The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world, in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war and cruelty. Share with your friends. ", “An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Expediency asks the question, is it politic? I don't want anything of your country, except to be let alone,--to go peaceably out of it; and when I get to Canada, where the laws will own me and protect me, that shall be my country, and its laws I will obey. Such obedience led to the horrors we saw in totalitarian states, and in liberal states it led to the public's acceptance of war whenever the so-called democratic government decided on it... “When EVIL men make bad laws, righteous men disobey them. Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. There isn't one of all these things, that have broken the hearts of my mother and my sister, and my wife and myself, but your laws allow, and give every man power to do, in Kentucky, and none can say to him nay! See also: kindness quotes, simplicity quotes, zen quotes. ... have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: 'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?' That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. Now the law of nonviolence says that violence should be resisted not by counter-violence but by nonviolence. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”. That is not our problem.... Our problem is civil obedience. (See also patience quotes) Speak only if it improves upon the silence. We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people. And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because it is right. But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace. Vanity asks the question, is it popular? I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Capitalism does not permit an even flow of economic resources. I'm concerned about the fact that maybe all of us have contributed to this by not working harder to get rid of the conditions, the poverty, the social isolation, and all of the conditions that cause individuals to respond like this." And he's allowed me to go to the mountain. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him. What I have to do is to see, at any rate, that I do not lend myself to the wrong which I condemn.”, “I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good.”, “If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man.”, “I heartily accept the motto, "That government is best which governs least"; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. The time is always right to do what is right. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal. Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. I am not unmindful of the fact that violence often brings about momentary results. 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. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. ”, “If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go: perchance it will wear smooth--certainly the machine will wear out… but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then I say, break the law. I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law. Nothing pains some people more than having to think. The aim of such a movement always will be to improve the nature of the government, to urge and counsel resistance to military Jim Crow in the interest of a higher law--the principle of equality and justice upon which real community and security depend.”, “Only the truly evil do not believe in civil disobedience under any circumstance. The Story of My Experiments with Truth: An Autobiography, The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy, Survival Guide: Living Boldly in Trying Times. The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people. We shall be sent to prison.” To them I would reply: Even if only two percent of those assigned to perform military service should announce their refusal to fight, as well as urge means other than war of settling international disputes, governments would be powerless, they would not dare send such a large number of people to jail.”, Selected Writings From The Nicomachean Ethics And Politics. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land! Enjoy the best Martin Luther King, Jr. Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'. And all this your laws give him power to do, in spite of God or man. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. I have decided to stick with love. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe — "That government is best which governs not at all"; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant. In the long run, the most unpleasant truth is a safer companion than a pleasant falsehood. King, born Jan. 15, 1929, led a non-violent resistance movement that brought about massive changes in American culture and paved the way for the end of segregation and … Without it there could be no system of representative self-government at all. The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important. Every man with a conscience has some line in the sand over which the Government may not pass!”, “The timid may say, “What is the use? Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. And since we know that the system will not change the rules, we are going to have to change the system. But conscience asks the question, is it right? And why? Latest quotes from interviews "I had a very depressing response because I realized that these were my own people, these were Negroes throwing eggs at me. When you attempt to alter the workings of the system by means of violence or civil disobedience, this, it seems to me, can have only one of two implications; either you do not believe in democracy at all and consider that society ought to be governed by enlightened minorities such as the one to which you, of course, belong; or you consider that the present system is so imperfect that it is not truly representative, that it no longer serves adequately as a vehicle for the will of the majority, and that this leaves to the unsatisfied no adequate means of self-expression other than the primitive one of calling attention to themselves and their emotions by mass demonstrations and mass defiance of established authority.”, “[Theseus] soon found himself involved in factions and troubles; those who long had hated him had now added to their hatred contempt; and the minds of the people were so generally corrupted, that, instead of obeying commands with silence, they expected to be flattered into their duty.”, “Let us put it generally: if a regime is immoral, its subjects are free from all obligations to it.”, “Anyone leading a violent rebellion must be prepared to make an honest assessment regarding the possible casualties to a minority population confronting a well-armed, wealthy majority with a fanatical right wing that would delight in exterminating thousands of black men, women and children.”. In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. We have guided missiles and misguided men. But I'm going to have one. It is only when a person has thus obeyed the laws of society scrupulously that he is in a position to judge as to which particular rules are good and just and which unjust and iniquitous. Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while the grand thieves are running the country. This willingness to accept, in principle, the workings of a system based on the will of the majority, even when you yourself are in the minority, is simply the essence of democracy. Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. We are made by history. It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important. If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live. And our problem is that scene in All Quiet on the Western Front where the schoolboys march off dutifully in a line to war. The greatest danger, I argued, was civil obedience, the submission of individual conscience to governmental authority. We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. Download your free pdf. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Deep And Emotional Mahatma Gandhi Quotes. Welcome back. A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better. Quotes at BrainyQuote. After all, and last of all, he comes between me and my wife, and says I shall give her up, and live with another woman. Hate is too great a burden to bear. “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”, “Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it.”, “It is not always the same thing to be a good man and a good citizen.”, “An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law”, “Colorful demonstrations and weekend marches are vital but alone are not powerful enough to stop wars. We are not makers of history. Go to table of contents. 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. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. Go to table of contents. A weak man is just by accident. Theodore Roosevelt Click to tweet. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood. Arrest for its breach is more so.”, “if we don’t rebel, if we’re not physically in an active rebellion, then it’s spiritual death.”, “But now what? Whatever your life's work is, do it well. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent. ... the opposition we now face will surely fail. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies. You say your fathers did it; if it was right for them, it is right for me!”, “There is a heady sense of manhood that comes from advancing from apathy to commitment, from timidity to courage, from passivity to aggressiveness. Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. 31 Best leadership Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. Compilation of 31 best leadership quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. “Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. 68 quotes have been tagged as civil ... and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect ... in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war and cruelty. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. Osho Cowardice asks the question, is it safe? Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?'. Arrest for its breach is more so. Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. 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. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. 17 Inspirational Quotes From Martin Luther King Jr. ... some of his most inspiring quotes about refusing to stay silent in the face of injustice. Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. Do you call these the laws of my country? Mr. Wilson, look at it! I am not interested in power for power's sake, but I'm interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good. Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine. That's the way the system works. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. It is a sword that heals. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom. I just want to do God's will. BrainyQuote has been providing inspirational quotes since 2001 to our worldwide community. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.