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Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes about Justice

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A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.

A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Men, Justice, Refuse
Address on Courage, at Brown Chapel in Selma, Alabama, March 8, 1965.

Justice too long delayed is justice denied.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Direct Action, Long, Justice
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2013). “A Time to Break Silence: The Essential Works of Martin Luther King, Jr., for Students”, p.97, Beacon Press

We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation and for those it calls enemy, for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers and sisters.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Brother, Hands, Justice
Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence, Delivered 4 April 1967, Riverside Church, New York City

Without justice, there can be no peace.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Justice, Civil Rights
Clayborne Carson, Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project, Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Stanford University, Emory University (1993). “The Movement: 1964-1970”, Greenwood Pub Group

It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Justice For All, People, Justice
Martin Luther King (Jr.), Alex Ayres (1993). “The Wisdom of Martin Luther King, Jr”, Plume

Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Love, Justice, Demand
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2013). “The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I Have a Dream" and Other Great Writings”, p.200, Beacon Press

Power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose... one of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as opposites --- polar opposites --- so that love is identified with a resignation of power, and power with a denial of love... What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Love Is, Opposites, Justice

Stand up for justice, stand up for truth; and God will be at your side forever.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Your Side, Justice, Forever

A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our present policies... True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. A true revolution of values will soon look on uneasily upon the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth with righteous indignation.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Compassion, Justice, Coins
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2013). “"In a Single Garment of Destiny": A Global Vision of Justice”, p.119, Beacon Press

Justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Justice, Justice Denied, Diminish

These are the times for real choices and not false ones. We are at the moment when our lives must be placed on the line if our nation is to survive its own folly. Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Real, Men, Justice
Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence, Delivered 4 April 1967, Riverside Church, New York City

The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Long, Justice, Arcs
"Keep Moving From This Mountain". Sermon at Temple Israel of Hollywood, February 25, 1965.

We have no alternative but to protest. For many years we have shown an amazing patience... But we come here tonight to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Years, Justice, Alternatives
Jim Haskins, James Haskins, Martin Luther King (Jr.) (1992). “I have a dream: the life and words of Martin Luther King, Jr”, Millbrook Pr

The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sad, Justice, Elbows

The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists, who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood. The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific and religious freedom have always been nonconformists. In any cause that concerns the progress of mankind, put your faith in the nonconformist!

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Religious, Lying, Justice
Martin Luther King, Jr. (2012). “A Gift of Love: Sermons from Strength to Love and Other Preachings”, p.17, Beacon Press

Will we be extremists for hate, or will we be extremists for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice, or will we be extremists for the cause of justice?

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Inspirational, Hate, Justice
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2013). “The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I Have a Dream" and Other Great Writings”, p.99, Beacon Press

We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Believe, Justice, I Have A Dream Speech
I Have a Dream, delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

Power at its best is love implementing the demand of justice.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Power, Justice, Demand
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2013). “The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I Have a Dream" and Other Great Writings”, p.200, Beacon Press

What I'm saying to you this morning is that Communism forgets that life is individual. Capitalism forgets that life is social, and the Kingdom of Brotherhood is found neither in the thesis of Communism nor the antithesis of capitalism but in a higher synthesis.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Morning, Justice, Brotherhood

All life is interrelated. The agony of the poor impoverishes the rich; the betterment of the poor enriches the rich. We are inevitably our brother's keeper because we are our brother's brother. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Brother, Agony, Justice
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2013). “"In a Single Garment of Destiny": A Global Vision of Justice”, p.88, Beacon Press

Power is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice is love correcting everything that goes against love.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Love, Power, Justice

A Church that has lost its voice for justice is a Church that has lost its relevance in the world.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Voice, Justice, Church

A society is always eager to cover misdeeds with a cloak of forgetfulness, but no society can fully repress an ugly past when the ravages persist into the present. America owes a debt of justice which it has only begun to pay.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Past, America, Justice
"Where Do We Go from Here : Chaos or Community?". Book by Martin Luther King, Jr., p. 109, 1967.

Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that's all I want to say.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Justice, Want, Matter
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2013). “The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I Have a Dream" and Other Great Writings”, p.224, Beacon Press

We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go up to the mountaintop. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Land, Justice, Diversity
I've Been to the Mountaintop, delivered 3 April 1968, Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters), Memphis, Tennessee

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