Favorite MLK Quotes

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! The civil rights leader was born on this day in 1929, and this holiday is meant to celebrate his life and legacy.

It’s the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.

Americorps has a website in honor of MLK Day, with lots of ideas for big and little service projects. They all make an impact, so check them out!

In the meantime, we thought we’d share our Top Ten favorite MLK quotes:

“Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

“True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”

“Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.”

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”