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10 Best Martin Luther King Quotes Beyond 'I Have a Dream'
The words "I Have a Dream" are historically famous. They defined the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King. But they're just one speech in a long life of brilliance and introspection. Holding a doctorate in Systematic Theology from Boston University, King thought harder than most about mankind's relationship to each other and powers beyond our comprehension. Though we celebrate Martin Luther King Day every January, and Black History Month every February, the words and thoughtful philosophy of Dr. King extend beyond just dates on a calendar. Here are the 10 best MLK quotes that aren't "I Have a Dream."
Let these offer hope and thoughtfulness.
Best MLK Quotes to Reflect On
10. "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."
Anyone can relate to this. From huge social issues to day-to-day problems, Dr. King was reminding us, basically, that in order to live well, you have to be a realist and a boundless optimist at the same time.
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9. “We must be concerned not merely about who murdered them, but about the system, the way of life, the philosophy which produced the murderers."
Long before talk points about systematic racism dominated your social media feed, Dr. King was diving deep into asking the hard questions about why murder happens against people of specific backgrounds. This quote comes from 1963 and suggests that, perhaps, we haven't come as far as he'd hoped.
8. "We must rapidly begin the shift from a ‘thing-oriented’ society to a ‘person-oriented’ society. When machines and computers, profit motives, and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered."
From 1967, this quote is interesting, because it demonstrates that King was concerned about how technological progress could be dehumanizing. Is it any surprise that he was Star Trek fan?

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7. "The time is always right to do what is right"
Self-explanatory, but infinitely wise. It's oddly easy to slip into bad habits. But, as King reminds us, there's always a choice.
6. "There are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
From 1963, this King observation was part of his larger, and complex, views on protests and civil disobedience. Surely, unjust laws are all around us all the time. But, few are as brave, or as smart as King, to figure out how to oppose that injustice.
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5. "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."
You've probably heard this one before, but it certainly is worth holding in your mind for longer than a second. Surely, this has happened at least one time in your life.
4. "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
Unpacking this one is a bit tricky. The key detail is that Dr. King pinpoints the moment our lives begin to lose meaning. There's some Yoda-ish wisdom here: Don't start being silent on things that matter, or your life will get on a dark path that can dominate your destiny.
3."We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
This quote almost has a touch of humor in it. MLK wasn't trying to be funny exactly, but there's a bit of whimsy in this thought: We have to acknowledge that humans are all foolish, to some degree or another. Kurt Vonnegut must have loved this quote.

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2. "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
This one is massively impactful. An incredible reminder of courage.
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1."Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle."
King knew the work to make the world a better place was never truly over. Ongoing struggle isn't just a sad fact of life, it's part of how real change happens.