17 quotes
The forces of good will must be mobilized in order to go the additional distance and make integration and the brotherhood of man a reality.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
I would not have you believe for one minute tonight that there are not white persons of good will in the South.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
All types of conniving methods are still being used to keep Negroes from becoming registered voters.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
One of the great philosophical debates of the centuries has been over the whole question of ends and means.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
Segregation must be removed before our moral and democratic health can be realized.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
If integration is to be a reality, the Negro must struggle for it.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
This was the type of reasoning that prevailed.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
Agape is more than aesthetic or romantic love. Agape is more than friendship. Agape is creative, redemptive good for all men. It is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
It seems to be a fact of life that human beings cannot continue to do wrong without eventually reaching out for some thin rationalization to clothe the obvious wrong in the beautiful garments of righteousness.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
It may be true that morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important also.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
Time is neutral. It can be used either constructively or destructively, and I'm convinced that in many points the people of ill will in the United States have used time much more effectively than the people of good will.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
I say to you in very honest terms that there are some things in our social order and in the world to which I'm proud to be maladjusted, and I would hope the men of good will will be maladjusted to these same things until the good society is realized.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
It is one of the strange ironies of history, that in a nation founded on the principle that all men are created equal, men are still arguing over whether the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
"Love" is understanding, creative good will, for all men, and I believe firmly that it is this kind of love that will lead us on through this period of transition, and make it possible for us to achieve the real society of brotherhood.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
If I stopped at this point, I would be merely stating a fact, and not telling the truth. You see, a fact is merely the absence of contradiction, but truth is the presence of coherence. Truth is the relatedness of facts.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
We have come to the point where we are able to say to those who will even use violence to block us, we will match you capacity to inflict suffering with our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet you physical force with soul force.
Address to Cornell College (1962)
Now when I talk about love, I'm not talking about emotional bosh; I'm not talking about some weak, sentimental something; I'm talking about something strong and powerful. I'm talking about something that is active good will, not just a passive, dead something.
Address to Cornell College (1962)