Violence never really deals with the basic evil of the situation. Violence may murder the murderer, but it doesnโt murder murder. Violence may murder the liar, but it doesnโt murder lie; it doesnโt establish truth. Violence may even murder the dishonest man, but it doesnโt murder dishonesty. Violence may go to the point of murdering the hater, but it doesnโt murder hate. It may increase hate. It is always a descending spiral leading nowhere. This is the ultimate weakness of violence: It multiplies evil and violence in the universe. It doesnโt solve any problems.
Martin Luther King, Jr.I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.
Martin Luther King, Jr.I was much more afraid in Montgomery when I had a gun in my house. When I decided that I couldnโt 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.
Martin Luther King, Jr.Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all.
Martin Luther King, Jr.I would be the last to condemn the thousands of sincere and dedicated people outside the churches who have labored unselfishly through various humanitarian movements to cure the world of social evils, for I would rather a man be a committed humanist than an uncommitted Christian.
Martin Luther King, Jr.Whenever the early Christians entered a town the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators." But they went on with the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," and had to obey God rather than man. They were small in number but big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." They brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contest.
Martin Luther King, Jr.