Will we march only to the music of time, or will we, risking criticism and abuse, march to the soul-saving music of eternity?

Nothing is so much needed as a secure family life for a people seeking to rise out of poverty and backwardness.

Carve a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment.

The negro cannot win the respect of the white people of the south or the peoples of the world if he is willing to sell the future of his children for his personal and immediate comfort and safety.

The great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct.

Human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals who are willing to be co-workers with God and without this hard work time itself becomes an ally of the primitive forces of social stagnation.

If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in the struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos.