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Never before have I written so long a letter. I'm afraid it is much too long to take your precious time. I can assure you that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk, but what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long thoughts, and pray long prayers?

Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Martin Luther King, Jr.
Age: 39 †
Born: 1929
Born: January 15
Died: 1968
Died: April 4
Civil Rights Advocate
Human Rights Activist
Humanitarian
Leader
Minister
Pacifist
Pastor
Peace Activist
Politician
Preacher
Theologian
Atlanta
Georgia
MLK
Martin Luther King
Dr. King
Michael King
Michael King Jr.
M.L. King
Martin Luther
Jr. King
Martin Luther King
Jr.
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Desk
Would
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Pray
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More quotes by Martin Luther King, Jr.

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To dislocate the functioning of a city without destroying it can be more effective than a riot because it can be longer-lasting, costly to the society but not wantonly destructive, moreover, it is more difficult for Government to quell it by superior force.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you've depended on more than half of the world.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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This is the unusual thing about nonviolence -- nobody is defeated, everybody shares in the victory.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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When people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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We as Christians have a mandate to be nonconformists.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men. Our hope for creative living lies in our ability to reestablish the spiritual needs of our lives in personal character and social justice. Without this spiritual and moral reawakening we shall destroy ourselves in the misuse of our own instruments.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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God has given each normal person a capacity to achieve some end. True, some are endowed with more talent than others, but God has left none of us talentless.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Jesus reminds us that the good life combines the toughness of the serpent and the tenderness of the dove. To have serpent-like qualities devoid of dovelike qualities is to be passionless, mean, and selfish. To have dovelike without serpent-like qualities is to be sentimental, anemic and aimless. We must combine strongly marked antitheses.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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The great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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The first principle of value that we need to rediscover is this: that all reality hinges on moral foundations. In other words, that this is a moral universe, and that there are moral laws of the universe just as abiding as the physical laws.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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He who is greatest among you shall be a servant. That's the new definition of greatness. ... By giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Jesus Christ was an extremist for love, truth and goodness.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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I do think there must be centralized leadership in the sense that, say, in our struggle all of the leaders coordinate their efforts, cooperate and, and at least evince a degree of unity.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson etched across the pages of history the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence, we were here.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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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 by defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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The end of life is not to be happy, nor to achieve pleasure and avoid pain, but to do the will of God, come what may.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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We know of no more crucial civil rights issue facing Congress today than the need to increase the federal minimum wage and extend its coverage.
Martin Luther King, Jr.