Quotes from Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Brilliant thoughts from
a Prophet for Our and All Times
Quotes from
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Every man must decide
whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of
destructive selfishness. ”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“The past is prophetic
in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful
tomorrows”
“He who is devoid of
the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.”
“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.”
“Only in the darkness
can you see the stars.”
“Let no man pull you so
low as to hate him.”
“Never succumb to the
temptation of bitterness.”
“Forgiveness is not an
occasional act; it is a constant attitude.”
“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.”
“Whatever affects one
directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you
are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.”
“I refuse to accept the
view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and
war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a
reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the
final word.”
“Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual
power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”
“We must come to see
that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live
with its conscience.”
“History will have to
record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not
the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good
people.”
“A nation or
civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own
spiritual death on the installment plan.”
“No, no, we are not
satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters
and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
“The hope of a secure
and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to
justice, peace and brotherhood.”
“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.”
“Of all the forms of
inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”
“Never forget that
everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”
“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.”
“At the center of
non-violence stands the principle of love.”
“Violence as a way of
achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. I am not unmindful of
the fact that violence often brings about momentary results. Nations have
frequently won their independence in battle. But in spite of temporary
victories, violence never brings permanent peace.”
“Returning hate for
hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of
stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot
drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence
multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral
of destruction.”
“Mankind must put and
end to war or war will put an end to mankind.”
“I have the audacity to
believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies,
education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for
their spirits.”
“By opening our lives
to God in Christ, we become new creatures. This experience, which Jesus spoke
of as the new birth, is essential if we are to be transformed nonconformists …
Only through an inner spiritual transformation do we gain the strength to fight
vigorously the evils of the world in a humble and loving spirit.”
“Now there is a final
reason I think that Jesus says, ‘Love your enemies.’ It is this: that love has
within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually
transforms individuals. Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep
loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in
the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a
little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the
power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see.
It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love
that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down
and is destructive. So love your enemies.”
“The God whom we
worship is not a weak and incompetent God. He is able to beat back gigantic
waves of opposition and to bring low prodigious mountains of evil. The ringing
testimony of the Christian faith is that God is able.”
“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But… the good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’
Labels: anti-rascism, catholic social teaching, justice, Martin Luther King Day, mlk, non-violence, peace, racism
posted by A Jesuit's Jottings at
Tuesday, January 10, 2023
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