In this time of chaos, fear, and doubt, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words bring calm, clarity, and unity.
January 15 should have been King’s 92nd birthday and Americans celebrated his legacy and what his words of wisdom mean now during the 35th annual MLK Day of Celebration on Monday, January 18. The pastor and humanitarian’s life was cut short when he was just 39 years old: he was shot and killed on April 4, 1968.
You can find some of MLK’s most important and poignant quotes, collected by Bored Panda, below. Upvote the ones that resonated the most with you and the ones that you think are especially important in these confusing times. Become a part of the discussion and share your thoughts about King’s ideas and his legacy in the comments.
#21
"If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live."
Martin Luther King Jr
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#22
"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."
Martin Luther King Jr.
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#23
"Let no man pull you so low as to hate him."
Martin Luther King Jr.
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#24
"Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude."
Martin Luther King Jr.
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#25
"The ultimate tragedy ... was not the brutality of the bad people, but the silence of the good people."
Martin Luther King Jr.
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#26
"There comes a time when we must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because it is right."
Martin Luther King Jr.
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#27
"Like anybody, I would like to live a long life — longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will."
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22points
#28
"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle."
Martin Luther King Jr.
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#29
“That old law about ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
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#30
"Nonviolence is absolute commitment to the way of love. Love is not emotional bash; it is not empty sentimentalism. It is the active outpouring of one’s whole being into the being of another."
Martin Luther King Jr.
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