--- title: "6 Civil rights movement Quotes By Martin Luther King Jr" description: "6 Civil rights movement quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. Plus more from Martin Luther King Jr and more Civil rights movement sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f8/martin-luther-king-jr-2-1523_activism_the-question-is-not-if-we-will-be-extrem_427373.jpg" --- > [“The question is not if we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. The nation and the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/the-question-is-not-if-we-will-be-extremists-but-what-kind-of/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f8/martin-luther-king-jr-2-1523_activism_the-question-is-not-if-we-will-be-extrem_427373.jpg) > [“Feeling that our demands were moderate, I had assumed that they would be granted with little question; I had believed that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/feeling-that-our-demands-were-moderate-i-had-assumed-that-they-would/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/martin-luther-king-jr-2-1523_civil-rights_feeling-that-our-demands-were-moderate-i_587177.jpg) > [“Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/oppressed-people-cannot-remain-oppressed-forever-the-yearning-for/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/martin-luther-king-jr-2-1523_america_oppressed-people-cannot-remain-oppressed_814932.jpg) > [“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/returning-hate-for-hate-multiplies-hate-adding-deeper-darkness-to-a-2/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/martin-luther-king-jr-2-1523_african-american-civ_returning-hate-for-hate-multiplies-hate_1469195.jpg) > [“My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/my-friends-i-must-say-to-you-that-we-have-not-made-a-single-gain-in-2/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/martin-luther-king-jr-2-1523_civil-rights_my-friends-i-must-say-to-you-that-we-hav_2574459.jpg) > [“the time is always right to do the right thing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/the-time-is-always-right-to-do-the-right-thing/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/martin-luther-king-jr-2-1523_civil-rights-movemen_the-time-is-always-right-to-do-the-right_3170251.jpg) ## Other authors on Civil rights movement - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b017/author-michelle-alexander-67636.jpg) Michelle Alexander 12 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/michelle-alexander/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b013/author-john-lewis-51804.jpg) John Lewis 11 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/john-lewis/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b007/author-danny-glover-26713.jpg) Danny Glover 9 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/danny-glover/) - [Anthea Butler 6 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/anthea-butler/) - [Martin Luther King, Jr 5 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/martin-luther-king-jr/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b011/author-henry-louis-gates-41603.jpg) Henry Louis Gates 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/henry-louis-gates/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b005/author-bill-ayers-17832.jpg) Bill Ayers 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/bill-ayers/) - [Bernice Johnson Reagon 5 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/bernice-johnson-reagon/) ## More by Martin Luther King Jr > [We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/we-have-learned-to-fly-the-air-like-birds-and-swim-the-sea-like-fish/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [I had a dreamthat you would just shut the fuck up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/i-had-a-dreamthat-you-would-just-shut-the-fuck-up/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/yes-if-you-want-to-say-that-i-was-a-drum-major-say-that-i-was-a-drum/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/we-must-forever-conduct-our-struggle-on-the-high-plane-of-dignity-and/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/it-may-be-true-that-the-law-cannot-make-a-man-love-me-but-it-can-stop/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“Privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/privileged-groups-seldom-give-up-their-privileges-voluntarily/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [God has set the type of marriage everywhere throughout the creation. Every creature seeks its perfection in another. The very heavens and earth picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/god-has-set-the-type-of-marriage-everywhere-throughout-the-creation/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [A nation that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/a-nation-that-continues-to-produce-soft-minded-men-purchases-its-own/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“It is not enough to say, 'We must not wage war.' It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/it-is-not-enough-to-say-we-must-not-wage-war-it-is-necessary-to-love/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“When, for decades, you have been able to make a man compromise his manhood by threatening him with a cruel and unjust punishment, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/when-for-decades-you-have-been-able-to-make-a-man-compromise-his/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/the-question-is-not-whether-we-will-be-extremists-but-what-kind-of/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“Deep in our history of struggle for freedom, Canada was the North star”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/deep-in-our-history-of-struggle-for-freedom-canada-was-the-north-star/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“And he's allowed me to go to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land! I may not get there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/and-he-s-allowed-me-to-go-to-the-mountain-and-i-ve-looked-over-and-i/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/we-know-through-painful-experience-that-freedom-is-never-voluntarily/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/returning-hate-for-hate-multiplies-hate-adding-deeper-darkness-to-a/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/martin-luther-king-jr-2/#itemlist", "name": "6 Civil rights movement Quotes By Martin Luther King Jr", "numberOfItems": 6, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The question is not if we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. 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