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Martin Luther King Jr. on Christmas

1929–1968 United States

← All quotes by Martin Luther King Jr.

31 quotes

Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

Love is the supreme unifying principle of life.

Keep Moving From This Mountain (1965)

We can no longer afford to worship the god of hate or bow before the altar of retaliation.

Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence (1967)

I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems. And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go.

Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (1967)

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

Strength to Love (1963)

Let us move now from the practical how to the theoretical why: Why should we love our enemies?

Loving Your Enemies (1957)

Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. the foundation of such a method is love.

By its very nature, hate destroys and tears down; by its very nature, love creates and builds up. Love transforms with redemptive power.

But there is another way. And that is to organize mass non-violent resistance based on the principle of love.

Loving Your Enemies (1957)

We must meet hate with love. We must meet physical force with soul force.

Give Us the Ballot (1957)

There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963)

Love is basic for the very survival of mankind.

Keep Moving From This Mountain (1965)

You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.

The Drum Major Instinct (1968)

While abhorring segregation, we shall love the segregationist. This is the only way to create the beloved community.

Loving Your Enemies (1957)

The darkness of racial injustice will be dispelled only by the light of forgiving love.

Loving Your Enemies (1957)

There's another reason why you should love your enemies, and that is because hate distorts the personality of the hater.

Loving Your Enemies (1957)

In order to love your enemies, you must begin by analyzing self.

Loving Your Enemies (1957)

We must in strength and humility meet hate with love.

Loving Your Enemies (1957)

Love is the most durable power in the world. This creative force ... is the most potent instrument available in mankind's quest for peace and security.

Here and there an individual or group dares to love, and rises to the majestic heights of moral maturity. So in a real sense this is a great time to be alive.

The Quest for Peace and Justice (1964)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Martin Luther King Jr. (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.