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Il sogno della non violenza

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More than 120 quotations on the community of man, racism, civil rights, justice and freedom, faith and religion, nonviolence, and peace. 16 photos, chronology.

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

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About the author

Martin Luther King Jr.

412 books3,455 followers
Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the pivotal leaders of the American civil rights movement. King was a Baptist minister, one of the few leadership roles available to black men at the time. He became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956) and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1957), serving as its first president. His efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Here he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a national holiday in the United States in 1986. In 2004, King was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
Profile Image for leynes.
1,316 reviews3,687 followers
February 21, 2019
I've been reading a lot about Civil Rights lately, and since MLK is one of its main players, I thought I'd get to know the man a little better. Coincidentally, I saw this selection of his speeches, sermons, and writings, and so I had to grab it. This book features an amazing introduction by Coretta Scott King in which she talks about her husband's achievements and impact; it also includes a couple of photographs and a detailed chronology.
Ain't gonna let nobody turn us around.
Overall, I am very happy with this selection because not only does it display a lot of memorable quotes, it also gave me the wished insight into Martin's mind.

Coretta met Martin in Boston in 1952, when he was 23 years old. She had grown up in rural Alabama, attended Antioch College in Ohio, and was studying music at the New England Conservatory. Martin was working toward a doctor of philosophy degree at Boston University. Martin felt a deeply serious call to the ministry when he was a 17-year-old junior at Morehouse. One year later, he was ordained and made an assistant pastor at Ebenezer Church. Coretta thought she did not want to marry a minister, but "Martin was an unusual person. [...] If he ever did something a little wrong, or committed a selfish act, his conscience devoured him. At the same time he was so alive and so much fun to be with."

Martin always had a deep commitment to helping his fellow human beings. He told Coretta that the turning point in his thinking about how to reconcile Christian pacifism with getting things done came while he was at the seminary, when he learned about the reverend Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi. This origin of the Nonviolence movement always fascinated me. Unfortunately, I don't know a lot about Gandhi and his politics, but the fact that he has left such an impact on the black liberation movement in the United States of America fascinates me.

I also appreciated the insight that Coretta gave into the daily lives of black people back in the day. I think we're all familiar with segregated buses, but did you know that blacks had to pay their fares at the front of the bus, get off and walk to the rear to reboard through the back door. Drivers often pulled off and left them after they had paid their fares. These little pieces of information are extremely important to me, they help me flesh out the picture that I have of the time.

Coretta also talks about the never-ending death threats that her husband received, and how multiple times bombs exploded at their front porch. The King's bravery and persistence is admirable!

Another piece of information that is very dear to me is the fact that Martin divided the $54,000 prize (that he got for being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize) among SCLC, CORE, SNCC, NAACP, National Council of Negro Women, and the American Foundation of Nonviolence. From reading the March Trilogy by John Lewis, I knew that there was a lot of tension between MLK and SNCC, because the students thought that Martin (alongside his foundation SCLC) were reaping the fruits of the student's hard labour, and that Martin then shared the prize money with them (maybe as a concilatory gesture?) is very interesting to me.

Another thought-provoking impulse that Coretta gave me, was the fact that Martin often spoke up against the Vietnam war: "It is worthless to talk about integration if there is no world to integrate. The war in Vietnam must be stopped." Sadly, I didn't learn about the Vietnam War in school, but it's definitely a gap in education that I want to close, especially because the Vietnam War was such a relevant topic for the black community back in the day (Why fight for a country that isn't fighting for you?).

Due to the fact that the majority of this book is made up of quotes by MLK, here's a selection of my favorites:
My mother tried to explain the divided system of the South as a social condition rather than a natural order. Then she said the words that almost every Negro hears before he can yet understand the injustice that makes them necessary: 'You are as good as everyone.'

The straitjackets of race prejudice and discrimination do not wear only Southern labels. The subtle, psychological technique of the North has approached in its ugliness and victimization of the Negro the outright terror and open brutality of the South.

We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing to vote for.

To develop a sense of black consciousness and peoplehood does not require that we scorn the white race as a whole. It is not the race per se that we fight but the policies and ideology that leaders of that race have formulated to perpetuate oppression.

I think the greatest victory of this period was... something internal. The real victory was what this period did to the psyche of the black man. The greatness of this period was that we armed ourselves with dignity and self-respect. The greatness of this period was that we straightened our backs up. And a man can't ride your back unless it's bent.

(on nonviolence) The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.

I also highly enjoyed the times in which Martin spoke about the American Revolution, and how the Boston Tea Party was the biggest outburst of massive civil disobedience, and that this act is celebrated, but when black men and women speak up, they are treated like criminals. He also helped my understanding of Thomas Jefferson: "It is one thing to agree that the goal of integration is morally and legally right; it is another thing to commit oneself positively and actively to the ideal of integration - the former is intellectual assent, the latter is actual belief." And that, honestly, sums up Jefferson in a nutshell - a man who said that all men are created equal, but in the same breath owned hundreds of slaves.

I also understood the motifs behind the nonviolent practices a lot better. It wasn't simply the fact that you should find the love for your attacker, no, there was also a pragmatic side to it: "In a violent racial situation, the power structure has the local police, the state troopers, the national guard, and finally the army to call on, all of which are predominantly white." So, part of the reason why MLK was against an aggressive response toward the white mob was that black people simply couldn't win that fight. They would be jailed, and in most cases put on death row. So it was clear to him that they needed to come up with a smarter form of resistance: "The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat." (This was also very reminsicent of Ken Kesey's critique of social systems in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.)

And then when I got to the end of this little book, which displayed MLK's last speech I've Been to the Mountain Top and then Raegan's speech proclaiming the third Monday in January of each year as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I cried. And cried. And cried some more. Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almight, we are free at last!
Profile Image for Tatev Gomtsyan.
16 reviews
January 20, 2025
Happened to find this on my shelf as we celebrate MLK day tomorrow, so I saw it as a sign!! This is a touching collection of King’s quotes and sermons, which taught me a lot about his character and beliefs beyond the speech he’s known for… you can also feel the love his wife had for him just by the way she presented King in the book
Profile Image for Lucia A. Tramontana.
142 reviews7 followers
March 18, 2022
Leggere " I have a dream" è tutt'altra cosa che sentirne parlare. Questo libro, racchiude alcuni dei discorsi più importanti di Martin Luther King, fa paura di quanto siano attuali, nonostante siano passati molti anni da quando sono stati scritti. Da leggere e rileggere.
Profile Image for Sarah.
260 reviews
January 23, 2025
Coretta Scott King’s introduction was one of my favorite parts of this compilation, as was the chronology of her husband’s life and work at the end. It was nice to have his words collected in themes and I’d definitely appreciate them even more in context from their respective letters, speeches, etc. A good starting point.
Profile Image for Mia.
169 reviews16 followers
July 6, 2021
Very powerful. A must read summation of Martin Luther King Jr’s most poignant statements, this book compiles, race, prejudice, religion and peace. It’s incredibly important to read works of this nature, and I know I’ll be recommending this to many.
Profile Image for Tiziano Brignoli.
Author 17 books11 followers
March 15, 2024
Una raccolta di pensieri del Dott. King che ispirano verso la lotta per una reale uguaglianza umana, di pieni diritti sociali, per un mondo più giusto.
Profile Image for Amy Moritz.
368 reviews20 followers
March 14, 2017
This was another book on the St. Bonaventure 39 list. That was the first impetus for picking it up. The second was that in the post-2016 election, I was hungry for words of peace, of inclusion, of trying to make sense of a world where hatred and defensiveness had become the default position.

This is what I'd call a collection of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s greatest hits. It's divided into major topics -- racism, civil rights, justice and freedom, faith and religion, nonviolence, peace. The whole book is a quote machine and I took my time with it, reading parts and taking them in. One of the things I walked away with is a new sense of working toward peace. So often, we think of peace as the absence of something (violence, hatred) and we individualize peace, equating it with calm. But peace is something to work toward, something to work toward collectively. It's an active state. It requires work, not just being. It is a way of living, a way of being, that can impact the world around us. Peace is an active state.

Some of my favorite passages:

"Somehow we must transform the dynamics of the world power struggle from the nuclear arms race, which no one can win, to a creative contest to harness man's genius for the purpose of making peace a prosperity a reality for all the nations of the world. In short, we must shift the arms race into a 'peace race.' If we have the will and determination to mount such a peace offensive, we will unlock hitherto tightly sealed doors of hope and bring new light into the dark chambers of pessimism."

"I have tried to be honest. To be honest is to confront the truth. However unpleasant and inconvenient the truth may be. I believe we must expose and face it if we are to achieve a better quality of American life."

Profile Image for Sue Doherty.
394 reviews
January 21, 2019
This is a great selection of quotations and excerpts from MLK's speeches and writings. They were chosen by Coretta Scott King, and the book begins with her informative and personal introduction. The arrangement of the material into topics such as "The Community of Man," "Racism," and "Justice and Freedom" makes it more than just a collection of quotes.
Profile Image for Sandra.
1,133 reviews47 followers
November 27, 2019
A well put together little book illustrating the words, the life, the timeline of Martin Luther King, Jr. and so many other great people who fought for desegregation of white and black schools, buses, businesses, etc. Martin Luther King, Jr. has written so many thought-provoking books, which are all worthwhile reading, but this little book put together by his wife after his death, gives an amazing timeline and summary of some of his famous quotes and speeches. I picked up this little paperback in Atlanta, Georgia while visiting the Martin Luther King, Jr. center this past October, 2019. I would love to go back and spend more time reading, seeing and contemplating all that happened. I pray for all those who are continuing to work and live together in harmony among all races, cultures and colours of people, and I think so much more could be done in our churches around the world to live together in love and harmony, and honour the lives of great people in our past who fought for equality of all peoples.
Profile Image for Criss .
36 reviews31 followers
June 13, 2020
"Ho un sogno che i miei quattro bambini un giorno vivranno in una nazione in cui non saranno giudicati dal colore della loro pelle, ma dalla sostanza del loro carattere"

Washington DC, 28 Agosto 1963.

57 anni anni dopo, tutti gli Stati Uniti d'America e buona parte del mondo sta protestando contro la polizia e la discriminazione razziale.

Quella nazione, quel mondo, Dr King, purtroppo non è ancora pronto.

Profile Image for Bruna Rocha.
67 reviews20 followers
January 13, 2022
An amazing book! It's divided into topics: the community of man, racism, civil rights, justice and freedom, faith and religion, nonviolence and peace. It also has a part of his 2 most famous speeches: "I've seen the mountain top" and "I have a dream".
The insights he provides on the topics above are amazing as he touches on: moral relativity; empathy x pity; courage x fear; love x like; the purpose of education and much more.
Highly recommend this one!
966 reviews7 followers
September 28, 2023
The book I read was I Have a Dream published by Scholastic Press. There is an Introduction by Coretta Scott King, a biography about Martin, and his famous speech illustrated by gorgeous art. There are several interpretations of the speech done by winners of the Coretta Scott King Honor Medal presented by the American Library Association. It was inspiring to actually read the words of this famous speech which helped bring about the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
Profile Image for H. Carter.
47 reviews2 followers
June 16, 2025
I found this simple, unassuming book sitting on a shelf in my public library. I've always held a deep respect for Dr. King, and relished the idea of reading more of his personal words. One of the first things that struck me right off the bat is how intelligent his writing is. Dr. King was a highly educated man, and this reflects in every line of his writing. For someone to read this book and NOT come away somewhat elevated in thought would be a rare specimen, in my opinion.
Profile Image for Amanda.
236 reviews1 follower
January 22, 2020

Favorite quote: (hard to choose one but here it is:) “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” .

In honor of today being MLK Jr. day, I decided to read this book that I have. A great collection of Mr. King’s words, many of which (sadly) still pertain to today. .
Profile Image for Susan.
504 reviews12 followers
May 16, 2020
I very much enjoyed reading this book. Martin Luther King Jr. was an amazing and inspirational man. His writings are gold. Now if only everyone could read his words and embrace his knowledge, love, patience, and dedication to making a better world where we can all live free from hate and injustice. His dream is my dream.
Profile Image for Mary T.
1,949 reviews21 followers
January 23, 2022
I read this little book as well as Why We Can't Wait by MLK and The Last Interview with MLK during his birthday week. Although some of the quotations in the book were taken from Why We Can't Wait, I liked that they were organized by subject. King both wrote well and spoke well, and his words really made me think! It was hard to read this book quickly because of all I had to think about!
Profile Image for Marisa.
138 reviews
September 8, 2017
I felt that it was very important to read the words of our great civil rights leader. Each and every word resonates as if it was written yesterday. He had such hope for the future.
Profile Image for Blake.
18 reviews
December 11, 2025
This collection of his quotes and writings is beautiful, he was truly an ingenious individual that changed the course of America and even past that, forever.
160 reviews
July 23, 2021
A thought-provoking collection of quotes from one of my heroes. If MLK is among your pantheon of role models and heroes, then you mustn't miss out on this book.
Profile Image for Brad.
72 reviews18 followers
February 24, 2012
Helpful collection of quotes from a heroic man. Dr. King's wife, Coretta Scott, selected the quotations.

The quotations are arranged under seven headings: The Community of Man, Racism, Civil Rights, Justice and Freedom, Faith and Religion, Nonviolence, and Peace. In addition to the selected quotations, Mrs. King also provides a brief biographical sketch of her husband's life, along with excerpts from two of his most famous speeches, a timeline of his life, and President Ronald Reagan's beautifully worded Presidential Proclamation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 20, 1986.

(As an aside, it strikes me that the courageous calls to end the horrors of racial inequality in both America [the Baptist minister Martin Luther King, Jr.] and Britain [the evangelical politician William Wilberforce] came from the lips of people of Christian faith.)

My only only "disappointment" is that his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" wasn't included. So good.

Profile Image for David.
11 reviews4 followers
August 2, 2015
_The Words of Martin Luther King Jr._ are bite-sized quotes from this hero of the Civil Rights movement. The quotes are arranged by topics such as "The Community of Man," "Racism," "Civil Rights," "Justice and Freedom," "Faith and Religion," "Nonviolence" and "Peace."

There are many wonderful quotes. For instance, within the "Community of Man" section is a quote I love: "I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, other-centered men can build up."

The only thing I wish these little quotes had are the date and title of the speech they came from.

If you want full speeches, check out _I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches that Changed the World_.

This short volume does have a chunk of the "I Have a Dream" and "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speeches. If you're looking for a selection of great aphorisms from MLK, this is for you. I loved it.
Profile Image for Eddie.
112 reviews49 followers
May 28, 2013
His fundamental commitment to unconditional love and unarmed truth.


This book is a small compilation of quotes from Dr. King's writings and speeches. It's never a bad idea to honor the civil rights leaders and martyrs by reading literature that would again remind us of their struggle.

Through his words we will be reminded of how far we have come:

"I can foresee the Negro vote becoming consistently the decisive vote in national elections." - chapter on Justice and Freedom

Through his words we will be reminded of how far we haven't come:

"...wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows." - chapter on Peace

In one sitting, you could read this book in its entirety. As benefactors of his sacrifice, we should spare a few moments of our time to reflect on Dr. King and his enduring legacy.
Profile Image for Monique.
1,815 reviews
September 11, 2011
A remarkable man that gave his life fighting for equality for African Americans in the US, Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. His wife, Coretta Scott King, wrote the introduction and selected nearly 120 quotes that chronicle his fight for freedom. There are excerpts from his "I Have A Dream" speech that always brings tears to my eyes and the other quotes will make you question how far have we really come. After reading you will thank God for such a compilation of words. I'm encouraged and ready to volunteer for freedom.
Profile Image for Michael .
283 reviews29 followers
July 19, 2010
This is a collection of quotes and speeches authored by a man of compassion for all peoples. Nothing I can say will improve on his words. I only suggest you read the words, share the love, and act with an equal dose of compassion. John Lennon and so many others have said it too...."all you need is love." It may sound simple and corny, but it is true.......mgc
Profile Image for Angela.
201 reviews2 followers
October 24, 2011
Read this book on the plan to Africa. Martin Luther King was a great writer and a great speaker. So by nature this book is enjoyable for what it has to say. However, I did not like the presentation and pacing of the book. There is no context to anything just a sentence or two written on the page in quotes followed by the next sentence or two. I'd rather just read his books.
26 reviews
July 7, 2012
Equality and Freedom go hand in hand. Regardless of our background, we owe a debt to this man who paid the ultimate price for being hated in a world that relishes hate and not peace.

Rev. King clearly reminds me of another Great Rabi who was also hated for loving the Truth, who also paid the ultimate price that humanity can extract. But in His case, the ending was just the beginning...
Profile Image for Lane Willson.
253 reviews11 followers
July 31, 2012
Of course the words of Dr.King are incredibly powerful and have shaped generations, but my disappointment with the book is that it contains too few of his words. While this is a great reference of his messages, it is not what I hoped - a complete record of his speeches and sermons. If you're looking for the Proverbs of Dr. King, this is your book!
Profile Image for Jeanie.
3,088 reviews1 follower
January 8, 2013
This is why reading is so important. When a man such Martin Luther King is taken away so early in life, we can learn much about the heart of the man that changed what it meant to be free. This read shares some of his greatest quotes, his view on peace and war, freedom of all men and what that meant. His faith has much to do with his focus which is the betterment of all men without violence.
Profile Image for Mary Dunn.
15 reviews
July 8, 2011
Excellent book. Growing up during this time, I unfortunately didn't realize how wonderful this man really was. So much controversy surrounded him, however, he was truly the light for the African Amercan people.
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