The curse of poverty has no justification in our age.

America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked 'insufficient funds.'

We must be concerned not merely about who murdered them, but about the system, the way of life, the philosophy which produced the murderers .

I have decided to love. If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And the beautiful thing is that we are moving against wrong when we do it, because John was right, God is love. He who hates does not know God, but he who has love has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.

One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.

We must stand up and say, "I'm black and I'm beautiful," and this self-affirmation is the black man's need, made compelling by the white man's crimes against him.

All life is interrelated. The agony of the poor impoverishes the rich; the betterment of the poor enriches the rich. We are inevitably our brother's keeper because we are our brother's brother. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.