14 MLK Quotes That Celebrate Love

Jan. 16, 2017 marks one of the most important days of the year: Martin Luther King Jr. Day. These 14 Martin Luther King Jr. quotes are worth taking the time to read over today, and they'll hopefully leave you feeling enlightened and educated once you've taken a scroll through them all.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who changed the course of history, and though he may no longer be here with us today, that doesn't stop his words from carrying their weight in 2017. Even in America, we are still dealing with severe forms of racism and hate across the country. As you'll learn from Dr. King's quotes below, there is only one way to fight that, and it is with love.

I've always respected Dr. King for a plethora of reasons, but one thing that stands out to me more and more every time I listen to one of his speeches or read about his life and legacy was his ability to remain level-headed and filled with love despite the painful and persistent hate of others. Share a quote or two from Dr. King today, and you'll be spreading not only wisdom, but love as well — and the world needs more of that.

1. "Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals."

2. "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

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

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

5. "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."

6. "Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent."

7. "We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies."

8. "Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see."

9. "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

10. "In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

11. "All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence."

12. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

13. "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"

14. "Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness."

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