We have deluded ourselves into believing the myth that capitalism grew and prospered out of the Protestant ethic of hard work and sacrifices. Capitalism was built on the exploitation of black slaves and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor, both black and white, both here and abroad.

‎It is a cruel injustice to tell a bootless man to pull himself up by his bootstraps.

The purpose of direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.

One day we will learn that the heart can never be totally right when the head is totally wrong

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.

God made the world from nothing, and if we can be nothing, then God can make something of us.

If the Negro is to achieve the goal of integration, he must organize himself into a militant and nonviolent mass movement.