVolunteerismService To HumanityServant LeadershipCollege DegreeServant LeaderGiving To CharityCharity And GivingInspirational CharityThermodynamicsInspirational ServiceMaking A Difference In The WorldHelping Other PeopleHelping Others In NeedYou Can Make A DifferenceKwanzaaSocial ActionYou Make A DifferenceInspirational VolunteerOthers Helping YouVolunteer AppreciationDoing For OthersVolunteers Making A DifferenceLeadership And Service
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“If you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl, but keep moving forward!”

InspirationMovingInspirational LifeKingsDeterminationDecidedEntrepreneurPerseveranceMoving ForwardPersistenceKeep GoingSuccessful PeopleBusiness SuccessPersistKeep MovingKeep Moving ForwardInfluentialEntrepreneurialSuccessful BusinessWords Of EncouragementCrawlingFamous InspirationalInspirational SuccessSuccessful EntrepreneursBusiness WorldInspirational PerseveranceWill To SucceedHappy New Year InspirationalMoving Forward In LifeGreat PerseveranceHaving StrengthEntrepreneur MotivationalBusiness InspirationJust Keep MovingHaving A Bad DayKings And LoveGood KingsInspirational Moving OnKeep You MotivatedJust Keep Moving ForwardJust Keep Moving OnForward In LifeInspirational Moving ForwardPower StrengthTough DayDefeated YouSuper MotivationalWalking ForwardPurpose Of Business
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“There is no easy way to create a world where men and women can live together... But if such a world is created in our lifetime, it will be done by rejecting the racism, materialism, and violence that has characterized Western civilization and especially by working toward a world of brotherhood, cooperation, and peace.”

IfsMenWorldWayDoneTogetherEasyViolenceCivilizationRacismMen And WomenLifetimeWesternMaterialismCooperationBrotherhoodWestern CivilizationRejectingEasy Way
Book:The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.:
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“The way of acquiescence leads to moral and spiritual suicide. The way of violence leads to bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers. But, the way of nonviolence leads to redemption and the creation of the beloved community.”

WaySpiritualCommunityMoralViolenceCreationSuicideRedemptionBelovedBitternessSurvivorNonviolenceBrutalityDestroyersAcquiescenceBeloved Community
Book:In a Single Garment of Destiny
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“You only need a heart full of grace”

NeedsHeartHelpingGraceGreatnessCharityHelping OthersServantMaking A DifferenceServingVolunteerHelping PeopleBecause I CanServing OthersVerbsService To OthersVolunteerismInspire OthersService To HumanityFundraisingCommunity ServiceServant LeadershipCollege DegreeServant LeaderGiving To CharityCharity And GivingInspirational CharityThermodynamicsInspirational ServiceMaking A Difference In The WorldHelping Other PeopleHelping Others In NeedKwanzaaSocial ActionTrue Love Conquers AllYou Make A DifferenceInspirational VolunteerOthers Helping YouVolunteer AppreciationVolunteer ServiceDoing For OthersVolunteers Making A DifferenceLeadership And ServiceFundraising For CharityServing The CommunityDrum Major
Book:The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.:
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“There is a power in love that our world has not discovered yet. Jesus discovered it centuries ago. Mahatma Gandhi of India discovered it a few years ago, but most men and most women never discover it. For they believe in hitting for hitting; they believe in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth; they believe in hating for hating; but Jesus comes to us and says, 'This isn't the way.'”

MenWorldWayYearsBelieveEyeHateJesusCenturyYears AgoIndiaTeethOur WorldHittingEye For An Eye
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“It is better to be the recipient of violence than the inflicter of it, since the latter only multiplies the existence of violence and bitterness in the universe, while the former may develop a sense of shame in the opponent, and thereby bring about a transformation and change of heart.”

HeartMayUniverseExistenceViolenceTransformationShameFormerOpponentsLatterBitternessChange Of Heart
Book:In a Single Garment of Destiny
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