At a Glance
- Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963.
- He was assassinated at age 39 on April 4, 1968.
- January 15, 1929 marks his birthday, celebrated as MLK Day on the third Monday of January.
- Why it matters: His words still guide civil rights conversations today.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s most famous moment-the “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963-remains a touchstone of American history. Before his assassination at age 39 on April 4, 1968, the Nobel Peace Prize winner spent a decade delivering speeches that continue to inspire. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, observed on the third Monday of January to honor his January 15, 1929 birthday, we revisit 17 of his most powerful quotes.
Live Together or Perish
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
- March 22, 1964, speech in St. Louis
A Cause Worth Dying For
“If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”
- June 23, 1963, speech in Detroit
Conscience Over Convenience
“On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ And Vanity comes along and asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ But Conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right.”
- February 6, 1968, speech in Washington, D.C.
Never Lose Hope
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
- From In My Own Words, a collection selected by Coretta Scott King
Time to Do Right
“We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.”
- “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963
Genuine Brotherhood
“The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.”
- Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Oslo, Norway, December 10, 1964
The Beauty of Diversity
“Let us be dissatisfied until integration is not seen as a problem but as an opportunity to participate in the beauty of diversity.”
- August 16, 1967, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Atlanta, Georgia
The Immortality of Violence
“Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding: It seeks to annihilate rather than convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.”
- Nobel Lecture, University of Oslo, December 11, 1964
Only Love
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
- Strength to Love, 1963
The Dream
“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” speech, Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963
Rocky Roads Ahead
“I must confess, my friends, the road ahead will not always be smooth. There will be still rocky places of frustration and meandering points of bewilderment. There will be inevitable setbacks here and there. There will be those moments when the buoyancy of hope will be transformed into the fatigue of despair. Our dreams will sometimes be shattered and our ethereal hopes blasted. We may again with tear-drenched eyes have to stand before the bier of some courageous civil rights worker whose life will be snuffed out by the dastardly acts of bloodthirsty mobs. Difficult and painful as it is, we must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future.”
- August 16, 1967, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Atlanta, Georgia
Our Rightful Place
“In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
- “I Have a Dream” speech, Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963
Injustice Is a Threat
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
- “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963
Power with Love
“What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.”
- August 16, 1967, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Atlanta, Georgia
Where He Stands
“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.”
- Strength to Love, 1963
Keep Moving Forward
“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.”
- 1960 speech at Spelman College
No Hate
“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”
- “The Most Durable Power” sermon, 1956
