Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist, and leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his pivotal role in advancing civil rights for African Americans through nonviolent protest and civil disobedience. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, King emerged as a prominent figure in the struggle against racial segregation and inequality in the United States. Throughout his life, King advocated for civil rights, desegregation, and voting rights, tirelessly working towards a more just and inclusive society. His leadership and advocacy played a significant role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
- 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.
- Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.
- The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
- You can kill the dreamer, but you can’t kill the dream.
- A right delayed is a right denied.
- Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
- We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.
- The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.
- The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.
- Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
- A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
- Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
- Cowardice asks the question, is it safe? Expediency asks the question, is it politic? Vanity 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 one must take it because it is right.
- Seeing is not always believing.
- 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.
- A riot is the language of the unheard.
