“I am convinced that the truest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness, is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally nonviolent struggle for justice. To be a man is to suffer for others. God help us to be men!”

There is no substitute for hard work, 23 or 24 hours a day. And there is no substitute for patience and acceptance.

The end of all knowledge must be the building up of character.

You are never strong enough that you don’t need help.

The non-violent technique does not depend for its success on the goodwill of the oppressor, but rather on the unfailing assistance of God.

Our language is the reflection of ourselves.

When you sacrifice, you force others to sacrifice. It’s an extremely powerful weapon.

We have looked into the future and the future is ours.

When you have people together who believe in something very strongly – whether it’s religion or politics or unions – things happen.

Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well with others.

Do not romanticize the poor. We are all people, human beings subject to the same temptations and faults as all others. Our poverty damages our dignity.

Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves – and be free.

I’m not going to ask for anything unless the workers want it. If they want it, they’ll ask for it.

Years of misguided teaching have resulted in the destruction of the best in our society, in our cultures and in the environment.

If you’re not frightened that you might fail, you’ll never do the job. If you’re frightened, you’ll work like crazy.

What is at stake is human dignity. If a man is not accorded respect he cannot respect himself and if he does not respect himself, he cannot demand it.

The only ones who make things change are fanatics. If you’re not a fanatic around here, you can’t cut it.