Choices Quote by Martin Luther King, Jr
“The choice is not between violence and nonviolence but between nonviolence and nonexistence.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Civil Rights Address, 1967
The real dilemma is choosing between nonviolent resistance and the loss of existence, not violence versus peace.
In simple terms: Choose nonviolence or risk disappearing.
Key Takeaway
Embrace nonviolence to preserve life.
Themes
nonviolence
existence
ethical choice
civil rights
Mood
determined
reflective
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- social movements
- peaceful protest
- personal activism
- policy advocacy
Key Concepts
philosophy
political theory
Questions to Reflect On
- Can nonviolence succeed against violent regimes?
- What alternatives exist when nonviolence fails?
A Different Perspective
Nonviolence may be challenged by extreme oppression.
![“Black Power If the motive is good, and there are no other possibilities, then seen most deeply it [violence] is nonviolence, because its aim is to help others.” quote by Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b64/dalai-lama-89_aim_black-power-if-the-motive-is-good-and-th_1734476.jpg)
![“[Nonviolence] is directed against forces of evil rather than against persons who happen to be doing the evil. It is evil that the nonviolent resister seeks to defeat, not the persons victimized by evil.” quote by Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3ca/martin-luther-king-jr-127_defeat_nonviolence-is-directed-against-forces-o_807257.jpg)
![“[nonviolence] seeks to secure moral ends through moral means.” quote by Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/397/martin-luther-king-jr-127_character_nonviolence-seeks-to-secure-moral-ends-t_789115.jpg)
