7 Inspiring Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr

As we prepare to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, we remember his trailblazing activism and soaring vision for a just America. We are left with the eloquence of his words that continue to guide us forward as we strive to become a more perfect union.

1. " If we are not careful, our colleges will produce a group of close-minded, unscientific, illogical propagandists, consumed with immoral acts. Be careful, 'brethren!' Be careful, teachers! "

—“The Purpose of Education” from Morehouse College student newspaper, The Maroon Tiger, 1947

2.  " True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice. "

—from Stride Toward Freedom, 1958

3. " Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals. "

—from “A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart,” August 30, 1959

4. " We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed. "

—from ‘Letter From Birmingham Jail,’ April 16, 1963

5. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."

—from ‘Letter from Birmingham, Alabama Jail’, April 16, 1963

6. " 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. "

—from Strength to Love, 1963

7. " We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. "

—from "I Have A Dream" speech in Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963