He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. Martin Luther King, Jr. More Quotes by Martin Luther King, Jr. More Quotes From Martin Luther King, Jr. A religion true to its nature must also be concerned about man's social conditions....A ny religion that professes to be concerned with the souls of men and is not concerned with the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, and the social conditions that cripple them is a dry-as-dust religion. Martin Luther King, Jr. dustsoulmen Violence multiplies violence. Martin Luther King, Jr. violence I am convinced that...in the struggle for righteousness man has cosmic companionship. Martin Luther King, Jr. companionshipstrugglemen We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers. Martin Luther King, Jr. yogabrotherinspirational The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists, who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood. The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific and religious freedom have always been nonconformists. In any cause that concerns the progress of mankind, put your faith in the nonconformist! Martin Luther King, Jr. religiousjusticelying Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a descending spiral, ultimately ending in destruction for all and everybody. Somebody must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. And you do that by love. Martin Luther King, Jr. cuttinghatemen All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. Martin Luther King, Jr. upliftingteachingwork We who in engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. Martin Luther King, Jr. direct-actionsurfacealive If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, Maybe I could understand some of these illegal injunctions. ... But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. Martin Luther King, Jr. russiagreatnesscountry The potential beauty of human life is constantly made ugly by man's ever-recurring song of retaliation. Martin Luther King, Jr. uglysongmen If America does not use her vast resources of wealth to end poverty and make it possible for all of God's children to have the basic necessities of life, she too will go to hell. Martin Luther King, Jr. doechildrenamerica You can't talk about solving the economic problem of the Negro without talking about billions of dollars. You can't talk about ending the slums without first saying profit must be taken out of the slums. You're really tampering and getting on dangerous ground because you are messing with folk then. You are messing with captains of industry. Now this means that we are treading in difficult water, because it really means that we are saying that something is wrong with capitalism. Martin Luther King, Jr. takentalkingmean [W]e are the heirs of a past of rope, fire, and murder. I for one am not ashamed of this past. My shame is for those who became so inhuman that they could inflict this torture upon us. Martin Luther King, Jr. black-historyfirepast 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. Martin Luther King, Jr. destinydecisionmen True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice. Martin Luther King, Jr. kingspeacelife It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. Martin Luther King, Jr. lovewarpeace Even if they try to kill you, you develop the inner conviction that there are some things so precious, some things so eternally true that they are worth dying for. And if a person has not found something to die for, that person isn't fit to live! Martin Luther King, Jr. fitdyingtrying We must combine the toughness of the serpent with the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart. Martin Luther King, Jr. toughmindheart I want to suggest some of the things that should begin your life's blueprint. Number one...should be a deep belief in your own dignity. Your worth and your own somebodiness... Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance. Martin Luther King, Jr. beliefwantnumbers Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation. Martin Luther King, Jr. powerfuldeterminationmoving
