Musings

This post came about by me stumbling upon a single quote by Martin Luther King Jr. After some quote searching, I found the others. The man had said many things that I find are very applicable to our current situation. These quotes are taken from multiple speeches. I have arranged them in hopes that it would flow together.

Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.

Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies - or else? The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.

That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.

Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.

Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.

Let no man pull you low enough to hate him.

Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.

The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and, therefore, brothers.

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

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

Words of wisdom from a man who gave his life fighting against injustice with love. So people, like he said, hate will just bring everyone down. Let us not hate. Christians especially, let us follow the lead of Jesus Christ. Let us love one another. Don't let anyone pull you low enough to hate. Let us not be bitter. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. Who better to show us how than Love Himself?

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