DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.--In His Own Words
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the peculiar congruency of the stars that has matched his dream with the triumph of hope represented by Barack Obama, here are some of his memorable words.
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
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.
Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.
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.
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.
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.
I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.
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.
Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.
Property is intended to serve life, and no matter how much we surround it with rights and respect, it has no personal being. It is part of the earth man walks on. It is not man.
That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.
The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.
The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.
We are not makers of history. We are made by history.
When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.