50 Inspiring Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes On Peace, Love and Equality

50 Inspiring Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes On Peace, Love and Equality

Dr. Martin Lurther King Jr. was an influential and inspiring figure in fighting for civil rights in the 1960s. His efforts play a significant role in how we treat and accept each other, irrespective of race or gender, in the modern day. It is a shame that his dream hasn’t been realized to this day, so we remember and continue to fight for everything that he stood for during his time in order to bring positive change into the world.  

Dr. King was a man of honorable faith and morale, which he put to great use to urge and encourage others to push and live the message of peace, love and equality among all people. He is well known for his methods and words of love and acceptance for all human beings which put him in the forefront in organizing the March on Washington and delivering his timeless speech ‘I Have A Dream’ which brought together a crowd of nearly 250,000 people. 

Although the spring of 2020 marks the 52nd year since the assassination of Dr. King, we still remember and fight for what he believed in because his message is one that we hold in our hearts. His legacy has influenced and inspired the lives of many who wish to see a better world with an unshakable message.

His words of wisdom and love remain immortalized to this day so we have collected 50 Inspiring Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes On Peace, Love and Equality to help you keep your head and stay strong in chaotic times like these.

Related: Love and life are gifts worth celebrating. Here are 50 Beautiful Maya Angelou Quotes That Celebrate Love and Life.

Here are 50 Inspiring Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes On Peace, Love and Equality:

1. “But I know, somehow that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

2. “A riot is the language of the unheard.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

3. “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

4. “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

5. “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

6. “Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

7. “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

8. “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

9. “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.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

10. “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

11. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

12. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

13. “Your ignorance is their power.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

14. “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

15. “Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better. — Martin Luther King Jr.

16. “There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

17. “Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression in retaliation. The foundation of such a method is Love.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

18. “It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

19. “Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

20. “Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

21. “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but I can keep him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

22. “Courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

23. “If I cannot do great things I can do small things in a great way.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

24. “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

25. “Never, never be afraid to do what’s right. Especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the ones we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

26. “When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong you cannot be too conservative.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

27. “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

28. “Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

29. “I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

30. “The time is always right to do something right.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

31. “To be great, you have to be willing to be mocked, hated, and misunderstood. Stay strong.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

32. “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness tonight already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

33. “The richer we have become materially, the poor we become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly in the air like birds and swim in the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

34. “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

35. “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the pressure; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

36. “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.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

37. “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

38. “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

39. “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.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

40. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

41. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

42. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

43. “If a man is cold to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, he lived a great Street sweeper who did his job well.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

44. “We must learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

45. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” — Martin Luther King Jr.

46. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

47. “Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

48. “Let no man pull you low enough to hate him.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

49. “Live like Jesus died yesterday, rose this morning, and is coming back tomorrow.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

50. “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” — Martin Luther King Jr.