Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the greatest personalities whose powerful words will continue to inspire generations to come.
The words and quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on hope, justice, love and equality are timeless treasures of wisdom.
That’s why, on the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we have created a list of great quotes that will inspire you in all aspects of life.
55+ Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes
1. Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes About Life 🌟
- “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'”
- Reference: Sermon at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama (1957).
- “The time is always right to do what is right.”
- Reference: Oberlin College Commencement Speech, Ohio (1965).
- “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
- Reference: From a speech in Stride Toward Freedom (1958).
- “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
- Reference: Strength to Love (1963).
- “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
- Reference: Sermon, Selma, Alabama (1965).
- “The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.”
- Reference: From a sermon, Atlanta, Georgia (1968).
- “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
- Reference: Why We Can’t Wait (1964).
- “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”
- Reference: Stride Toward Freedom (1958).
- “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
- Reference: Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963).
- “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.”
- Reference: Speech at Spelman College, Atlanta (1960).
2. Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes on Equality ✊🕊️
- “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
- Reference: Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963).
- “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
- Reference: Speech in St. Louis, Missouri (1964).
- “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
- Reference: Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963).
- “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”
- Reference: Stride Toward Freedom (1958).
- “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.”
- Reference: I Have a Dream Speech, Washington D.C. (1963).
- “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”
- Reference: Speech at New York City Labor Rally (1962).
- “No one is free until we are all free.”
- Reference: Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963).
- “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”
- Reference: Strength to Love (1963).
- “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
- Reference: I Have a Dream Speech, Washington D.C. (1963).
- “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”
- Reference: Speech at Riverside Church, New York City (1967).
3. Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes on Success 🌟🏆
- “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.”
- Reference: Speech at Spelman College, Atlanta (1960).
- “Whatever your life’s work is, do it well.”
- Reference: The Drum Major Instinct sermon (1968).
- “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.”
- Reference: The Purpose of Education (1947).
- “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”
- Reference: Speech in Chicago, Illinois (1966).
- “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve.”
- Reference: The Drum Major Instinct sermon (1968).
- “We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.”
- Reference: Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963).
- “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”
- Reference: I Have a Dream Speech, Washington D.C. (1963).
- “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
- Reference: Strength to Love (1963).
- “Courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear.”
- Reference: Sermon at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church (1957).
- “Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. But be the best of whatever you are.”
- Reference: Speech to Barratt Junior High School (1967).
4. Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes on Love ❤️
- “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
- Reference: Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (1967).
- “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
- Reference: Strength to Love (1963).
- “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”
- Reference: Strength to Love (1963).
- “He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.”
- Reference: Strength to Love (1963).
- “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”
- Reference: A Gift of Love (1963).
5. Quotes on Education and Knowledge 📚
- “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.”
- Source: “The Purpose of Education,” 1947.
- “The complete education gives one not only power of concentration but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate.”
- Source: “The Purpose of Education,” 1947.
- “We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.”
- Source: “The Purpose of Education,” 1947.
- “Education without morals is like a ship without a compass, merely wandering nowhere.”
- Source: Attributed in various speeches.
- “The group consisting of mother, father, and child is the main educational agency of mankind.”
- Source: Attributed in various speeches.
6. Quotes on Justice and Injustice ⚖️
- “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
- Source: “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963.
- “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
- Source: Speech at the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., March 31, 1968.
- “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”
- Source: “Stride Toward Freedom,” 1958.
- “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.”
- Source: “Our God is Marching On!” speech, March 25, 1965.
- “Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.”
- Source: “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963.
7. Quotes on Faith and Religion 🙏
- “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
- Source: Attributed in various speeches.
- “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
- Source: “Strength to Love,” 1963.
- “Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control.”
- Source: “Strength to Love,” 1963.
- “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”
- Source: “Strength to Love,” 1963.
- “God is able to give you the power to endure that which cannot be changed.”
- Source: “Strength to Love,” 1963.
8. Quotes on Freedom and Oppression 🗽
- “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
- Source: “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963.
- “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”
- Source: “Stride Toward Freedom,” 1958.
- “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself.”
- Source: “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963.
- “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.”
- Source: “I Have a Dream” speech, August 28, 1963.
- “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
- Source: “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963.
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