"Letter from the Birmingham Jail" Quotes

We will 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.

Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.

We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.

Injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent, and determined action.

We who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive.

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

We must come to see that human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability.

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.

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.

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