An individual has not begun to live until he can rise above the narrow horizons of his particular individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. And this is one of the big problems of life, that so many people never quite get to the point of rising above self. And so they end up the tragic victims of self-centeredness. They end up the victims of distorted and disrupted personality.
Martin Luther King, Jr.I decide on the basis of conscience. A genuine leader doesn't reflect consensus, he molds consensus.
Martin Luther King, Jr.It is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of high maturity, to rise to the level of self-criticism.
Martin Luther King, Jr.In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.
Martin Luther King, Jr.My study of Gandhi convinced me that true pacifism is not nonresistance to evil, but nonviolent resistance to evil. Between the two positions, there is a world of difference. Gandhi resisted evil with as much vigor and power as the violent resister, but True pacifism is not unrealistic submission to evil power. It is rather a courageous confrontation of evil by the power of love. . . .
Martin Luther King, Jr.