It seems a significant number of people forget his full title begins with the title Reverend; a disciple of Christ Jesus and perhaps considered by the status-quo to be no less a “trouble-maker”. I’ve re-posted the same quote by MLK annually because it’s based in Scripture. Following are a few more from a compilation by McKenzie Jean-Philippe (1/8/2021) which includes a repeat of my favorite one (in bold): 

  • “Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is a participant in the being of God.” (from hand note mid-1960s)
  • “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.” (from “The Most Durable Power” 1956)
  • “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” (from Strength to Love 1963)
  • “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” (Ibid)
  • “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” (from “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” April 1963)
  • “We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.” (Ibid)
  • “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” (from 1964 Nobel Prize Acceptance speech)
  • “Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love . . . violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.” (from December 1964 Nobel Lecture)
  • “If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must be ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.” (from Christmas sermon on peace 1967)
  • “Hate is too great a burden to bear. I have decided to love.” (from “Where Do We Go From Here?” address 1967)
  • “I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind’s problems.” (Ibid)