13 Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes for MLK Day and Every Day

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Excerpt: 13 Martin Luther King Jr. quotes to remind you of the dreams and values that King stood for that we mustn’t forget…

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Introduction: MLK’s Legacy

Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream Speech“ on August 28, 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in front of 250,000 civil rights supporters [1].

During the opening of his speech, King made a reference to the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed millions of slaves in 1863, and said, “one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free.”

It has been a little more than fifty years since then and what I challenge you to do as you read the following is compare King’s vision for the future with the world as you know it today.

The world as you know it may be very different than the world as I know it, but the one thing that I feel confident is true about both of our worlds is that neither has perfect equality.

I am confident that you still see inequalities and oppressive behavior just as I do and that the struggle for complete equality is still going on today.

What’s important to note though, that even King understood, is that there are no ‘quick fixes’ and that equality can only be acquired over time and through persistent effort.

He said, “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”  

My intention in compiling this list is to share with you and remind you of King’s vision as is preserved in the power of his words.

His vision is his legacy. What he stood for and how he took action to stand up for his beliefs is what has carried on and has endured the test of time. And what I hope to inspire and re-ignite in the hearts of our readers is the passionate concern for the well being and equality of others!

I want you, as you read the words below, to really reflect on King’s message and think about how you can apply it to the way you lead your life.

Not tomorrow, but today. King said, “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there ‘is’ such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”

Be the change you wish to see in the world. Stand up for others when they are being mistreated. Don’t be the person that waits until somebody else does something about inequalities, be the somebody that stands up while everybody else is waiting. As King has proved, the power of one should never be underestimated.

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Related: 23 Quotes on Changing the World and How To Start Making a Difference ↗

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An Excerpt from King’s I Have A Dream Speech:

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of ‘interposition’ and ‘nullification’ — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; ‘and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.'”

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Watch Martin Luther King Jr.’s, “I Have A Dream” Speech on YouTube ↗

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The List: 13 Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes for MLK Day and Every Day

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“Hatred paralyses life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“I’m concerned about a better world. I’m concerned about justice; I’m concerned about brotherhood; I’m concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about that, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can’t murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can’t establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can’t murder hate through violence. Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

Bonus: 3 Reasons Why You Must Speak Up For What’s Right!

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“You may be 38 years old, as I happen to be. And one day, some great opportunity stands before you and calls you to stand up for some great principle, some great issue, some great cause. And you refuse to do it because you are afraid…. You refuse to do it because you want to live longer…. You’re afraid that you will lose your job, or you are afraid that you will be criticized or that you will lose your popularity, or you’re afraid that somebody will stab you, or shoot at you or bomb your house; so you refuse to take the stand.  Well, you may go on and live until you are 90, but you’re just as dead at 38 as you would be at 90. And the cessation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit.”

Martin Luther King Jr.