--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you read Martin Luther King speeches…" description: "\"If you read Martin Luther King speeches and sermons in the last two years of his life - you might want to - –when I read these to my students, they thi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eab/bill-ayers-1848_april_if-you-read-martin-luther-king-speeches_2289877.png" --- # If you read Martin Luther King speeches and sermons in the… ![“If you read Martin Luther King speeches and sermons in the last two years of his life - you might want to - –when I read these to my students, they think it's Malcom X because it's so radical. And if you read nothing else - if your viewers read nothing else - then the April 4, 1967, speech at…” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eab/bill-ayers-1848_april_if-you-read-martin-luther-king-speeches_2289877.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eab/bill-ayers-1848_april_if-you-read-martin-luther-king-speeches_2289877.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eab/bill-ayers-1848_april_if-you-read-martin-luther-king-speeches_2289877.png) > “If you read Martin Luther King speeches and sermons in the last two years of his life - you might want to - –when I read these to my students, they think it's Malcom X because it's so radical. And if you read nothing else - if your viewers read nothing else - then the April 4, 1967, speech at Riverside Church called "Beyond Vietnam," that's where he says the greatest purveyor of violence on earth is my country. And he connects the triplets of evil, racism, militarism, and materialism, and that connection makes him a radical.” [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. King links racism, militarism, materialism, and violence, labeling his country the greatest purveyor of violence. **In simple terms:** America spreads violence through systemic injustices. Key Takeaway Challenge national narratives of moral superiority. Themes politics justice activism Mood critical inspirational Type historical provocative When to use this quote - education - public speaking - social movements Key Concepts systemic oppression interconnected evils Questions to Reflect On - How do these four evils interrelate today? - What actions can reduce national violence? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex geopolitical realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [April](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/april/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Connections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Kings speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings-speech/) [Malcom X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malcom-x/) [Materialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialism/) [Militarism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/militarism/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical/) [Riverside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riverside/) [Sermons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sermons/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Triplet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/triplet/) [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/) [Viewers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viewers/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) ## Related quotes > [We talk a lot about Malcom X and Martin Luther King JR, but It's time to be like them, as strong as them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/we-talk-a-lot-about-malcom-x-and-martin-luther-king-jr-but-it-s-time/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [Malcom X, by any means. Many 14 stuffed in my denim jeans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/malcom-x-by-any-means-many-14-stuffed-in-my-denim-jeans/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [I encourage everyone to read James Baldwin and Malcom X and Aldous Huxley. To read Primo Levi. To read 'Silent Spring.' To read Toni…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/i-encourage-everyone-to-read-james-baldwin-and-malcom-x-and-aldous/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [Malcom X get your hand out my pocket.Some n-ggas walking with death guess they ran out of options.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wale/malcom-x-get-your-hand-out-my-pocket-some-n-ggas-walking-with-death/) [Wale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wale/) > [How can a dream live if we kill it, right? How many Martin Luther King Jr.s, and Malcom Xs, or Barack Obamas have we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-stanton-king/how-can-a-dream-live-if-we-kill-it-right-how-many-martin-luther-king/) [Angela Stanton-King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-stanton-king/) > [No Malcom X in my history text, why is that? 'Cause he tried to educate and liberate all blacks. Why is Martin Luther King…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/no-malcom-x-in-my-history-text-why-is-that-cause-he-tried-to-educate/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [Should we cry when the pope dies, my request we should cry if they cried when we buried Malcom X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/should-we-cry-when-the-pope-dies-my-request-we-should-cry-if-they/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [When I die, I want to see Malcom X, Lumumba, my father, and I want to be able to look them in the eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/when-i-die-i-want-to-see-malcom-x-lumumba-my-father-and-i-want-to-be/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [Before I came out, there was no such thing as a black conciousness movement. Kids on the street didn't know who Malcom X or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/before-i-came-out-there-was-no-such-thing-as-a-black-conciousness/) [KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/) > [Fishing books , lit by emotion recollected in tranquility, are like poetry. .. . We do not think of them as books but as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-ransome/fishing-books-lit-by-emotion-recollected-in-tranquility-are-like/) [Arthur Ransome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-ransome/) > [I was born in Riverside and spent my whole growing-up years in Florence, a little township on the Delaware River. I tell people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hughes/i-was-born-in-riverside-and-spent-my-whole-growing-up-years-in/) [Adam Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hughes/) > [The correct answer is the University Titans, the West Valley Eagles, the Central Valley Bears, the East Valley Knights, the Riverside Rams. The fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-shea/the-correct-answer-is-the-university-titans-the-west-valley-eagles/) [Matt Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-shea/) > [“There's something very enticing about an empty bench under a tree. And if it's facing a river, that's the bench for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-rachelle/there-s-something-very-enticing-about-an-empty-bench-under-a-tree-and/) [Joyce Rachelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-rachelle/) > [The Frankfurt Museum of Decorative Arts is a handsome building, which takes its cues from the riverside Biedermeier villa next to it, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/the-frankfurt-museum-of-decorative-arts-is-a-handsome-building-which/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [My brother had a big band in high school; after that we continued to play together, eventually forming a group called the Jazz Brothers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-mangione/my-brother-had-a-big-band-in-high-school-after-that-we-continued-to/) [Chuck Mangione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-mangione/) ## More by Bill Ayers > [ It wasn't \[Barack\] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the-feeling-on-the-ground-it-was/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [I didn't respond to people thrusting microphones at me and asking me questions that were unanswerable in a sound bite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-didn-t-respond-to-people-thrusting-microphones-at-me-and-asking-me/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [I haven't been silent. I teach, I lecture at universities, I write, I'm not silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-haven-t-been-silent-i-teach-i-lecture-at-universities-i-write-i-m/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [ One of the great crimes of the Bloomberg/Klein administration \[in New York City\] is that they've removed themselves from communities, as if communities have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/one-of-the-great-crimes-of-the-bloomberg-klein-administration-in-new/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [I was involved in the anti-war movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-was-involved-in-the-anti-war-movement/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [ \[Lyndon \] Johnson was responding to a black freedom movement that was tearing the country open and he did what he had to do… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/lyndon-johnson-was-responding-to-a-black-freedom-movement-that-was/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [ I'm wary of government. Part of \[the Tea Party\] impulse is to dislike and be worried about the rich. I'm that way too. So… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-m-wary-of-government-part-of-the-tea-party-impulse-is-to-dislike/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [ I'd been arrested many times by then. I'd been an organizer, so many things had changed over those three years \[from 1965 till 1968\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-d-been-arrested-many-times-by-then-i-d-been-an-organizer-so-many/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [You cannot live a political life, you cannot live a moral life if you're not willing to open your eyes and see the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/you-cannot-live-a-political-life-you-cannot-live-a-moral-life-if-you/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [I was a good liberal in some sense at that point. I wanted to end a war. I wanted to support the civil rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-was-a-good-liberal-in-some-sense-at-that-point-i-wanted-to-end-a/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [The fact is that in my prep school, I went to a boarding school, 39 young men graduated from that prep school. Five years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/the-fact-is-that-in-my-prep-school-i-went-to-a-boarding-school-39/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [ \[The whole first year at university\] was a great time for me and great time of awakening. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/the-whole-first-year-at-university-was-a-great-time-for-me-and-great/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [The truth is that the antiwar movement was powered by the working class. The students were the ones that got the media and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/the-truth-is-that-the-antiwar-movement-was-powered-by-the-working/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [There was one moment when J. Edgar Hoover and us had the same distorted lens about who we were - "a real threat," you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/there-was-one-moment-when-j-edgar-hoover-and-us-had-the-same/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [Every politician - FDR, Lyndon Johnson, Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama - they're all conservative by nature. They are part of the big thing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/every-politician-fdr-lyndon-johnson-abraham-lincoln-barack-obama-they/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) [Explore all 204 Bill Ayers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) ## More April quotes > [“I had a chat with May and I had a sweet talk with April but the lovely conversation that left me to ponder was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/i-had-a-chat-with-may-and-i-had-a-sweet-talk-with-april-but-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [It might interest you that just as the U.S. was ramping up its involvement in Vietnam, LBJ launched an illegal invasion of the Dominican…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-might-interest-you-that-just-as-the-u-s-was-ramping-up-its/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Two things you need to know about taxes. They've extended the deadline to April 18, and when you write your check, just make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/two-things-you-need-to-know-about-taxes-they-ve-extended-the-deadline/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [Why should I deem myself to be a chisel, when I could be the artist?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/why-should-i-deem-myself-to-be-a-chisel-when-i-could-be-the-artist/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [The air soft as that of Seville in April, and so fragrant that it was delicious to breathe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/the-air-soft-as-that-of-seville-in-april-and-so-fragrant-that-it-was/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) > [Our opponents see an America in which every day is April 15, tax day. Well, we see an America in which every day is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/our-opponents-see-an-america-in-which-every-day-is-april-15-tax-day/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/here-cometh-april-again-and-as-far-as-i-can-see-the-world-hath-more/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [It felt like 10 years, but I was actually in treatment for three-and-a-half years. I finally finished in April. Two years ago, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/it-felt-like-10-years-but-i-was-actually-in-treatment-for-three-and-a/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [The air is like a butterfly With frail blue wings. The happy earth looks at the sky And sings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-kilmer/the-air-is-like-a-butterfly-with-frail-blue-wings-the-happy-earth/) [Joyce Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-kilmer/) > [At 1.24 am on 26 April 1986 Chernobyl’s Unit 4 reactor exploded after staff disabled safety systems and performed an ill-advised experiment to check…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lynas/at-1-24-am-on-26-april-1986-chernobyl-s-unit-4-reactor-exploded-after/) [Mark Lynas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lynas/) > [People born in April are very loving and caring people. They are the ones who have the best memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-born-in-april-are-very-loving-and-caring-people-they-are-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ah, March! we know thou art Kind-hearted, spite of ugly looks and threats, And, out of sight, art nursing April's violets!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/ah-march-we-know-thou-art-kind-hearted-spite-of-ugly-looks-and/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [I know April, May and June are a few unbearable months, and working out in a gym and sweating in such dirty hot, sticky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashish-sharma/i-know-april-may-and-june-are-a-few-unbearable-months-and-working-out/) [Ashish Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashish-sharma/) > [Men are April when they woo, December when they wed...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/men-are-april-when-they-woo-december-when-they-wed/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Oh, to be in England Now that April's there, And whoever wakes in England Sees, some morning, unaware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/oh-to-be-in-england-now-that-april-s-there-and-whoever-wakes-in/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) [Browse all 567 April quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/april/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you read Martin Luther King speeches and sermons in the last two years of his life - you might want to - –when I read these to my students, they think it's Malcom X because it's so radical. 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