There is something wrong with our world, something fundamentally and basically wrong.

I may not get there with you, but I believe that we as a people will someday reach the promised land.

The strong man holds in a living blend strongly marked opposites.

Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.

I was much more afraid in Montgomery when I had a gun in my house. When I decided that I couldn’t keep a gun, I came face-to-face with the question of death and I dealt with it. From that point on, I no longer needed a gun nor have I been afraid. Had we become distracted by the question of my safety we would have lost the moral offensive and sunk to the level of our oppressors.

Everyone has an opportunity to be great because everyone has an opportunity to serve.

The greatness of man cannot be seen in the hours of comfort and convenience, but rather in moments of conflict/adversity