--- title: "5 Retaliation Quotes By Martin Luther King, Jr" description: "5 Retaliation quotes by Martin Luther King, Jr. Plus more from Martin Luther King, Jr and more Retaliation sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/martin-luther-king-jr-127_beauty_the-potential-beauty-of-human-life-is-co_414392.png" --- > [The potential beauty of human life is constantly made ugly by man's ever-recurring song of retaliation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-potential-beauty-of-human-life-is-constantly-made-ugly-by-man-s/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/martin-luther-king-jr-127_beauty_the-potential-beauty-of-human-life-is-co_414392.png) > [Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political moral questions of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/nonviolence-is-the-answer-to-the-crucial-political-moral-questions-of/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/martin-luther-king-jr-127_answers_nonviolence-is-the-answer-to-the-crucial_465579.png) > [Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/nonviolence-is-the-answer-to-the-crucial-political-and-moral/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/martin-luther-king-jr-127_aggression_nonviolence-is-the-answer-to-the-crucial_1759167.png) > [The potential beauty of human life is constantly made ugly by man's ever recurring song of retaliation. The oceans of history are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-potential-beauty-of-human-life-is-constantly-made-ugly-by-man-s-2/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5dc/martin-luther-king-jr-127_beauty_the-potential-beauty-of-human-life-is-co_2190946.png) > [We can no longer afford to worship the God of hate or bow before the altar of retaliation. The oceans of history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-can-no-longer-afford-to-worship-the-god-of-hate-or-bow-before-the-2/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/martin-luther-king-jr-127_altars_we-can-no-longer-afford-to-worship-the-g_2606272.jpg) ## Other authors on Retaliation - [Richelle E. Goodrich 6 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retaliation/richelle-e-goodrich/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b016/author-mahatma-gandhi-62675.jpg) Mahatma Gandhi 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retaliation/mahatma-gandhi/) ## More by Martin Luther King, Jr > [The strong man holds in a living blend strongly marked opposites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-strong-man-holds-in-a-living-blend-strongly-marked-opposites/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. ... We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/our-nation-was-born-in-genocide-when-it-embraced-the-doctrine-that/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-remember-that-intelligence-is-not-enough-intelligence-plus/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [I’ve been to the Mountaintop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-ve-been-to-the-mountaintop/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The supreme task is to organize and unite people so that their anger becomes a transforming force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-supreme-task-is-to-organize-and-unite-people-so-that-their-anger/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-great-issue-of-life-is-to-harness-the-drum-major-instinct/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Somebody must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somebody-must-have-sense-enough-and-morality-enough-to-cut-off-the/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Darkness is only driven out with light, not more darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/darkness-is-only-driven-out-with-light-not-more-darkness/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [What seems so necessary today may not even be desirable tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/what-seems-so-necessary-today-may-not-even-be-desirable-tomorrow/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The Negro cannot win the respect of his oppressor by acquiescing; he merely increases the oppressor's arrogance and contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-negro-cannot-win-the-respect-of-his-oppressor-by-acquiescing-he/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The majority of the Negroes who took part in the year-long boycott of Montgomery's buses were poor and untutored; but they understood the essence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-majority-of-the-negroes-who-took-part-in-the-year-long-boycott-of/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Whenever you are engaged in work that serves humanity and is for the building of humanity, it has dignity and it has worth,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/whenever-you-are-engaged-in-work-that-serves-humanity-and-is-for-the/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-have-a-dream-that-one-day-even-the-state-of-mississippi-a-desert/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retaliation/martin-luther-king-jr/#itemlist", "name": "5 Retaliation Quotes By Martin Luther King, Jr", "numberOfItems": 5, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The potential beauty of human life is constantly made ugly by man's ever-recurring song of retaliation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Luther King, Jr" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-potential-beauty-of-human-life-is-constantly-made-ugly-by-man-s/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/martin-luther-king-jr-127_beauty_the-potential-beauty-of-human-life-is-co_414392.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/martin-luther-king-jr-127_beauty_the-potential-beauty-of-human-life-is-co_414392.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/martin-luther-king-jr-127_beauty_the-potential-beauty-of-human-life-is-co_414392.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The potential beauty of human life is constantly made ugly by man's ever-recurring song of retaliation.” — Martin Luther King, Jr", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political moral questions of our time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Luther King, Jr" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/nonviolence-is-the-answer-to-the-crucial-political-moral-questions-of/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/martin-luther-king-jr-127_answers_nonviolence-is-the-answer-to-the-crucial_465579.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/martin-luther-king-jr-127_answers_nonviolence-is-the-answer-to-the-crucial_465579.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3c/martin-luther-king-jr-127_answers_nonviolence-is-the-answer-to-the-crucial_465579.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political moral questions of our time.” — Martin Luther King, Jr", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. 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