The Essential MLK

Independent scholar tweeting the best quotes from the full range of King's global vision, including rare & hard-to-find quotes. Tweets by @DrewDellinger, PhD.

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

[Pius Barbour had jokes. lol.]

"If you and Coretta don't stop having babies you will ruin yourself. I will send you some Birth control Literature.

Yours,

J. Pius Barbour"

(Excerpt from letter to Martin Luther King Jr., Oct. 3, 1957)

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"If we wait for it to work itself out, it will *never* be worked out! Freedom only comes through persistent revolt, through persistent agitation, through persistently rising up against the system of evil."

--Martin Luther King Jr. (April 7, 1957)

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"Privileged classes never give up their privileges without strong resistance."

--Martin Luther King Jr. (April 7, 1957)

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"We have an obligation of atonement that is not cancelled by the passage of time."

–Martin Luther King Jr. (1965) #Reparations

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

“There are few parallels in human history of the period in which Africans were seized & branded like animals, packed into ships holds like cargo & transported into chattel slavery... "

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"Six months from now we will be on the other side of the sun."

--Martin Luther King Jr. #cosmology

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"People who have made irresponsible statements & resisted integration are responsible for the acts of violence that some people commit." MLK

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"People can talk about the power of this and that, but I am going to continue to talk about the power of Love because I still think it is the most durable power in the world."

--Martin Luther King Jr. (Nov. 14, 1966)

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"You can see where the cybernation is carrying us to a terrible depersonalization."

–Martin Luther King Jr. (Nov. 14, 1966)

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"I am not going to be intimidated by the so-called White backlash because America has been backlashing on the question of fundamental, basic, & human rights for the Black man for more than 200 or 300 years. There is nothing new about the backlash."

--MLK Jr. (Nov. 14, 1966)

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"While I have tried in these last moments to give a voice to the voiceless of Vietnam & to understand the arguments of those who are called enemy, I am deeply concerned about our own troops. I am as concerned about them as anything else."

--MLK Jr. (April 30, 1967)

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"We’ve got to massively confront the power structure... It has to be something strong, dramatic, and attention-getting."

--Martin Luther King Jr.

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

“All the stars in their course are supporting you.”

--Martin Luther King Jr. (1960)

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

“I am concerned about a better world. I’m concerned about justice. I’m concerned about brotherhood. I’m concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about these, he can never advocate violence.”

--MLK Jr. (1967)

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

“If we are going to have a better nation, we are going to have to start building better politicians."

--Martin Luther King Jr. (1966)

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"Some of the old optimism was a little superficial and now it must be tempered with a solid realism."

--Martin Luther King Jr. (1967)

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"I get a little heated up when I talk about these things but I do feel that we have great opportunities even in this moment of crisis. And let me say in conclusion that I take this stand against all of the things I’ve talked about because I love America."

--MLK Jr. #MLKDay

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"God didn't call America to engage in a senseless, unjust war as the war in Vietnam. And we are criminals in that war. We’ve committed more war crimes almost than any nation in the world, and I'm going to continue to say it."

--Martin Luther King Jr. (1968) #MLKDay #MLKDay2018

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"I’m talking about the Mexican American community. I’m talking about the Indian community. I’m taking about the Appalachian white community... I’m talking about poor people’s power. That is what is needed."

--Martin Luther King Jr. (Feb. 6, 1968) #MLK #MLKDay #MLKDay2018

[The Essential MLK @EssentialMLK]

"There aren't enough white persons in our country who are willing to cherish democratic principles over privilege."

--Martin Luther King Jr. #MLK #MLKDay #MLKDay2018