Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes on Hope: 6 Memorable Statements From Christian Pastor

Martin Luther King Jr. stands as a prominent figure in American history for his leading role in the Civil Rights movement during the 1950s and 60s.

King actively pursued methods to better the lives of African-Americans, and through his leadership, the movement gained a large number of supporters. He advocated change through nonviolence – a quality that separated him from other Civil Right activists of the time, such as like Malcolm X.

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King played an influential role in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Biography.com said. Through his efforts to achieve racial equality, King was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1964.

Through the challenging times that led to his successes, King maintained hope and imparted that to others. Here are six things he had to say:

1. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

2. “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

3. “On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expediency? And then expediency comes along and asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right? There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right.” – In a speech in Washington, D.C., in February 1968.

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4. “If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.” –From his most famous speech, “I Have a Dream,” as quoted by The Huffington Post.

5. “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable ... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” – In “Stride Toward Freedom the Montgomery Story,” as quoted by The King Center.

6. “One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized, cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered.”

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