Famous Martin Luther King Jr Quotes on Love, Strength and Justice

Welcome to this page dedicated to some of the best, famous Martin Luther King Jr quotes. These great quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. focus on his most important, yet remarkably simple message to the American people.

Basically the essence of Martin Luther King Jr.'s mission is to encourage people to live a life from a place of unconditional love and non-violence while doing their very best to live by what they believe in.

Let's start off this page with some quotes from one of Martin Luther King's most famous speeches of all time, I Have a Dream

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I Have a Dream Quotes

I Have a Dream was a powerful speech Martin Luther King Jr. delivered to the public on August 28th, 1963.

This 17 minute speech has gone down through history as one of the best and most influential American speeches in the 20th century. When you say 'I have a dream' everybody knows who and what you are referring to.

In this speech Martin Luther King makes a plea to the American people to put an end to inequality, racism segration and discrimination.

Here are some quotes from I Have a Dream:

Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.
~ Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Martin Luther King Quotes on Violence and Non-Violence

Martin Luther King Jr. was on a mission for freedom, equality and justice. However, not by any means possible.

Martin Luther King didn't endorse the use of traditional weapons that cause damage and tear apart.

No, he was in favor of a much more powerful weapon, one that brings together, heals and creates happiness.

Yes, Martin Luther King Jr. would say that his primary weapon of resistance is one of love.

In fact, Martin Luther King was a big fan of Mahatma Gandhi's teachings of universal love, understanding and acceptance.

Thus he was greatly inspired by Gandhi's method of demonstrating through non-violent means of resistance.

Here are some quotes on non-violence:

Since being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity. In a real sense, Mahatma Gandhi embodied in his life certain universal principles that are inherent in the moral structure of the universe, and these principles are as inescapable as the law of gravitation.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.
~ Famous sayings by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

Another famous 1960s American civil rights fighter was Malcom X.

However, contrary to Martin Luther King Jr.'s vigorous exception to violence, Malcom X did not repudiate violence. Malcom X saw violence as a potential necessary means to fight for human dignity and reach justice.

Despite Malcom X's verbal attack on Martin Luther King Jr.'s efforts as teaching the African American man to be defenceless against injustice and cruelty, Martin Luther King Jr. maintained his view that love and non-violent means make out the most correct way to reach equality.

Here are more powerful Martin Luther King Jr quotes on violence:

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.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

Man was born into barbarism when killing his fellow man was a normal condition of existence. He became endowed with a conscience. And he has now reached the day when violence toward another human being must become as abhorrent as eating another's flesh.
~ Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

Here Martin Luther King Jr. says that answering violence with violence does not lead to justice or peace. It will rather leave everybody crippled.

According to Martin Luther King the right thing is to object to violence and injustice with non-violent means and instead of declaring hate towards the oppressors, he advocates of promoting messages of love and unity.

Find more quotes on non-violence below:

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.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Quotes on Brotherhood and Equality

Martin Luther King Jr. wasn't on a mission of war and separation. It would be much more correct to say that he was on a mission of love and unity.

He strongly urged people to judge each other by character and inner qualities rather than skin color.

He saw human beings as having the potential of doing great thing together and in coorporation, as brothers in spirit.

Here are some famous Martin Luther King Jr quotes about equality and brotherhood:

Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

strong>We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.
~ Famous sayings by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Martin Luther King Quotes on Love
- Love Is the Only Answer!

Martin Luther King Jr.'s clearest message of all is that of love, practice love because love breeds love.

His determent conviction that love is the only way to truly unite people is incredibly spiritually advanced and powerful.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s deeps insights into the mechanism of love - that thinking and acting from a place of love is the only real solution to hate and violence, shine through most of his speeches.

Here are some insightful Martin Luther King quotes on love.

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 ... The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars -must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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.
~ Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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.
~ Martin Luther King quotes ~

Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

Here Martin Luther King Jr. might be referring to the Beingness of love.

Acting in a spirit of love towards a goal of love is a much more pleasant state of being that acting from a place of anger toward a goal of other people's defeat.

Read on to see how these Martin Luther King quotes emphasize love as the solution to problems and challenges:

I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems. And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn't popular to talk about it in some circles today. I'm not talking about emotional bosh when I talk about love, I'm talking about a strong, demanding love.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Quotes on Hate
- Don't Fight Hate with Hate

Despite injustice, violence and discrimination Martin Luther King Jr. still urged African Americans to not go down the road of hate.

Martin Luther King saw hate as being destructive of man's inner essence, clouding good judgement and being obstructive for what man really wants, namely to be happy and loving.

Here are some wonderful Martin Luther King Jr quotes on hate:

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. So it goes. ... Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
~ Famous sayings by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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.
~ Martin Luther King quotes ~

Let no man pull you low enough to hate him.
~ Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumines it.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Quotes on Education

To Martin Luther King Jr. education is not just about teaching the skills of how to read and write.

The aim of education is also to help people find their true character and act from it. To encourage people to use their critical sense and refrain from misguiding rules and object to unfair systems.

Here are some quotes on educations:

To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of education. Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate... If we are not careful, our colleges will produce a group of close-minded, unscientific, illogical propagandists, consumed with immoral acts. Be careful, "brethren!" Be careful, teachers!
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Creativity and Conformity Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. urged people to wake up, get of their secure comfort zone and make a stand for what they truly believe in ... even if it means going against mainstream values and system rules.

To Martin Luther King Jr. ignorant conformity and egoistic silence were just as bad as active violence.

Therefore his mission was not only to open people's eyes but make them act from what they then saw.

Below are some quotes on conformity:

Success, recognition, and conformity are the bywords of the modern world where everyone seems to crave the anesthetizing security of being identified with the majority.
~ Famous sayings by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.
~ Martin Luther King quotes ~

Going against the masses is risky business, but for Martin Luther King Jr. personal sacrifice was acceptable for what he saw as a course of 'rightness'.

He saw his mission of freedom as more important than chained security.

Here are more quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. about creativity:

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be... The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.
~ Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Martin Luther King Jr. Quotations on Mental Strength

Some people mistook Martin Luther King Jr. mission of love and non-violence as being a sign of weakness.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s response to such accusations would be that in your mind you must stand firmly by your beliefs and values. You must act by them in your everyday life. Doing that unrelentlessly is true strength of the mind.

These Martin Luther King Jr quotes speak both of the power of love and the strength of the mind:

We must combine the toughness of the serpent and the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Freedom Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr.

These freedom quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. are actually about choice.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s higher message is that man always has the freedom of choice. The freedom to choose beliefs, values and goals.

Some of the most important choices have challenging consequences which refrain many people from making them. They would rather go down the easy, crowded road toward a predictable goal rather than the deserted alley the end of which you cannot yet see.

Martin Luther King Jr. would encourage you to follow the road of your heart and face the potential consequences rather than follow the masses because it's safe and secure.

Here are some great Martin Luther King quotes about freedom and choice:

Man is man because he is free to operate within the framework of his destiny. He is free to deliberate, to make decisions, and to choose between alternatives. He is distinguished from animals by his freedom to do evil or to do good and to walk the high road of beauty or tread the low road of ugly degeneracy.
~ Martin Luther King quotes ~

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent.
~ Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
~ Famous sayings by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Quotes on Beliefs and Passion

Martin Luther King Jr. was a brilliant speech writer a powerful orator. The passion of his beliefs not only shines through his words but if you've heard some of his speeches, you can hear his voice almost trembling with passion.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a man on a mission of human rights, justice and equality - values he was prepared to die for.

Read these Martin Luther King quotes on beliefs and passion:

If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values - that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control.
~ Martin Luther King quotes ~

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Leadership Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr.

These leadership quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. speak about harnessing the drum major instinct.

The drum major instinct refers to the human desire to be first, to lead, to have a say, to be important.

Basically Martin Luther King Jr. says that this desire is a good thing. It's a good thing to aspire to excellence.

However, with leadership comes a responsibility and that responsibility is about using your power to the welfare of others.

Therefore Martin Luther King Jr. speaks of 'harnessing' the drum major instinct and use it the name of love and generosity.

Do enjoy these great Martin Luther King quotes on leadership:

We all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. ... And the great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct. It is a good instinct if you don't distort it and pervert it. Don't give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be the first in love. I want you to be the first in moral excellence. I want you to be the first in generosity.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
~ Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Martin Luther King Quotes on Peace

Martin Luther King Jr. was of the realization that peace can only be achieved via peaceful means.

Therefore he would only approve of and lead peaceful, non-violent resistance to the existing rules.

Dive into the wise Martin Luther King Jr quotes on peace and goals:

Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.
~ Famous sayings by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Ignorance Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr.

What frustrated Martin Luther King Jr. the most was not what he saw as immoral or 'evil' acts of individuals or the system.

No, it was the silent acceptance of injustice by the masses. The willingness to remain ignorant because of the unconscious belief that clear knowledge might dangerous.

And why would knowledge be dangerous?

Well, if you knew what was right and what was wrong, and if you had any personal integrity and sense of justice, you would then have to act on it.

And that action might entail sacrifice!

Here are some quotes on ignorance, stupidity and shallowness:

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.
~ Martin Luther King quotes ~

Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Quotes on Doing the Right Thing!

Martin Luther King Jr. was a firm believer of following the messages of the heart and consciousness.

He would probably say that our sense of judgement might be clouded by silly rules and restrictions but deep down everybody knows what is right and what is wrong. Don't ignore these truths, Martin Luther King Jr. would say. Follow them! Act on them!

Take some time to reflect on these Martin Luther King Jr. on doing the right thing:

The time is always right to do what is right.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being 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.
~ Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, "Is it safe?" Expediency asks the question, "Is it politic?" And Vanity comes along and asks the question, "Is it popular?" But Conscience asks the question "Is it right?" And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

And what happens when you don't do the right thing?

Well, Martin Luther King Jr.'s answer to that is more than clear:

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
~ Martin Luther King Jr ~

I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or perhaps even more so, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends.
~ Famous sayings by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Martin Luther King Jr Quotes on Fear!

So what is it that causes racial discrimination and inequality?

Well, Martin Luther King Jr. would say that at the bottom of all actions of injustice, discrimination and violence lies fear. Just basic fear!

The fear of the unknown, the fear of losing security, the fear of being controlled. All these types of fear make people do terrible things.

Martin Luther King Jr. would urge you not to succumb to acting out of fear. Fear as the basis of actions does no one any good.

Rather act out of love, caringness and consideration.

These Martin Luther King Jr quotes about fear really hit the nail on the head:

People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.
~ Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Quotes on Doing Your Best!

No matter your social status, Martin Luther King Jr. encourages you to do your best.

Because only by always doing your best, can you live a life in the spirit love. Because when you do your best, you share what you are and you give what you can.

And that makes life full and worth living.

Lean back and enjoy these Martin Luther King quotes on always doing your best:

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.
~ Martin Luther King quotes ~

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.
~ Famous sayings by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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.
~ Martin Luther King Jr ~

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Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. on Living Your Life to the Fullest!

Enjoy the Now.

You never know what may happen tomorrow, so don't procrastinate. Start now doing what you're meant to do.

Enjoy these Martin Luther King Jr. on living your life the fullest:

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.
~ Martin Luther King Jr ~

The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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Quotes on Acceptance and Forgiveness

Full acceptance and complete forgiveness are perhaps some of the most challenging aspects of human relationships.

To Martin Luther King Jr. acceptance and forgiveness lay at the heart of unconditional love.

If you cannot fully accept someone in spite of what you perceive as unacceptable flaws or if you cannot forgive someone for their wrongdoings to you, it is not them that will suffer the most. No, it is yourself because you shutting the door to love.

Here are some powerful quotes on acceptance and forgiveness:

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.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~

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.
~ Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. ~

And no matter what:

Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~