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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 feel that non-violence is really the only way that we can follow because violence is just so self-defeating. A riot ends up creating many more problems for the negro community than it solved. We can through violence burn down a building, but you can't establish justice. You can murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder through violence. You can murder a hater, but you can't murder hate. And what we're trying to get rid of is hate, injustice, and all of these other things that continue the long night of man's inhumanity to man.”

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Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“I think the first reason that we should love our enemies, and I think this was at the very center of Jesus' thinking, is this: that hate for hate only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the universe.”

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Book:A Time to Break Silence: The Essential Works of Martin Luther King, Jr., for Students
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“The use of violence in our struggle would be both impractical and immoral. To meet hate with retaliatory hate would do nothing but intensify the existence of evil in the universe. Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love; we must meet physical force with soul force. Our aim must never be to defeat or humiliate the white man, but to win his friendship and understanding.”

MenSoulUseWould BeHateUniverseEvilWinningForceUnderstandingWhiteExistenceStruggleGreaterViolenceAimDefeatWhite ManImmoralBegetsPower Of LoveToughnessHumiliatePhysical ForceSoul Force
Book:A Martin Luther King Treasury
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“Somebody must have sense enough to meet hate with love. Somebody must have sense enough to meet physical force with soul force. If we will but try this way, we will be able to change these conditions and yet at the same time win the hearts and souls of those who have kept these conditions alive a way as old as the insights of Jesus of Nazareth, as modern as the techniques of Mohandas K. Gandhi. There is another way.”

IfsWayTryingHeartSoulEnoughAbleHateJesusWinningForceAliveModernConditionsInsightTechniqueAnother WayHeart And SoulNazarethPhysical ForceSoul Force
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

LoveLifeInspirationalGodLightHatePeaceCan DoInspiringDarknessLove YouGreatnessKingsForgivenessHatredOppositesSocial JusticeCivil RightsAfrican AmericanHatedInspirational LoveAmerican DreamAmerican HistoryLight And DarknessLove HateOnly LoveLove And HateFamous LoveLight And DarkPeace JusticeMake Peace Not WarDescendingBlack History MonthDarkness To LightHaterHate SpeechPeace Not WarLove Your EnemiesBlack History Month InspirationalAfrican American HistoryKings SpeechLight Of The WorldLight Of LoveKings And LoveGood KingsBlack History InspirationalPower And LoveLoving Your EnemiesViolence And WarLight And LoveHatred And LoveSpiritual LightI Hate LoveAfrican American InspirationalAfrican American History MonthLight DarkHated LoveAfrican American Civil RightsHatred For LoveSpiritual DarknessLove Not HateDark LifeHate The WorldPeople You HateDarkness In Life
Book:A Gift of Love: Sermons from Strength to Love and Other Preachings
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“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

LoveInspirationalHateChoicesPeaceDecisionInspiringMorningThis WorldBearsKingsSpeechDecidedHatredAnd LoveI HateSticksBurdenCivil RightsHatedActivistInspirational LoveGreat LoveCivil Rights MovementLove HateBest LoveLove And HateFamous LoveGreatest LoveTrue Love IsChristian LoveInspiring LoveWorld LoveHate SpeechBest Ever LoveKings SpeechLove Is LifeKings And LoveGood KingsImportunateCivil Right MovementLoving LoveHatred And LoveUltimate LoveI Hate LoveInspire LoveChrist LoveNo HateStop HatingHated LoveAfrican American Civil RightsBeing HatedBurdens Of LifeHatred For LoveLove And InspirationMotivational LoveInspiration LoveLove Is AmazingHate My LifeI Hate My Life
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“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.”

InspirationalHateEvilInspiringEnemyRelationshipWorstForgivenessCapacityHatredForgivingSelf DiscoveryAfrican AmericanGood And EvilInspirational LoveForgivenLove HateLove And HateWorst EnemyForgive YourselfLove Your EnemiesGood Against EvilI Forgive YouWhat Is ForgivenessLove And ForgivenessPower Of ForgivenessI Have A Dream SpeechKings SpeechKings And LoveGood KingsLoving Your EnemiesForgiveness LoveHatred And LoveEvil WorldHated LoveAfrican American Civil RightsBeing HatedForgiveness And PeaceHatred For LoveGod Forgive MeForgiving LoveChristian ForgivenessGood Enemy
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”

MenMeanWarSpiritHatePeaceFreedomViolenceRefuseRedemptionInternalsThought ProvokingNonviolenceAvoidingNon ViolencePeace And JusticePeace JusticeHate HimViolence And PeaceAvoiding PainPhysical Violence
Book:I Have a Dream: The Quotations of Martin Luther King, Jr
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“Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies - or else? The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.”

WorldLoveWarHateEvilDarkEnemyModernBrokenReactionsChainsAbyssModern WorldComplacencyAnnihilationLove Your EnemiesGood Against EvilLoving Your EnemiesI Hate LoveChain ReactionsImpasse
Book:I Have a Dream: The Quotations of Martin Luther King, Jr
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“Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”

LoveLifePhilosophyWisdomHateLiteraturePeaceMarriageHatredAngerEducationalCivil RightsReleaseHatedLove LifeInspirational LoveIlluminationGreat LoveCivil Rights MovementLove HateLove And HateFamous LoveParalyzedLight And DarkSpiritual LoveI Have A Dream SpeechKings SpeechKings And LoveCivil Right MovementTrue Love Conquers AllHatred And LoveDarkeningMind LoveStop HatingHated LoveHatred And AngerHatred For Love
Book:The Wisdom of Martin Luther King, Jr
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“Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.”

MenBeautifulValuesHateCausesPersonalityDiversityHatredSocial JusticeUnityCancerUglyConfusionHatedConfusingObjectivityMan HatingHatred And AngerStrength And LoveI Hate Men
Book:Strength to Love
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“Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart.”

LifeHeartMomentsJoyHateLanguageMy HeartYogaSymbolsLive LifeFulfillmentFulfilledGraduationPower Of WordsHeart To HeartFulfilling LifeFulfilled LifePersonal FulfillmentLanguage And PowerFulfillment In Life
Book:The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.:
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“I'm concerned about a better world. I'm concerned about justice; I'm concerned about brotherhood; I'm concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about that, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can't establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate through violence. Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that.”

WorldMayLightMotivationalHateCan DoJusticeDarknessViolenceConcernedMurderLiarsBrotherhoodMurderer
Book:The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.:
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“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate... Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

MayFactsLightLyingHateEvilFearPeaceCan DoDarknessViolenceKingsWeaknessHatredUltimateIncreaseMurderLiarsNon ViolenceOnly LoveSpiralsDescendingViolence And PeaceKings And LoveLove Not Hate
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“Violence never really deals with the basic evil of the situation. Violence may murder the murderer, but it doesn’t murder murder. Violence may murder the liar, but it doesn’t murder lie; it doesn’t establish truth. Violence may even murder the dishonest man, but it doesn’t murder dishonesty. Violence may go to the point of murdering the hater, but it doesn’t murder hate. It may increase hate. It is always a descending spiral leading nowhere. This is the ultimate weakness of violence: It multiplies evil and violence in the universe. It doesn’t solve any problems.”

MenMayProblemLyingHateUniverseEvilDealsSituationViolenceWeaknessUltimateIncreaseMurderSolveLiarsMurdererDishonestySpiralsDescending
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“I cannot make myself believe that God wanted me to hate. I'm tired of violence, I've seen too much of it. I've seen such hate on the faces of too many sheriffs in the South. And I'm not going to let my oppressor dictate to me what method I must use. Our oppressors have used violence. Our oppressors have used hatred. Our oppressors have used rifles and guns. I'm not going to stoop down to their level. I want to rise to a higher level. We have a power that can't be found in Molotov cocktails.”

WantBelieveUseWantedFacesUsedHateFoundLevelsToo MuchViolenceHigherGunHatredMethodTiredSouthOppressorsCocktailsI'm TiredRiflesHigher LevelStoopsSheriffsMolotovMolotov Cocktail
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“There may come a time when it will be possible for you to humiliate your worst enemy or even to defeat him, but in order to love the enemy you must not do it... The Greek language has another word [for love]. It calls it agape. Agape is more than romantic love. Agape is more than friendship. Agape is understanding, redemptive goodwill for all men. Agape is an overflowing love, a spontaneous love, which seeks nothing in return. And theologians would say that it is the love of God operating in the human heart. When you rise to love on this level you love all men, not because you like them, not because their ways appeal to you, not because they are worthful to you, but you love all men because God loves them. And you rise to the noble heights of loving the person who does the evil deed while hating the deed that the person does. And I think this is what Jesus means when he says, “Love your enemies.””

MenWayLifeMeanPersonsDoeSoulHateEvilOpportunityJesusIndividualUnderstandingLove IsEnemyLove YouDefeatRefuseDeedsYour SoulGod LoveGoodwillLove Your EnemiesAgapeLoving Your Enemies
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“We can no longer afford to worship the God of hate or bow before the altar of retaliation. The oceans of history are made turbulent by the ever-rising tides of hate. History is cluttered with the wreckage of nations and individuals that pursued this self-defeating path of hate. Love is the key to the solution of the problems of the world.”

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Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“Love is basic for the very survival of mankind. I'm convinced that love is the only absolute ultimately; love is the highest good. He who loves has somehow discovered the meaning of ultimate reality. He who hates does not know God; he who hates has no knowledge of God. Love is the supreme unifying principle of life.”

KnowsLifeDoeRealityHateLove IsPrinciplesMankindSurvivalHighestUltimateAbsolutesConvincedSupremeGod LoveKnowing GodKnowledge Of GodUnifyingUltimate Reality
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“I have decided to love. If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And the beautiful thing is that we are moving against wrong when we do it, because John was right, God is love. He who hates does not know God, but he who has love has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.”

IfsThinkingKnowsLoveDoeRealityBeautifulMovingHateCompassionDoorsKeysHighestDecidedUltimateSeekingBeautiful ThingsKnowing GodGod Is LoveUltimate Reality
Book:The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.:
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“I am convinced that love is the most durable power in the world. It is not an expression of impractical idealism, but of practical realism. Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, love is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization. To return hate for hate does nothing but intensify the existence of evil in the universe. Someone must have sense enough and religion enough to cut off the chain of hate and evil, and this can only be done through love.”

WorldDoeWarDoneEnoughHateUniverseEvilPeaceLove IsExistenceCuttingExpressionReturnCivilizationSurvivalAbsolutesConvincedPracticalsChainsDreamerRealismIdealismPiousUtopian
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“In struggling for human dignity the oppressed people of the world must not allow themselves to become bitter or indulge in hate campaigns. To retaliate with hate and bitterness would do nothing but intensify the hate in the world. Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can be done only by projecting the ethics of love to the center of our lives.”

PeopleWorldWayHumansWarDoneEnoughHatePeaceStruggleOur LivesCuttingMoralityEthicsDignityCampaignsBitterChainsBitternessOppressedIndulgeHuman DignityIndulge In
Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love.”

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Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“It is my hope that as the Negro plunges deeper into the quest for freedom and justice he will plunge even deeper into the philosophy of non-violence. The Negro all over the South must come to the point that he can say to his white brother: "We will match your capacity to inflict suffering with our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force. We will not hate you, but we will not obey your evil laws. We will soon wear you down by pure capacity to suffer".”

SoulPhilosophyLawSufferingHateEvilForceJusticeWhiteViolenceBrotherPureCapacitySouthEndureDeeperQuestsHate YouNon ViolencePlungePhysical ForceSoul Force
Book:The Wisdom of Martin Luther King, Jr
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“Don't ever let anyone pull you so low as to hate them. We must use the weapon of love. We must have the compassion and understanding for those who hate us. We must realize so many people are taught to hate us that they are not totally responsible for their hate. But we stand in life at midnight; we are always on the threshold of a new dawn.”

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Author:Martin Luther King, Jr.
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