Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist, who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968, according to biography.com. His many famous speeches played a huge part in the progress of the movement and he continued to ensure his voice was heard right up until his death by assassination at just 39 years old in 1968. Some of the extracts from his speeches are what have made some of the most incredible inspiring quotes which we have highlighted within our list of these inspiring Martin Luther King Jr quotes. We hope you enjoy this list and would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below this article.
Our List of Martin Luther King Jr Quotes
1. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

2. “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.”
3. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
4. “The time is always right to do what is right.”
5. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
One of the most rewarding things we can do in this life is help out others who are in need. It is important to reach out and help people when they need us. Step back for a moment and ask yourself today, what are you doing for others right now? Is there someone out there that could use your help? Go help them, you will make their day by offering a helping hand but you’ll also make your own day, as helping others can be an incredibly rewarding experience.
6. “I am not interested in power for power’s sake, but I’m interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.”
7. “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
8. “If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”
9. “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”
10. “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”
- “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.”
- “We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but the positive affirmation of peace.”
- “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.”
- “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”
- “Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service… You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.”
- “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
- “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
- “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.”
- “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
- “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”
- “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”
- We will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.
- “Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.”
- “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
- “Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude.”
- There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.”
- “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
- “I came to the conclusion that there is an existential moment in your life when you must decide to speak for yourself; nobody else can speak for you.”
- “No person has the right to rain on your dreams.”
- “We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.”
Did you enjoy this list of Martin Luther King Jr quotes?
We hope you enjoyed this list of Martin Luther King Jr quotes. Do you know any other Martin Luther King Jr quotes that you think should be on this list? Perhaps you have something to say about one of the quotes in this list? We would love to hear your thoughts! Please leave us a comment in the comment section below.
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Anna works as a full-time writer and editor and has devoted the last ten years of her career to assisting readers in improving their perspective on life. She is a Cultural Studies graduate and now contributes to Good Morning Quotes by sharing her traveling experiences and social knowledge with our readers. When she is not typing up her next article, Anna enjoys spending time with friends, visiting new places, and supporting a healthy lifestyle.
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