Wikiquote - User contributions [en]

Luther Standing Bear

2026-08-17T06:35:23Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: quote to caption

[[File:Luther Standing Bear at Carlisle, two photos.png|thumb| But the old Lakota was wise. He knew that man's heart, away from nature, becomes hard; he knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans, too. So he kept his children close to natures softening influence.]]
'''{{w|Luther Standing Bear}}''' ('''Óta Kté''' or "Plenty Kill," also known as '''Matȟó Nážiŋ''' or "Standing Bear", 1868 - 1939) was a {{w|Sicangu}} and {{w|Oglala Lakota}} author, educator, philosopher, and actor. He worked to preserve Lakota culture and sovereignty, and was at the forefront of a Progressive movement to change government policy toward [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]].

{{Author-stub}}

==Quotes==

* We are of the soil and the soil is of us.
** {{cite book |title=Land of the Spotted Eagle |date=1933 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-598-96177-8 |page=45}}

* And here I find the great distinction between the faith of the Indian and the white man. Indian faith sought the harmony of man with his surroundings; the other sought the dominance of surroundings. [...] For one man the world was full of beauty; for the other it was a place of sin and ugliness to be endured until he went to another world, [...] [...] But the old Lakota was wise. He knew that man's heart, away from nature, becomes hard; he knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans, too. So he kept his children close to natures softening influence.
** ''Native American Wisdom'' (1991), Kent Nerburn & Louise Mengelkoch

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}
{{Commonscat}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Standing Bear, Luther}}
[[Category:1868 births]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
[[Category:Native Americans]]
[[Category:Actors from South Dakota]]
[[Category:Philosophers from the United States]]
[[Category:Native American activists]]
[[Category:Native Americans' rights activists]]
[[Category:Autobiographers from the United States]]

Luther Standing Bear

2026-08-17T06:34:23Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ fix

[[File:Luther Standing Bear at Carlisle, two photos.png|thumb|{{w|Luther Standing Bear}} (circa 1879)]]
'''{{w|Luther Standing Bear}}''' ('''Óta Kté''' or "Plenty Kill," also known as '''Matȟó Nážiŋ''' or "Standing Bear", 1868 - 1939) was a {{w|Sicangu}} and {{w|Oglala Lakota}} author, educator, philosopher, and actor. He worked to preserve Lakota culture and sovereignty, and was at the forefront of a Progressive movement to change government policy toward [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]].

{{Author-stub}}

==Quotes==

* We are of the soil and the soil is of us.
** {{cite book |title=Land of the Spotted Eagle |date=1933 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-598-96177-8 |page=45}}

* And here I find the great distinction between the faith of the Indian and the white man. Indian faith sought the harmony of man with his surroundings; the other sought the dominance of surroundings. [...] For one man the world was full of beauty; for the other it was a place of sin and ugliness to be endured until he went to another world, [...] [...] But the old Lakota was wise. He knew that man's heart, away from nature, becomes hard; he knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans, too. So he kept his children close to natures softening influence.
** ''Native American Wisdom'' (1991), Kent Nerburn & Louise Mengelkoch

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}
{{Commonscat}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Standing Bear, Luther}}
[[Category:1868 births]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
[[Category:Native Americans]]
[[Category:Actors from South Dakota]]
[[Category:Philosophers from the United States]]
[[Category:Native American activists]]
[[Category:Native Americans' rights activists]]
[[Category:Autobiographers from the United States]]

Luther Standing Bear

2026-08-17T06:33:56Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ add quote

[[File:Luther Standing Bear at Carlisle, two photos.png|thumb|{{w|Luther Standing Bear}} (circa 1879)]]
'''{{w|Luther Standing Bear}}''' ('''Óta Kté''' or "Plenty Kill," also known as '''Matȟó Nážiŋ''' or "Standing Bear", 1868 - 1939) was a {{w|Sicangu}} and {{w|Oglala Lakota}} author, educator, philosopher, and actor. He worked to preserve Lakota culture and sovereignty, and was at the forefront of a Progressive movement to change government policy toward [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]].

{{Author-stub}}

==Quotes==

* We are of the soil and the soil is of us.
** {{cite book |title=Land of the Spotted Eagle |date=1933 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-598-96177-8 |page=45}}

* And here I find the great distinction between the faith of the Indian and the white man. Indian faith sought the harmony of man with his surroundings; the other sought the dominance of surroundings. [...] For one man the world was full of beauty; for
the other it was a place of sin and ugliness to be endured until he went to another world, [...] [...] But the old Lakota was wise. He knew that
man's heart, away from nature, becomes hard; he knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans, too. So he kept his children close to natures softening influence.
** ''Native American Wisdom'' (1991), Kent Nerburn & Louise Mengelkoch

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}
{{Commonscat}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Standing Bear, Luther}}
[[Category:1868 births]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
[[Category:Native Americans]]
[[Category:Actors from South Dakota]]
[[Category:Philosophers from the United States]]
[[Category:Native American activists]]
[[Category:Native Americans' rights activists]]
[[Category:Autobiographers from the United States]]

Mercy Otis Warren

2026-08-09T04:04:04Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ reorder

[[File:Mrs James Warren (Mercy Otis), by John Singleton Copley.jpg|right|thumb|200px|No republic ever yet stood on a stable foundation without satisfying the common people.]]

'''[[w:Mercy Otis Warren|Mercy Otis Warren]]''' (September 25, 1728 – October 19, 1814) was an American activist poet, playwright, and pamphleteer during the [[w:American Revolution|American Revolution]].

==Quotes==

* The rights of individuals ought to be the primary object of all government, and cannot be too securely guarded by the most explicit declarations in their favor.
** ''Observations on the New Constitution'' (1788)

* '''The thorns, the thistles, and the briers, in the field of politics seldom permit the soil to produce anything, but weariness to the body, vexation to the mind, and ruin to the adventurer.'''
** {{Cite book |last=Zagarri |first=Rosemarie |url=http://archive.org/details/womansdilemmamer0000zaga_p9y3 |title=A Woman's Dilemma : Mercy Otis Warren and the American Revolution |date=2015 |publisher=Hoboken : John Wiley & Sons Inc. |isbn=978-1-118-98113-9}}

* Even the Italian master in politicks, the subtle and renouned [[w:Machiavelli|Machiavel]] acknowledges, that '''no republic ever yet stood on a stable foundation without satisfying the common people.'''
** ''Observations on the New Constitution'' (1788) [https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N16431.0001.001/1:2?rgn=div1;view=fulltext]

* The waves have rolled in upon me, the billows have repeatedly broken over me: yet I am not sunk down.
** Letter to Samuel Allyne Otis, 23 March 1800<ref>Alice Brown, ''Mercy Warren'' (1896), page 262 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Mercy_Warren._With_portrait_%28IA_mercywarrenwithp00browiala%29.pdf</ref>

* I have my fears. Yet, notwithstanding the complicated difficulties that rise before us, there is no receding; and I should blush if in any instance the weak passions of my sex should damp the fortitude, the patriotism, and the manly resolution of yours. May nothing ever check that glorious spirit of freedom which inspires the patriot in the cabinet, and the hero in the field, with courage to maintain their righteous cause, and to endeavor to transmit the claim to posterity, even if they must seal the rich conveyance to their children with their own blood.
** Letter to John Adams, August 1775, {{cite web |url=http://threerivershms.com/amwomenmwarr.htm |title=The Women of the American Revolution |first1= Elizabeth F. | last1=Ellet|work=Mercy Warren |year=1849}}

* Our situation is truly delicate & critical. On the one hand we are in need of a strong federal government founded on principles that will support the prosperity & union of the colonies. On the other we have struggled for liberty & made costly sacrifices at her shrine and there are still many among us who revere her name too much to relinquish (beyond a certain medium) the rights of man for the dignity of government.
** Letter to Catherine Macaulay, Sept 1787 [https://www.gilderlehrman.org/collection/glc0180003]

* America stands armed with resolution and virtue; but she still recoils at the idea of drawing the sword against the nation from whom she derived her origin. Yet Britain, like an unnatural parent, is ready to plunge her dagger into the bosom of her affectionate offspring.
** Letter to [[w:Catherine Macaulay|Catherine Macaulay]], {{cite web |url=http://threerivershms.com/amwomenmwarr.htm |title=The Women of the American Revolution |first1= Elizabeth F. | last1=Ellet|work=Mercy Warren |year=1849}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikipedia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warren, Mercy Otis}}
[[Category:Playwrights from the United States]]
[[Category:19th-century poets from the United States]]
[[Category:Political activists]]
[[Category:Women activists from the United States]]
[[Category:Women authors from the United States]]
[[Category:Poets from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:1728 births]]
[[Category:1814 deaths]]
[[Category:People of the American Revolution]]
[[Category:Historians from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Women born before the 19th century]]

Talk:Nikos Kazantzakis

2026-08-07T02:48:40Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: format

{{checkcopyright}}
==Untitled entry==
I have reverted the three recent changes to this page. First they changed a well formated page into a mess. If you are going to add quotes at least leave the page looking decent. Second most of the added quotes were long paragraphs. One of them was literally thirty sentences. That's not a quote, and it borders on copyright violation. Third unlike the existing quotes there are no references on most of the quotes. Sure they came from Report From Greco (a book from which I would like to see quotes posted), but where at? One shouldn't have to pour through a 500 page book to find a quote.

Find the chapters they are from, follow a reasonable format (listing books chronologically, etc.) and choose shorter quotes.

I am, however, going to leave the attributed quotes, with the exception of his epitaph which already appears at the top of the page. Also I moved one of the quotes to sourced (Last Temptation of Christ).

== "Δεν ελπίζω τίποτα. Δε φοβούμαι τίποτα. Είμαι λέφτερος" ==
Does this appear anywhere in the writings of N.K ? Please let me know !
BTW : The translation : "I expect nothing. I fear no one. I am free." does not come near to the meaning at all. dreysacz from german WP

Sergei Yesenin

2026-08-04T17:26:14Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ add entries

[[File:Esenin Moscow 1922.jpg|thumb|]]
'''[[w:Sergei Yesenin|Sergei Aleksandrovich Yesenin]]''' (3 October [O.S. 21 September] 1895 – 28 December 1925) was a Russian lyric poet. He is one of the most popular and well-known Russian poets of the 20th century.
{{author-stub}}

== Quotes ==

* Goodbye, my friend, without a word or hand shake, Don't be sad, and do not muse In this life to die is nothing novel, But to live, of course, is hardly greater news.
** As quoted in ''Concerning Suicide in Soviet Russia'', Jacques Choron, December 1968, Bulletin of Suicidology

* I feel very sad now, for we are going through such a period in [our] history when human individuality is being destroyed, and the approaching socialism is totally different from the one I was dreaming of.
** About the [[w:October Revolution|October Revolution]]. From a letter, August 1920, as quoted in

* Так мало пройдено дорог, Так много сделано ошибок.
** The roads that have been walked are few, Mistakes that have been made are many.
** «[[s:ru:Мне грустно на тебя смотреть (Есенин)|Мне грустно на тебя смотреть]]» (1923), translated by Alec S. Vagapov, [https://samlib.ru/a/as_w/yesen.shtml "Yesenin: Collection of Poems"], [[w:Samizdat (poetry magazine)|''Samizdat'']] (posted 4 Nov. 2006, modified 14 July 2008)



== External links ==
* {{Wikipedia-inline}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yesenin, Sergei}}

[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1925 deaths]]
[[Category:Poets from Russia]]

Fujiwara no Teika

2026-08-04T16:51:01Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes about */ ce

[[File:Teika(3).jpg|right|thumb|200px|From the beginning I knew meeting could only End in parting, yet I ignored the coming dawn And I gave myself to you.]]

'''[[w:Fujiwara no Teika|Fujiwara no Teika]]''' (1162 – September 26, 1241) was a [[w:Japanese people|Japanese]] anthologist, calligrapher, literary critic, poet, and scribe of the late [[w:Heian period|Heian]] and early [[w:Kamakura period|Kamakura period]].

==Quotes==
* 和歌に師匠なし。たゞ旧き歌をもつて師となす。心を古風に染め、詞を先達に習はば、誰人かこれを詠ぜざらんや。
** There are no teachers of Japanese poetry. But they who take the old poems as their teachers, steep their minds in the old style, and learn their words from the masters of former time — who of them will fail to write poetry? [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.226290/page/n210/mode/1up?view=theater]
** ''Variant translation:'' In poetry there are no teachers. One makes antiquity one’s teacher. Provided he steep his mind in the styles of antiquity and learn his diction from the great poets of old, who can fail to compose good poetry?
*** Essentials of Poetic Composition (詠歌大概 ''Eiga no Taigai'')

* On this spring night the floating bridge of my dreams has broken away: and lifting off a far peak— a cloud-bank in empty sky.
** ''The Road to Komatsubara: A Classical Reading of the Renga Hyakuin'', 1987, Steven D. Carter

* From the beginning I knew meeting could only End in parting, yet I ignored the coming dawn And I gave myself to you.
** ''100 More Poems from the Japanese'', 1976, {{w|Kenneth Rexroth}}

==Quotes about==
* In this art of poetry, those who speak ill of Teika should be denied the protection of the gods and Buddhas and condemned to the punishments of hell.
** Attributed to [[Shotetsu]] in ''Conversations with Shotetsu (Shotetsu Monogatari)'', 1992, Robert H. Bower

==See also==
* [[Saigyo]]
* [[Basho]]
* [[Shotetsu]]

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}

[[Category:Poets from Japan]]
[[Category:Literary critics]]
[[Category:Novelists from Japan]]
[[Category:Buddhists from Japan]]
[[Category:Philologists]]
[[Category:Diarists]]
[[Category:People from Kyoto]]
[[Category:1160s births]]
[[Category:1240s deaths]]

Fujiwara no Teika

2026-08-04T16:50:36Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: No longer a stub

[[File:Teika(3).jpg|right|thumb|200px|From the beginning I knew meeting could only End in parting, yet I ignored the coming dawn And I gave myself to you.]]

'''[[w:Fujiwara no Teika|Fujiwara no Teika]]''' (1162 – September 26, 1241) was a [[w:Japanese people|Japanese]] anthologist, calligrapher, literary critic, poet, and scribe of the late [[w:Heian period|Heian]] and early [[w:Kamakura period|Kamakura period]].

==Quotes==
* 和歌に師匠なし。たゞ旧き歌をもつて師となす。心を古風に染め、詞を先達に習はば、誰人かこれを詠ぜざらんや。
** There are no teachers of Japanese poetry. But they who take the old poems as their teachers, steep their minds in the old style, and learn their words from the masters of former time — who of them will fail to write poetry? [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.226290/page/n210/mode/1up?view=theater]
** ''Variant translation:'' In poetry there are no teachers. One makes antiquity one’s teacher. Provided he steep his mind in the styles of antiquity and learn his diction from the great poets of old, who can fail to compose good poetry?
*** Essentials of Poetic Composition (詠歌大概 ''Eiga no Taigai'')

* On this spring night the floating bridge of my dreams has broken away: and lifting off a far peak— a cloud-bank in empty sky.
** ''The Road to Komatsubara: A Classical Reading of the Renga Hyakuin'', 1987, Steven D. Carter

* From the beginning I knew meeting could only End in parting, yet I ignored the coming dawn And I gave myself to you.
** ''100 More Poems from the Japanese'', 1976, {{w|Kenneth Rexroth}}

==Quotes about==
* In this art of poetry, those who speak ill of Teika should be denied the protection of the gods and Buddhas and condemned to the punishments of hell.
** Attributed to [[Shotetsu]] in ''Conversations with Shotetsu (Shotetsu Monogatari)'', 1992, Translated by Robert H. Bower

==See also==
* [[Saigyo]]
* [[Basho]]
* [[Shotetsu]]

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}

[[Category:Poets from Japan]]
[[Category:Literary critics]]
[[Category:Novelists from Japan]]
[[Category:Buddhists from Japan]]
[[Category:Philologists]]
[[Category:Diarists]]
[[Category:People from Kyoto]]
[[Category:1160s births]]
[[Category:1240s deaths]]

Fujiwara no Teika

2026-08-04T16:42:27Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: quote to caption

[[File:Teika(3).jpg|right|thumb|200px|From the beginning I knew meeting could only End in parting, yet I ignored the coming dawn And I gave myself to you.]]
{{stub}}
'''[[w:Fujiwara no Teika|Fujiwara no Teika]]''' (1162 – September 26, 1241) was a [[w:Japanese people|Japanese]] anthologist, calligrapher, literary critic, poet, and scribe of the late [[w:Heian period|Heian]] and early [[w:Kamakura period|Kamakura period]].

==Quotes==
* 和歌に師匠なし。たゞ旧き歌をもつて師となす。心を古風に染め、詞を先達に習はば、誰人かこれを詠ぜざらんや。
** There are no teachers of Japanese poetry. But they who take the old poems as their teachers, steep their minds in the old style, and learn their words from the masters of former time — who of them will fail to write poetry? [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.226290/page/n210/mode/1up?view=theater]
** ''Variant translation:'' In poetry there are no teachers. One makes antiquity one’s teacher. Provided he steep his mind in the styles of antiquity and learn his diction from the great poets of old, who can fail to compose good poetry?
*** Essentials of Poetic Composition (詠歌大概 ''Eiga no Taigai'')

* On this spring night the floating bridge of my dreams has broken away: and lifting off a far peak— a cloud-bank in empty sky.
** ''The Road to Komatsubara: A Classical Reading of the Renga Hyakuin'', 1987, Steven D. Carter

* From the beginning I knew meeting could only End in parting, yet I ignored the coming dawn And I gave myself to you.
** ''100 More Poems from the Japanese'', 1976, {{w|Kenneth Rexroth}}

==Quotes about==
* In this art of poetry, those who speak ill of Teika should be denied the protection of the gods and Buddhas and condemned to the punishments of hell.
** Attributed to [[Shotetsu]] in ''Conversations with Shotetsu (Shotetsu Monogatari)'', 1992, Translated by Robert H. Bower

==See also==
* [[Saigyo]]
* [[Basho]]
* [[Shotetsu]]

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}

[[Category:Poets from Japan]]
[[Category:Literary critics]]
[[Category:Novelists from Japan]]
[[Category:Buddhists from Japan]]
[[Category:Philologists]]
[[Category:Diarists]]
[[Category:People from Kyoto]]
[[Category:1160s births]]
[[Category:1240s deaths]]

Fujiwara no Teika

2026-08-04T16:41:24Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ Add quote

[[File:Teika(3).jpg|right|thumb|200px|Fujiwara no Teika]]
{{stub}}
'''[[w:Fujiwara no Teika|Fujiwara no Teika]]''' (1162 – September 26, 1241) was a [[w:Japanese people|Japanese]] anthologist, calligrapher, literary critic, poet, and scribe of the late [[w:Heian period|Heian]] and early [[w:Kamakura period|Kamakura period]].

==Quotes==
* 和歌に師匠なし。たゞ旧き歌をもつて師となす。心を古風に染め、詞を先達に習はば、誰人かこれを詠ぜざらんや。
** There are no teachers of Japanese poetry. But they who take the old poems as their teachers, steep their minds in the old style, and learn their words from the masters of former time — who of them will fail to write poetry? [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.226290/page/n210/mode/1up?view=theater]
** ''Variant translation:'' In poetry there are no teachers. One makes antiquity one’s teacher. Provided he steep his mind in the styles of antiquity and learn his diction from the great poets of old, who can fail to compose good poetry?
*** Essentials of Poetic Composition (詠歌大概 ''Eiga no Taigai'')

* From the beginning I knew meeting could only End in parting, yet I ignored the coming dawn And I gave myself to you.
** ''100 More Poems from the Japanese'', 1976, {{w|Kenneth Rexroth}}

* On this spring night the floating bridge of my dreams has broken away: and lifting off a far peak— a cloud-bank in empty sky.
** ''The Road to Komatsubara: A Classical Reading of the Renga Hyakuin'', 1987, Steven D. Carter

==Quotes about==
* In this art of poetry, those who speak ill of Teika should be denied the protection of the gods and Buddhas and condemned to the punishments of hell.
** Attributed to [[Shotetsu]] in ''Conversations with Shotetsu (Shotetsu Monogatari)'', 1992, Translated by Robert H. Bower

==See also==
* [[Saigyo]]
* [[Basho]]
* [[Shotetsu]]

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}

[[Category:Poets from Japan]]
[[Category:Literary critics]]
[[Category:Novelists from Japan]]
[[Category:Buddhists from Japan]]
[[Category:Philologists]]
[[Category:Diarists]]
[[Category:People from Kyoto]]
[[Category:1160s births]]
[[Category:1240s deaths]]

Ferdowsi

2026-08-02T13:23:48Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ restore content, add cn tag

[[File:Ferdowsi Square (Tehran) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Mighty is he who has knowledge]]
'''[[w:Ferdowsi|Ferdowsi]]''' (c. 940 –1020) was a Persian author at the turn of the 1st millennium.

{{author-stub}}
==Quotes==
* In the name of God, who gives life and mind to humans. Human thoughts cannot go higher than Him or fully understand Him.
** ''Shahnameh – Beginning of the Book (Section 1)''
* Wisdom is the best gift God gave to humans. The best thing to do is to praise wisdom — this is right and fair.
** ''Shahnameh – Beginning of the Book (Section 2)''
* Wisdom shows us the right path and brings peace to the heart. Wisdom helps a person in this world and in the next world (the afterlife).
**''Shahnameh – Beginning of the Book (Section 2)''
* توانا بود هر که دانا بود
** ''tavânâ buvad har ke dânâ buvad''
*** Mighty is he who has knowledge.{{citation needed}}
**** ''Variant translation:'' One who has wisdom is powerful.

===[[w:Shahnameh|Shahnameh]]===
* Now there was fought a battle such as men have not seen the like. And the earth was covered with steel, and '''arrows fell from the clouds like hail, and the ground was torn with hoofs, and blood flowed like water upon the plains. And the dead lay around in masses, and the feet of the horses could not stir because of them.'''
** Translation of Helen Zimmern [http://classics.mit.edu/Ferdowsi/kings.14.defeatafrasiyab.html]

* I turn to right and left, in all the earth I see no signs of justice, sense or worth: A man does evil deeds, and all his days Are filled with luck and universal praise; Another's good in all he does—he dies A wretched, broken man whom all despise.
** Dick Davis translation

* O my son, thy lips still smell of milk, and thy heart should go out to pleasure. But the days are grave, and Iran looketh unto thee in its danger.
** Translation of Helen Zimmern [http://classics.mit.edu/Ferdowsi/kings.5.rustem.html]

*The toil of thirty years is now complete, Record sublime of many a warlike feat, Written midst toil and trouble, but the strain Awakens every heart, and will remain A lasting stimulus to glorious deeds; For even the bashful maid, who kindling reads, Becomes a warrior. Thirty years of care, Urged on by royal promise, did I bear, And now, deceived and scorned, the aged bard Is basely cheated of his pledged reward!
**Translation of James Atkinson [https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Page:Persian_Literature_(1900),_vol._1.djvu/377&action=edit&redlink=1]

==Quotes about Ferdowsi==
*The ''Shāhnāmeh'' is the greatest epic in history. It is a treasure trove of ideas, wisdom, advice, help, guidance, and rites. With this immense work, Ferdowsi revived the spirit of serenity, magnanimity, and pride in the Iranian nation, which had lost itself under the weight of the Arab conquest of Iran. It empowered divided Iranian peoples to unite.
**[[Simin Behbahani]], interview (2011), translated from Persian by Nilou Mobasser. Included in ''Iranian Writers Uncensored'' by Shiva Rahbaran

* The [[Persians]] regard Ferdowsi as the greatest of their poets. For nearly a thousand years they have continued to read and to listen to recitations from his masterwork, the Shah-nameh, in which the Persian national epic found its final and enduring form. Though written about 1,000 years ago, this work is as intelligible to the average, modern Iranian as the King James version of the Bible is to a modern English-speaker. The language, based as the poem is on a Dari original, is pure Persian with only the slightest admixture of Arabic.
**{{Cite web|title=Ferdowsi|year=2007|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Online|accessdate=4 June 2007|url=http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9034029}}

*For nearly a thousand years they have continued to read and to listen to recitations from his [Ferdowsi] masterwork [Shahnameh], the Shāh-nāmeh, in which the Persian national epic found its final and enduring form. Though written about 1,000 years ago, this work is as intelligible to the average, modern Iranian as the King James version of the Bible is to a modern English-speaker.
**J. E. Luebering, in Ferdowsi on [[w:Shahnameh|Shahnameh]] ''[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=SUrUjZHJtN0C&pg=PA45The 100 Most Influential Writers of All Time]'', The Rosen Publishing Group, 20 December 2009, p. 45.

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}

[[Category:940 births]]
[[Category:1020 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Tus, Iran]]
[[Category:Persian literature]]
[[Category:Poets from Persia]]
[[Category:Poets from Iran]]
[[Category:Shia Muslims from Iran]]
[[Category:Epic poets]]
[[Category:Ghaznavid-period poets]]
[[Category:People from Khorasan]]

Gustave Flaubert

2026-08-02T03:00:38Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Letters to Madame Louise Colet */ Add quote

[[File:Gustave flaubert.jpg|thumb|[[Exuberance]] is better than [[taste]].]]
'''[[w:Gustave Flaubert|Gustave Flaubert]]''' ([[December 12]] [[1821]] – [[May 8]] [[1880]]) was an influential French writer who was perhaps the leading exponent of [[w:literary realism|literary realism]] of his country. He is known especially for his [[w:debut novel|first published novel]], ''[[w:Madame Bovary|Madame Bovary]]'' (1857), for his ''Correspondence'', and for his scrupulous devotion to his style and [[aesthetics]].
:See also:
::'''''[[Madame Bovary]]'''''

== Quotes ==

=== ''[[w:Salammbô (novel)|Salammbô]]'' (1862) ===

* ''C'était à Mégara, faubourg de Carthage, dans les jardins d'Hamilcar.''
** It was at Megara, a suburb of Carthage, in the gardens of Hamilcar.
** Ch. 1: The Feast (tr. J. S. Chartres, 1886)

* ''Tout le monde, par excès de terreur, devenait brave.''
** In their extremity of terror all became brave.
** Ch. 6: Hanno (tr. J. S. Chartres, 1886)

* The brazen arms were working more quickly. They paused no longer. Every time that a child was placed in them the priests of [[w:Moloch|Moloch]] spread out their hands upon him to burden him with the crimes of the people, vociferating: "They are not men but oxen!" and the multitude round about repeated: "Oxen! oxen!" The devout exclaimed: "Lord! Eat!"
** Ch. 13: Moloch (tr. J. S. Chartres, 1886)

=== ''[[w:Sentimental Education|Sentimental Education]]'' (1869) ===

[[File:Flaubert memorial.JPG|thumb|What is [[beautiful]] is [[moral]], that is all there is to it.]]
[[File:Gustave Flaubert Medaille AV.jpg|thumb|One becomes a [[critic]] when one cannot be an [[artist]], just as a man becomes a stool pigeon when he cannot be a soldier.]]
[[File:Tableful of classics.jpg|thumb|Nothing is more [[humiliating]] than to see idiots succeed in enterprises we have failed in.]]

* '''Don't talk to me about your hideous [[reality]]! What does it mean — reality?''' Some see things black, others blue — the multitude sees them brute-fashion. There is nothing less natural than [[Michael Angelo]]; there is nothing more powerful! The anxiety about eternal truth is a mark of contemporary baseness; and art will become, if things go on in that way, a sort of poor joke as much below religion as it is below poetry, and as much below politics as it is below business. You will never reach its end — yes, its end! — which is to cause within us an impersonal exaltation, with petty works, in spite of all your finished execution.
** Pt. 1, Ch. 4 (ed. Dora Knowlton Ranous, 1922)

* Without ideality, there is no grandeur; without grandeur there is no beauty. Olympus is a mountain. The most effective monument will always be the Pyramids. '''Exuberance is better than taste'''; the desert is better than a streetpavement, and a savage is surely better than a hairdresser!
** Pt. 1, Ch. 4; the most famous portion of this statement is "Exuberance is better than taste..." [''Mieux vaut l'exubérance que le goût.'']

* ''Rien n'est humiliant comme de voir les sots réussir dans les entreprises où l'on échoue.''
** Nothing is more humiliating than to see idiots succeed in enterprises we have failed in.
** Pt. 1, Ch. 5

* '''For some men, the stronger their desire, the more difficult it is for them to act.''' They are hampered by mistrust of themselves, daunted by the fear of giving offence; besides, deep feelings of affection are like respectable women; they are afraid of being found out and they go through life with downcast eyes.
** Pt. 2, Ch. 3

* He is so [[corrupt]] that he would willingly pay for the pleasure of selling himself.
** Pt. 3, Ch. 3

=== ''Correspondence'' ===

* ''Soyez réglé dans votre vie et ordinaire comme un bourgeois, afin d'être violent et original dans vos œuvres.''
** Be regular and orderly in your life like a bourgeois, so that you may be violent and original in your work.
*** To Gertrude Tennant (December 25, 1876) (''Correspondence'' v4, [https://archive.org/details/correspondance04flauuoft/page/280 p. 280])

* What is [[beautiful]] is [[moral]], that is all there is to it.
** To [[Guy de Maupassant]] (February 16, 1880)

* There is no 'true'. There are merely ways of perceiving truth.
** Quoted in ''The Letters of Gustave Flaubert, 1857-1880,'' ed. and trans. Francis Steegmuller (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1982), xii.

==== Letters to Madame Louise Colet ====

[[File:Gustave-Flaubert2.jpg|thumb|You can calculate the [[worth]] of a [[man]] by the number of his [[enemies]], and the importance of a work of [[art]] by the harm that is spoken of it.]]


* My deplorable mania for analysis exhausts me. I doubt everything, even my doubt.
** 8-9 August, 1846

* One must not always think that feeling is everything. Art is nothing without form.
** 12 August 1846

* To be stupid, selfish, and have good health are three requirements for happiness, though if stupidity is lacking, all is lost.
** 13 August 1846

* ''Quelle atroce invention que celle du bourgeois, n'est-ce pas?''
** What a horrible invention, the bourgeois, don't you think?
** 22 September 1846

* One becomes a critic when one cannot be an artist, just as a man becomes a stool pigeon when he cannot be a soldier.
** 22 October 1846

* An [[author]] in his book must be like God in the universe, present everywhere and visible nowhere.
** 9 December 1852

* The idea of bringing someone into the world fills me with horror. I would curse myself if I were a father. A son of mine! Oh no, no, no! May my entire flesh perish and may I transmit to no one the aggravations and the disgrace of existence.
** 11 December 1852

* ''J'ai eu, aussi, moi, mon époque nerveuse, mon époque sentimentale, et j'en porte encore, comme un galérien, la marque au cou. Avec ma main brûlée j'ai le droit maintenant d'écrire des phrases sur la nature du feu.''
** I, too, had my nervous period, my sentimental period, and I still bear its mark, like a galley slave, on my neck. With my burnt hand I now have the right to write some sentences on the nature of fire. (5-6 July 1852)

* You can calculate]] the worth of a man by the number of his enemies, and the importance of a work of art by the harm that is spoken of it. (14 June 1853)

* Everything one invents is true, you may be perfectly sure of that. Poetry is as precise as geometry.
** 14 August 1853

==== Letters to Mademoiselle Leroyer de Chantepie ====

* The artist must be in his work as God is in creation, invisible and all-powerful; one must sense him everywhere but never see him.
** 18 March 1857

* Do not read as children do to enjoy themselves, or, as the ambitious do to educate themselves. No, read to live.
** June 1857

==== Letters to [[George Sand]] ====

* ''Tout le rêve de la démocratie est d'élever le prolétaire au niveau de bêtise du bourgeois.''
** The whole dream of democracy is to raise the proletarian to the level of bourgeois stupidity.
** 4 or 5 October 1871

* ''Notre ignorance de l'histoire nous fait calomnier notre temps.''
** Our ignorance of [[history]] causes us to slander our own times.
** 8 September 1871

* Axiom: '''hatred of the bourgeois is the beginning of wisdom'''. But I include in the word bourgeois, the bourgeois in blouses as well the bourgeois in coats. It is we and we alone, that is to say the literary men, who are the people, or to say it better: the tradition of humanity.
** 10 May 1867

* ''L'homme n'est rien, l'oeuvre – tout''
** The man is nothing, the work — all.
** December 1875
** Slightly misquoted in "The Red-Headed League" by Arthur Conan Doyle as ''L'homme c'est rien – l'oeuvre c'est tout.''

{{Misattributed begin}}

== Misattributed ==

* As a rule we disbelieve all the facts and theories for which we have no use.
** [[William James]], in ''The Will to Believe'' (1897)
{{Misattributed end}}

== Quotes about Flaubert ==

* I see now, looking at this little book, ''November'', by Flaubert, so many of the themes that he was going to explore so wonderfully later are just touched upon, he didn’t have the skill to carry them any further. And then, as his life went by, he followed them, he followed these dark tunnels.
** [[Nadine Gordimer]] [https://www.vqronline.org/web-exclusive/interview-nadine-gordimer Interview] (2004)

* When I was working on ''China Men'', I remember reading a critic who was praising the great male writers, like Flaubert and Tolstoy and Dostoevsky and Henry James, who were able to write great women characters. I don't remember if they said women had done men in this way or not, but I remember thinking that to finish myself as a great artist I'd have to be able to create men characters. Along with that, I was thinking that I had to do more than the first person pronoun.
** 1991 interview in ''Conversations with [[Maxine Hong Kingston]]'' (1998)

* Madame Bovary is written entirely according to the system of tanka. Flaubert wrote it so slowly and painstakingly, because he had to begin it anew after every fifth word.
** [[Osip Mandelstam]] THE NINETEENTH CENTURY translated into English in ''The complete critical prose'' (1997)

* I want to think that every character is a little-I guess like Flaubert saying "Emma Bovary, c'est moi"-that I am the characters but the characters aren't me
** 1996 interview in ''Conversations with [[Bharati Mukherjee]]'' Edited by Bradley C. Edwards (2009)

* Thus Flaubert has two quite different conceptions of himself. One is at the level of banal description, for example when he writes to his mistress Louise: ‘What am I? Am I intelligent or am I stupid? Am I sensitive or am I stolid? Am I mean or am I generous? Am I selfish or am I selfless? I have no idea, I suppose I am like everyone else, I waver between all these. . . .’ In other words, at this level he is completely lost. Why? Because none of these notions has any meaning in themselves. They only acquire a meaning from inter-subjectivity, in other words what I have called in the Critique the ‘objective spirit’ within which each member of a group or society refers to himself and appears to others, establishing relations of interiority between persons which derive from the same information or the same context. Yet one cannot say that Flaubert did not have, at the very height of his activity, a comprehension of the most obscure origins of his own history. He once wrote a remarkable sentence: ‘You are doubtless like myself, you all have the same terrifying and tedious depths’—''les mêmes profondeurs terribles et ennuyeuses''. What could be a better formula for the whole world of psychoanalysis, in which one makes terrifying discoveries, yet which always tediously come to the same thing? His awareness of these depths was not an intellectual one. He later wrote that he often had fulgurating intuitions, akin to a dazzling bolt of lightning in which one simultaneously sees nothing and sees everything. Each time they went out, he tried to retrace the paths revealed to him by this blinding light, stumbling and falling in the subsequent darkness.
** [[Jean-Paul Sartre]], "Marxism and Subjectivity", 1961 lecture published in ''New Left Review'' (July–August 2014)

*''La question archéologique, en ce qui concerne la restitution tentée dans Salammbô, est résolue depuis longtemps. La valeur archéologique de l'ouvrage est nulle, et Flaubert se trouve ici à cent coudées au-dessous d'''Anacharsis'' lui-même. Son travail de recherches, assez considérable, ne lui a pas été inutile, loin de là, car il y était guidé par le sens du pittoresque, et savait tomber au juste sur tout ce qui devait lui permettre de belles images, mais la liste incomplète de ses erreurs a été suffisamment dressée pour que nous ne nous en laissions pas imposer par la lettre, d'ailleurs très verveuse, à Frœhner. Il n'en est pas de même du sens historique très remarquable dont il fait preuve. L'idée qu'il donne de Carthage est juste. Il a saisi avec exactitude les causes de sa grandeur et de sa faiblesse. Il les a exprimées dans un style historique d'une solidité, d'une netteté, d'une autorité parfaites. Ce style a pour corps la force intelligente, condensée et comme épigrammatique de Voltaire et de Montesquieu, et pour âme un souffle oratoire discipliné à la Chateaubriand.''
** The archaeological question, as far as the reconstruction attempted in ''[[w:Salammbô|Salammbô]]'' is concerned, has long been resolved. The work has no archaeological value whatsoever, and Flaubert is here a hundred cubits below ''Anacharsis'' himself. His rather considerable research was not useless to him, far from it, for he was guided by a sense of the picturesque and knew how to pinpoint everything that would allow him to create beautiful images, but the incomplete list of his errors has been sufficiently compiled so that we should not be misled by [[w:Wilhelm Fröhner|Frœhner]]'s otherwise very lively letter. The same cannot be said of the very remarkable historical sense he demonstrates. The idea he gives of [[Ancient Carthage|Carthage]] is accurate. He has precisely grasped the causes of its greatness and its weakness. He has expressed them in a historical style of perfect solidity, clarity, and authority. This style has as its body the intelligent, condensed and almost epigrammatic force of [[Voltaire]] and [[Montesquieu]], and as its soul a disciplined oratorical breath à la [[François-René de Chateaubriand|Chateaubriand]].
** [[Albert Thibaudet]], ''Gustave Flaubert 1821–1880. Sa Vie – Ses Romans – Son Style'' (1922), pp. 151-152

* The novel's outside world, if well enough created, does live on, when you look at the world of [[Jane Austen]], [[Flaubert]], [[Turgenev]], [[Tolstoy]], [[Proust]]! They're indelible.
** 1981 interview included in ''Conversations with [[Eudora Welty]]'' Edited by Peggy Whitman Prenshaw (1993)

* <nowiki>[</nowiki>''[[w:Sentimental Education|L'Éducation sentimentale]]'' displays Flaubert's<nowiki>]</nowiki> nervous analysis of the smallest facts, a notation of life that is both meticulous and alive.
** [[Émile Zola]], ''La Tribune'' (28 November 1869), in ''Oeuvres complètes'', X: ''Oeuvres critiques 1'' (1968), p. 918, quoted in Robert Gildea, ''Children of the Revolution: The French, 1799–1914'' (2008), p. 191

== External links ==
{{wikipedia}}
{{wikisource author|Gustave Flaubert}}
{{commonscat}}
* [http://www.press.jhu.edu/books/hopkins_guide_to_literary_theory/gustave_flaubert.html Flaubert entry at the Johns Hopkins University Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism]
* {{Gutenberg author |id=Flaubert,+Gustave | name=Gustave Flaubert}}
* [http://www.intratext.com/Catalogo/Autori/Aut148.HTM Flaubert's works: text, concordances and frequency list at IntraText Digital Library]
*[http://www.bibliomania.com/0/5/136/frameset.html Bibliomania page]
*[http://www.univ-rouen.fr/flaubert/ Site of the Centre Flaubert at Rouen (French)]
*[http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jb.guinot/pages/accueil.html A comprehensive site in French]
*[http://www.the-ledge.com/flash/ledge.php?book=12&lan=UK Flaubert 'Bookweb' on literary website The Ledge, with suggestions for further reading]
*[http://ia600401.us.archive.org//load_djvu_applet.php?file=1/items/StudiesFrenchAndEnglish/StudiesFrenchAndEnglish.djvu 'The Martyr of Letters', essay on ''The Letters of Gustave Flaubert'', F. L. Lucas, ''Studies French and English'' (1934), pp. 242-266]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flaubert, Gustave}}
[[Category:Novelists from France]]
[[Category:Short story writers from France]]
[[Category:Fantasy authors]]
[[Category:1821 births]]
[[Category:1880 deaths]]
[[Category:LGBT people]]

Al-Mutanabbi

2026-07-20T20:54:46Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ swap caption

{{people-cleanup}}
[[File:Al-Mutanabbi.jpg|thumb|The desert knows me well, the night, the mounted men The battle and the sword, the paper and the pen!]]
'''{{W|Al-Mutanabbi}}''' (915–965 CE) was an {{W|Arab}} poet of the {{W|Abbassid}} era. He is considered as one of the greatest poets of the {{W|Arabic language}}.

== Quotes ==
[[File:في شارع المتنبي تمثال الشاعر ابو الطيب المتنبي.jpg|thumb|right|I am the one whose writing even the blind see
and the one whose poems have brought hearing to the deaf.]]
* '''إذا رَأيْتَ نُيُوبَ اللّيْثِ بارِزَةً &emsp; فَلا تَظُنّنّ أنّ اللّيْثَ يَبْتَسِمُ'''
** '''Ah, when the lion bares his teeth, suspect his guile, Nor fancy that the lion shows to thee a smile!'''<ref name="nicholson">{{Cite book|last=Al-Mutanabbi|first=Abū al-Ṭayyib Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn|author-link=wikipedia:Al-Mutanabbi|editor-last=Arberry|editor-first=Arthur John|date={{#formatdate:1967-03-02|mdy}}|title=Poems of Al-Mutanabbî: A Selection with Introduction, Translations and Notes|publisher={{w|Cambridge University Press}}|publication-place={{W|Cambridge}}|isbn=978-0-521-04038-9}} Translation by R. A. Nicholson.</ref>
** When you see the fangs of lions exposed, do not suppose that the lion is smiling.<ref name="arberry">{{Cite book|last=Al-Mutanabbi|first=Abū al-Ṭayyib Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn|author-link=wikipedia:Al-Mutanabbi|editor-last=Arberry|editor-first=Arthur John|date={{#formatdate:1967-03-02|mdy}}|title=Poems of Al-Mutanabbî: A Selection with Introduction, Translations and Notes|publisher={{W|Cambridge University Press}}|publication-place={{W|Cambridge}}|isbn=978-0-521-04038-9}} Translation by A.J. Arberry.</ref>

* '''الخَيْلُ وَاللّيْلُ وَالبَيْداءُ تَعرِفُني &emsp; وَالسّيفُ وَالرّمحُ والقرْطاسُ وَالقَلَمُ'''
** '''The desert knows me well, the night, the mounted men The battle and the sword, the paper and the pen!'''<ref name="nicholson" />

* إِذَا أَنْتَ أَكْرَمْتَ الْكَرِيمَ مَلَكْتَهُ &emsp; وَإِنْ أَنْتَ أَكْرَمْتَ اللَّئِيمَ تَمَرَّدَا
** When you honour a noble man, you own him, but if you honour an ignoble man, he rebels.<ref name="arberry" />

* ما كُلُّ ما يَتَمَنّى المَرءُ يُدرِكُهُ &emsp; تَجري الرِياحُ بِما لا تَشتَهي السُفُنُ
** A man does not attain everything that he desires; the winds convey whither the ships do not list.<ref name="arberry" />

* أعَزُّ مَكانٍ في الدُّنَى سَرْجُ سابحٍ &emsp; وَخَيرُ جَليسٍ في الزّمانٍ كِتابُ
** A charger's saddle is an exalted throne The best companions are books alone.<ref name="nasir">{{Cite journal|last=Nasir|first=Kamal Gatta|date=January 2015|title=Aphoristic Sentences in Selected Poems of Al-Mutanabbi|url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kamal-Nasir/publication/322131631_Aphoristic_Sentences_in_Selected_Poems_of_Al-Mutanabbi/links/5a467d5e0f7e9ba868aa4bb4/Aphoristic-Sentences-in-Selected-Poems-of-Al-Mutanabbi.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref>

* أنا الذي نظر الأعمى إلى أدبي &emsp; وأسمعت كلماتي من به صمم
** I am the one whose writing even the blind see and the one whose poems have brought hearing to the deaf<ref name="larkin">{{Cite book|last=Larkin|first=Margaret|year=2008|title=Al-Mutanabbī: Voice of the Abbasid Poetic Ideal|publisher={{W|Oneworld Publications}}|publication-place={{W|Oxford}}|isbn=978-1-851-68406-9}}</ref>
** Variant translation: My deep poetic art the blind have eyes to see, My verses ring in ears as deaf as deaf can be.<ref name="smith">{{Cite book|last=Nuwas|first=Abu|author-link=wikipedia:Abu Nuwas|last2=Al-Mutanabbi|first2=Abū al-Ṭayyib Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn|author2-link=wikipedia:Al-Mutanabbi|author3=Al-Ma’arri|author3-link=wikipedia:Al-Ma’arri|date={{#formatdate:2015-05-28|mdy}}|title=Three Great Abbasid Poets: Abu Nuwas, al-Mutanabbi & al-Ma'arri, Lives & Poems|publisher=New Humanity Books|isbn=978-1512106541}} Translation by Paul Smith.</ref>

* {{Lang|ar|وَلَوْ كَانَ النِّسَاءُ كَمَنْ فَقَدْنَا &emsp; لَفُضِّلَتِ النِّسَاءُ عَلَى الرِّجَالِ وَمَا التَّأْنِيثُ لِاسْمِ الشَّمْسِ عَيْبٌ &emsp; وَلَا التَّذْكِيرُ فَخْرٌ لِلْهِلَالِ}}
** If all women were like as the one we have lost, Then women would be preferred to men. For the feminine gender is no shame for the sun, Nor is the masculine gender an honor for the crescent moon.
*** From the poem [https://www.hindawi.org/books/82959503/20/ ''Nuʿiddu al-Mashrafiyyata wa-l-ʿAwālī'']

* {{Lang|ar|ذُو الْعَقْلِ يَشْقَى فِي النَّعِيم بِعَقْلِهِ &emsp; وَأَخُو الْجَهَالَةِ فِي الشَّقَاوَةِ يَنْعَمُ}}
** Those with intellect suffer in bliss with their intellect, and the ignorant live blissfully in misery.
*** From the poem ''[http://www.almotanabbi.com/poemPage.do?poemId=248 Li-Hawā An-Nufūsi]'', Line 8

* {{Lang|ar|لَكَ الحَمدُ في الدُرِّ الَّذي لِيَ لَفظُهُ &emsp; فَإِنَّكَ مُعطيهِ وَإِنِّيَ ناظِمُ}}
** To you belongs the praise for these pearls I pronounce; you are the giver, I the arranger.
*** From the poem ''"To Sayf Al-Dawla"'' ([https://www.aldiwan.net/poem10524.html in Arabic])

* {{Lang|ar|إِذا غامَرتَ في شَرَفٍ مَرومٍ &emsp; فَلا تَقنَع بِما دونَ النُجومِ}} [https://www.aldiwan.net/poem10566.html]
** If you venture in pursuit of glory, don’t be satisfied with less than the stars.
*** [https://newlinesmag.com/essays/al-mutanabbis-status-as-the-shakespeare-of-the-arabs-was-always-controversial Translation] by Kevin Blankinship

*إِنَّ السِلاحَ جَميعُ الناسِ تَحمِلُهُ &emsp; وَلَيسَ كُلُّ ذَواتِ المِخلَبِ السَبُعُ
** All sorts of men carry weapons; but not all who have claws are lions.<ref name="al-dawla">{{Cite book|last=Hamori|first=Andras|date={{#formatdate:1992-01-01|mdy}}|title=The Composition of Mutanabbī's Panegyrics to Sayf al-Dawla|url=https://archive.org/details/compositionofmut0000hamo|publisher={{W|Brill Publishers|E.J. Brill}}|publication-place={{W|Leiden}}|isbn=978-90-04-09366-9}}</ref> Arabic text: [https://www.aldiwan.net/poem9719.html]

* وَيَطلِبُ عِندَ الناسِ ما عِندَ نَفسِهِ *** وَذَلِكَ ما لا تَدَّعيهِ الضَراغِمُ
** He asks from men all that he has in himself, though even lions would not claim to match that.
*** From the poem ''"To {{W|Sayf al-Dawla}}"'' ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140708175325if_/http://www.princeton.edu/~arabic/poetry/al_mu_to_sayf.html archived])

* أَنَامُ مِلْءَ جُفُونِي عَنْ شَوَارِدِهَا *** وَيَسْهَرُ الْخَلْقُ جَرَّاهَا وَيَخْتَصِمُ
** I sleep soundly unconcerned with fugitive verses while men keep vigil for them and struggle to extract them<ref name="larkin" />

=== ''Ode on the Reconquest of Al-Hadath'' ===
* {{Lang|ar|عَلى قَدرِ أَهلِ العَزْمِ تَأتي العَزائِمُ &emsp;وَتَأتي عَلى قَدرِ الكِرامِ المَكارِمُ}}
** Man’s resolutions are in measure with his will; his noble deeds in measure with his noble heart.<ref name="moss">{{Cite book|last=Moss|first=Joyce|year=2004|title=Middle Eastern Literatures and Their Times|url=https://archive.org/details/middleeasternlit0006moss|series=World Literature and Its Times|volume=6|publisher={{W|Gale (publisher)|Thomson Gale}}|publication-place={{W|Detroit}}|isbn=0787637319}} Translation by M. Al-Mallah.</ref>

* {{Lang|ar|وَتَعظُمُ في عَينِ الصَغيرِ صِغارُها &emsp; وَتَصغُرُ في عَينِ العَظيمِ العَظائِمُ}}
** Petty affairs appear grave in the eyes of the petty, while grave matters appear petty in the eyes of the great.<ref name="moss" />

* وَما ضَرَّها خَلقٌ بِغَيرِ مَخالِبٍ *** وَقَد خُلِقَت أَسيافُهُ وَالقَوائِمُ
** Had these birds been created without claws, it would not have harmed them, for the blades and hilts of his swords [provide carrion] for them.<ref name="moss" />

=== ''A Young Soul'' ===
[https://web.archive.org/web/20101201132525if_/http://www.adab.com/en/modules.php?name=Sh3er&doWhat=shqas&qid=142 Arabic Poetry at adab.com]

* A young soul in my ageing body […] Hard biter in a toothless mouth is she.

* Without hardship everyone would prevail.

* Glory in hardship, sloth in comfort lies.

* Defiantly live, or in honour die, Midst slashing blades and banners flying high.

* A charger's saddle is an exalted throne, the best companions are books alone.

* Beautiful women, as experienced men know, Are but darkness wrapped in dazzling light aglow. A life of friv'lous youth and worried age, Its futile course to futile death will flow.

{{Misattributed begin}}

== Misattributed ==
* {{Lang|ar|قَوْمٌ إذا مس النعال وجوههم &emsp; شكت النعال بأي ذنب تُصْفَعُ}}
** A people, when the shoes touch their faces, / The shoes complain: “For what sin are we struck?”
*** Commonly attributed to Al-Mutanabbi, no known occurrence in Mutanabbi's writings. The earliest known occurrence of this quote is in [[w:en:Ibn Taghribirdi|Ibn Taghribirdi]]'s ''Al-Nujum al-zahira fi muluk Misr wa'l-Qahira'', where it was not attributed to anyone.<ref>https://www.alriyadh.com/1546174</ref>
{{Misattributed end}}

== Quotes about Al-Mutanabbi ==
* I am embarrassed that I have a translator for my works, and Mutanabbi, the poet of the Arabs, has no one.
** Rasha al-Ameer, [https://web.archive.org/web/20170514065637if_/http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/other-words-why-mutanabbi-so-rarely-translated-english ''In other words: Why is Mutanabbi so rarely translated into English?''], Egypt Independent (May 22, 2012)

* Poetry has sunk into the earth, and the lush tree of letters, once watered, has gone dry.
** Written about Mutanabbi's death by his student {{W|Ibn Jinni}}.[https://newlinesmag.com/essays/al-mutanabbis-status-as-the-shakespeare-of-the-arabs-was-always-controversial/]

== See also ==
* [[Al-Ma'arri]]
* [[Abu Nuwas]]
* [[Abu Tammam]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikipedia}}
{{Commonscat}}

[[Category:10th century births]]
[[Category:10th century deaths]]
[[Category:Arabic poets]]

Al-Mutanabbi

2026-07-20T20:53:01Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ swap image

{{people-cleanup}}
[[File:Al-Mutanabbi.jpg|thumb|The desert knows me well, the night, the mounted men The battle and the sword, the paper and the pen!]]
'''{{W|Al-Mutanabbi}}''' (915–965 CE) was an {{W|Arab}} poet of the {{W|Abbassid}} era. He is considered as one of the greatest poets of the {{W|Arabic language}}.

== Quotes ==
[[File:في شارع المتنبي تمثال الشاعر ابو الطيب المتنبي.jpg|thumb|right|One does not attain everything he wishes for. Winds blow counter to what the ships desire.]]
* '''إذا رَأيْتَ نُيُوبَ اللّيْثِ بارِزَةً &emsp; فَلا تَظُنّنّ أنّ اللّيْثَ يَبْتَسِمُ'''
** '''Ah, when the lion bares his teeth, suspect his guile, Nor fancy that the lion shows to thee a smile!'''<ref name="nicholson">{{Cite book|last=Al-Mutanabbi|first=Abū al-Ṭayyib Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn|author-link=wikipedia:Al-Mutanabbi|editor-last=Arberry|editor-first=Arthur John|date={{#formatdate:1967-03-02|mdy}}|title=Poems of Al-Mutanabbî: A Selection with Introduction, Translations and Notes|publisher={{w|Cambridge University Press}}|publication-place={{W|Cambridge}}|isbn=978-0-521-04038-9}} Translation by R. A. Nicholson.</ref>
** When you see the fangs of lions exposed, do not suppose that the lion is smiling.<ref name="arberry">{{Cite book|last=Al-Mutanabbi|first=Abū al-Ṭayyib Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn|author-link=wikipedia:Al-Mutanabbi|editor-last=Arberry|editor-first=Arthur John|date={{#formatdate:1967-03-02|mdy}}|title=Poems of Al-Mutanabbî: A Selection with Introduction, Translations and Notes|publisher={{W|Cambridge University Press}}|publication-place={{W|Cambridge}}|isbn=978-0-521-04038-9}} Translation by A.J. Arberry.</ref>

* '''الخَيْلُ وَاللّيْلُ وَالبَيْداءُ تَعرِفُني &emsp; وَالسّيفُ وَالرّمحُ والقرْطاسُ وَالقَلَمُ'''
** '''The desert knows me well, the night, the mounted men The battle and the sword, the paper and the pen!'''<ref name="nicholson" />

* إِذَا أَنْتَ أَكْرَمْتَ الْكَرِيمَ مَلَكْتَهُ &emsp; وَإِنْ أَنْتَ أَكْرَمْتَ اللَّئِيمَ تَمَرَّدَا
** When you honour a noble man, you own him, but if you honour an ignoble man, he rebels.<ref name="arberry" />

* ما كُلُّ ما يَتَمَنّى المَرءُ يُدرِكُهُ &emsp; تَجري الرِياحُ بِما لا تَشتَهي السُفُنُ
** A man does not attain everything that he desires; the winds convey whither the ships do not list.<ref name="arberry" />

* أعَزُّ مَكانٍ في الدُّنَى سَرْجُ سابحٍ &emsp; وَخَيرُ جَليسٍ في الزّمانٍ كِتابُ
** A charger's saddle is an exalted throne The best companions are books alone.<ref name="nasir">{{Cite journal|last=Nasir|first=Kamal Gatta|date=January 2015|title=Aphoristic Sentences in Selected Poems of Al-Mutanabbi|url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kamal-Nasir/publication/322131631_Aphoristic_Sentences_in_Selected_Poems_of_Al-Mutanabbi/links/5a467d5e0f7e9ba868aa4bb4/Aphoristic-Sentences-in-Selected-Poems-of-Al-Mutanabbi.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref>

* أنا الذي نظر الأعمى إلى أدبي &emsp; وأسمعت كلماتي من به صمم
** I am the one whose writing even the blind see and the one whose poems have brought hearing to the deaf<ref name="larkin">{{Cite book|last=Larkin|first=Margaret|year=2008|title=Al-Mutanabbī: Voice of the Abbasid Poetic Ideal|publisher={{W|Oneworld Publications}}|publication-place={{W|Oxford}}|isbn=978-1-851-68406-9}}</ref>
** Variant translation: My deep poetic art the blind have eyes to see, My verses ring in ears as deaf as deaf can be.<ref name="smith">{{Cite book|last=Nuwas|first=Abu|author-link=wikipedia:Abu Nuwas|last2=Al-Mutanabbi|first2=Abū al-Ṭayyib Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn|author2-link=wikipedia:Al-Mutanabbi|author3=Al-Ma’arri|author3-link=wikipedia:Al-Ma’arri|date={{#formatdate:2015-05-28|mdy}}|title=Three Great Abbasid Poets: Abu Nuwas, al-Mutanabbi & al-Ma'arri, Lives & Poems|publisher=New Humanity Books|isbn=978-1512106541}} Translation by Paul Smith.</ref>

* {{Lang|ar|وَلَوْ كَانَ النِّسَاءُ كَمَنْ فَقَدْنَا &emsp; لَفُضِّلَتِ النِّسَاءُ عَلَى الرِّجَالِ وَمَا التَّأْنِيثُ لِاسْمِ الشَّمْسِ عَيْبٌ &emsp; وَلَا التَّذْكِيرُ فَخْرٌ لِلْهِلَالِ}}
** If all women were like as the one we have lost, Then women would be preferred to men. For the feminine gender is no shame for the sun, Nor is the masculine gender an honor for the crescent moon.
*** From the poem [https://www.hindawi.org/books/82959503/20/ ''Nuʿiddu al-Mashrafiyyata wa-l-ʿAwālī'']

* {{Lang|ar|ذُو الْعَقْلِ يَشْقَى فِي النَّعِيم بِعَقْلِهِ &emsp; وَأَخُو الْجَهَالَةِ فِي الشَّقَاوَةِ يَنْعَمُ}}
** Those with intellect suffer in bliss with their intellect, and the ignorant live blissfully in misery.
*** From the poem ''[http://www.almotanabbi.com/poemPage.do?poemId=248 Li-Hawā An-Nufūsi]'', Line 8

* {{Lang|ar|لَكَ الحَمدُ في الدُرِّ الَّذي لِيَ لَفظُهُ &emsp; فَإِنَّكَ مُعطيهِ وَإِنِّيَ ناظِمُ}}
** To you belongs the praise for these pearls I pronounce; you are the giver, I the arranger.
*** From the poem ''"To Sayf Al-Dawla"'' ([https://www.aldiwan.net/poem10524.html in Arabic])

* {{Lang|ar|إِذا غامَرتَ في شَرَفٍ مَرومٍ &emsp; فَلا تَقنَع بِما دونَ النُجومِ}} [https://www.aldiwan.net/poem10566.html]
** If you venture in pursuit of glory, don’t be satisfied with less than the stars.
*** [https://newlinesmag.com/essays/al-mutanabbis-status-as-the-shakespeare-of-the-arabs-was-always-controversial Translation] by Kevin Blankinship

*إِنَّ السِلاحَ جَميعُ الناسِ تَحمِلُهُ &emsp; وَلَيسَ كُلُّ ذَواتِ المِخلَبِ السَبُعُ
** All sorts of men carry weapons; but not all who have claws are lions.<ref name="al-dawla">{{Cite book|last=Hamori|first=Andras|date={{#formatdate:1992-01-01|mdy}}|title=The Composition of Mutanabbī's Panegyrics to Sayf al-Dawla|url=https://archive.org/details/compositionofmut0000hamo|publisher={{W|Brill Publishers|E.J. Brill}}|publication-place={{W|Leiden}}|isbn=978-90-04-09366-9}}</ref> Arabic text: [https://www.aldiwan.net/poem9719.html]

* وَيَطلِبُ عِندَ الناسِ ما عِندَ نَفسِهِ *** وَذَلِكَ ما لا تَدَّعيهِ الضَراغِمُ
** He asks from men all that he has in himself, though even lions would not claim to match that.
*** From the poem ''"To {{W|Sayf al-Dawla}}"'' ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140708175325if_/http://www.princeton.edu/~arabic/poetry/al_mu_to_sayf.html archived])

* أَنَامُ مِلْءَ جُفُونِي عَنْ شَوَارِدِهَا *** وَيَسْهَرُ الْخَلْقُ جَرَّاهَا وَيَخْتَصِمُ
** I sleep soundly unconcerned with fugitive verses while men keep vigil for them and struggle to extract them<ref name="larkin" />

=== ''Ode on the Reconquest of Al-Hadath'' ===
* {{Lang|ar|عَلى قَدرِ أَهلِ العَزْمِ تَأتي العَزائِمُ &emsp;وَتَأتي عَلى قَدرِ الكِرامِ المَكارِمُ}}
** Man’s resolutions are in measure with his will; his noble deeds in measure with his noble heart.<ref name="moss">{{Cite book|last=Moss|first=Joyce|year=2004|title=Middle Eastern Literatures and Their Times|url=https://archive.org/details/middleeasternlit0006moss|series=World Literature and Its Times|volume=6|publisher={{W|Gale (publisher)|Thomson Gale}}|publication-place={{W|Detroit}}|isbn=0787637319}} Translation by M. Al-Mallah.</ref>

* {{Lang|ar|وَتَعظُمُ في عَينِ الصَغيرِ صِغارُها &emsp; وَتَصغُرُ في عَينِ العَظيمِ العَظائِمُ}}
** Petty affairs appear grave in the eyes of the petty, while grave matters appear petty in the eyes of the great.<ref name="moss" />

* وَما ضَرَّها خَلقٌ بِغَيرِ مَخالِبٍ *** وَقَد خُلِقَت أَسيافُهُ وَالقَوائِمُ
** Had these birds been created without claws, it would not have harmed them, for the blades and hilts of his swords [provide carrion] for them.<ref name="moss" />

=== ''A Young Soul'' ===
[https://web.archive.org/web/20101201132525if_/http://www.adab.com/en/modules.php?name=Sh3er&doWhat=shqas&qid=142 Arabic Poetry at adab.com]

* A young soul in my ageing body […] Hard biter in a toothless mouth is she.

* Without hardship everyone would prevail.

* Glory in hardship, sloth in comfort lies.

* Defiantly live, or in honour die, Midst slashing blades and banners flying high.

* A charger's saddle is an exalted throne, the best companions are books alone.

* Beautiful women, as experienced men know, Are but darkness wrapped in dazzling light aglow. A life of friv'lous youth and worried age, Its futile course to futile death will flow.

{{Misattributed begin}}

== Misattributed ==
* {{Lang|ar|قَوْمٌ إذا مس النعال وجوههم &emsp; شكت النعال بأي ذنب تُصْفَعُ}}
** A people, when the shoes touch their faces, / The shoes complain: “For what sin are we struck?”
*** Commonly attributed to Al-Mutanabbi, no known occurrence in Mutanabbi's writings. The earliest known occurrence of this quote is in [[w:en:Ibn Taghribirdi|Ibn Taghribirdi]]'s ''Al-Nujum al-zahira fi muluk Misr wa'l-Qahira'', where it was not attributed to anyone.<ref>https://www.alriyadh.com/1546174</ref>
{{Misattributed end}}

== Quotes about Al-Mutanabbi ==
* I am embarrassed that I have a translator for my works, and Mutanabbi, the poet of the Arabs, has no one.
** Rasha al-Ameer, [https://web.archive.org/web/20170514065637if_/http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/other-words-why-mutanabbi-so-rarely-translated-english ''In other words: Why is Mutanabbi so rarely translated into English?''], Egypt Independent (May 22, 2012)

* Poetry has sunk into the earth, and the lush tree of letters, once watered, has gone dry.
** Written about Mutanabbi's death by his student {{W|Ibn Jinni}}.[https://newlinesmag.com/essays/al-mutanabbis-status-as-the-shakespeare-of-the-arabs-was-always-controversial/]

== See also ==
* [[Al-Ma'arri]]
* [[Abu Nuwas]]
* [[Abu Tammam]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikipedia}}
{{Commonscat}}

[[Category:10th century births]]
[[Category:10th century deaths]]
[[Category:Arabic poets]]

Philipp Mainländer

2026-06-28T20:45:31Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ format

[[File:P.Mainländer (cropped).jpg|thumb|The kingdom of heaven after death, nirvana and absolute nothingness are one and the same.]]
[[File:Mainländer.jpg|thumb|The movement of the cosmos is the movement from over-being to non-being.]]
'''{{w|Philipp Mainländer}}''' (October 5, 1841 – April 1, 1876) was a [[Germany|German]] [[Philosophy|philosopher]] and [[Poets|poet]]. Born Philipp Batz, he later changed his name to "Mainländer" in homage to his hometown, {{w|Offenbach am Main}}. In his central work ''Die Philosophie der Erlösung'' (''The Philosophy of Redemption'' or ''The Philosophy of Salvation'') — according to {{w|Theodor Lessing}}, "perhaps the most radical [[Philosophical pessimism|system of pessimism]] known to philosophical literature" — Mainländer proclaims that [[Nihilism|life is absolutely worthless]], and that "the will, ignited by the knowledge that non-being is better than being, is the supreme principle of morality."

== Quotes ==

* ''God has died and His death was the life of the world''.
** Philosophie der Erlösung, Erster Band (2014), Physik, § 38 {{ISBN|978-1494963262}}

* Every action of man, the highest as well as the lowest, is egoistic; for it flows from a certain individuality, a certain I, with a sufficient motive, and can in no way be omitted. To go into the reason of the difference of characters is not the place here; we have simply to accept it as a fact. Now it is just as impossible for the merciful man to let his neighbor starve as it is for the hard-hearted man to help the poor. Each of the two acts according to his character, his nature, his ego, his happiness, consequently egoistically; for if the merciful one did not dry the tears of others, would he be happy? And if the hard-hearted one relieved the suffering of others, would he be satisfied?
** Philosophie der Erlösung, Erster Band (2014), Ethik, § 11 {{ISBN|978-1494963262}}

* The will must not only despise death, it must love it; for chastity is the love of death.
** Philosophie der Erlösung, Erster Band (2014), Ethik, § 26 {{ISBN|978-1494963262}}

* Life is hell, and the sweet still night of absolute death is the annihilation of hell.
** Philosophie der Erlösung, Erster Band (2014), Ethik, § 26 {{ISBN|978-1494963262}}

* The man who has known clearly and distinctly that all life is suffering; that, whatever the way in which it may appear is essentially unhappy and full of pain (even in the ideal state), so that he, like the Christ Child on the arms of [[w:Sistine Madonna|Sistine Madonna]], can only look into the world with eyes filled with horror, and who then contemplates the deep tranquility, the inexpressible happiness in aesthetic contemplation and, in contrast to the waking state, the happiness of dreamless sleep, whose elevation into eternity is only absolute death, - such a man has to be kindled by the advantage offered, - he cannot do otherwise. The thought of resuscitating in his unhappy children, that is, having to follow his way through the streets of existence, full of thorns and hard stones, without rest or repose, is, on the one hand, the most shocking and exasperating he can have; and, on the other hand, it must be the sweetest and most refreshing thought to be able to break the long course of the process, in which he was forced to walk by, with bloody feet, beaten, tormented and martyred, languishing in search of quietude. And once he is on the right track, the sexual instinct worries him less with every step, little by little becoming easier for his heart, until at last his inner being stands in the same joyfulness, blessed serenity and complete immobility as the true Christian saint. He feels in harmony with the movement of humanity from being into non-being, out of the agony of life into absolute death; he gladly enters into this movement of the whole, he acts eminently morally, and his reward is the undisturbed peace of heart, the "calmness of the sea of the mind," the peace that is higher than all reason. And all this can take place without the belief in a unity in, above or beyond the world, without fear of a hell or hope for a kingdom of heaven after death, without any mystical intellectual view, without incomprehensible effect of grace, without contradiction with nature and our awareness of our own self: the only sources from which we can draw with certainty, - merely as a result of an unprejudiced, pure, cold realization of our reason, "man's supreme power".
** Philosophie der Erlösung, Erster Band (2014), Ethik, § 26 {{ISBN|978-1494963262}}

* What is the ideal state? It will be the historical form that encompasses all mankind. However, we will not define this form in more detail, because it is quite a minor matter: the main thing is the citizen of the ideal state. He will be what individuals have been since the beginning of history: a thoroughly free man. He has completely outgrown the taskmaster of historical laws and forms and stands above the law, free from all political, economic and spiritual fetters. All external forms are fragmented: man is completely emancipated. All driving forces have gradually disappeared from the life of mankind: Power, property, fame, marriage; all emotional ties have gradually been torn: man is weary. His spirit now judges life correctly and his will is kindled by this judgment. Now the heart is filled with only one longing: to be blotted out forever from the great book of life. And the will reaches its goal: absolute death.
** Philosophie der Erlösung, Erster Band (2014), Politik, § 47 {{ISBN|978-1494963262}}

* But at the bottom, the immanent philosopher sees in the entire universe only the deepest longing for absolute annihilation, and it is as if he clearly hears the call that permeates all spheres of heaven: Redemption! Redemption! Death to our life! And the comforting answer: you will all find annihilation and be redeemed.
** Philosophie der Erlösung, Erster Band (2014), Metaphysik, § 14 {{ISBN|978-1494963262}}

* And who is and ''should'' be a pessimist? He who is ''mature'' for death and is in no condition to love life, just as the optimist cannot turn away from it. If he does not realize that ''he'' will live on in his children, his procreation loses its ''horrible'' character; but if he does realize it, he will recoil in horror from it, just like [[Alexander von Humboldt|Humboldt]] when he noticed that the torments that ''another'' being must endure for perhaps eighty years are too high a price to pay for a few minutes of pleasure, and will consider the procreation of children, and rightly so, as a ''crime''.
** Philosophie der Erlösung, Erster Band (2014), Metaphysik, § 21 {{ISBN|978-1494963262}}

* The kingdom of heaven after death, nirvana and absolute nothingness are one and the same.
** Philosophie der Erlösung, Erster Band (2014), Metaphysik (Anhang: Kritik der Lehren Kant’s und Schopenhauer’s) {{ISBN|978-1494963262}}

* I felt serene that I had forged a good sword, but at the same time I felt a cold dread in me for starting on a course more dangerous than any other philosopher before me. I attacked giants and dragons, everything existing, holy and honourable in state and science: God, the monster of ‘the infinite’, the species, the powers of nature, and the modern state; and in my stark naked atheism I validated only the individual and egoism. Nevertheless, above them both lay the splendour of the preworldly unity, of God . . . the holy spirit, the greatest and most significant of the three divine beings. Yes, it lay ‘brooding with wings of the dove’ over the only real things in the world, the individual and its egoism, until it was extinguished in eternal peace, in absolute nothingness.
** Quoted in ''Die modernen Pessimisten als décadents'', p. 108, which is quoted in Frederick C. Beiser, Weltschmerz: Pessimism in German Philosophy, 1860-1900 (2018), Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0198822653}}, pp. 205-206
* Why did God not immediately disappear into nothingness, if he wished to no longer be? One must ascribe omnipotence to God, for his power was unlimited; consequently, if he had willed to no longer be, he would have exterminated himself at once; instead, the universe of multiplicity arose, a universe of struggle, which is a manifest contradiction. How does one explain this? ... God existed alone, in absolute solitude and, consequently, it is correct to maintain that he was not limited by anything external; his power was, in this sense, omnipotent, since nothing outside of him limited it. However, his power was not omnipotent regarding himself, or in other words: his power could not destroy itself; the simple unity could not cease to exist by itself. God had the freedom to be as he willed; however, he was not free from his determinate essence.
** Filosofía De La Redención: Antología (2011), trans. Sandra Baquedano Jer, chapter I (Sobre el origen del universo), pages 54-55, {{ISBN|978-9562890922}}

* 1. God willed to no longer be; 2. God's essence was the obstacle to his immediate entry into non-being; 3. God's essence had to disintegrate in a world of multiplicity, whose individuals all have the desire to no longer be; 4. in this striving they hinder each other, fight against each other and thus weaken each other's strength; 5. the complete essence of God passed into the world in a transformed form, as a certain sum of power; 6. the whole world, the universe, has one goal, the non-being, and achieves it through the continuous weakening of the sum of its forces; 7. each individual will be carried through the weakening of his strength, in his evolutionary process, to the point where his desire to achieve extermination can be fulfilled.
** Filosofía De La Redención: Antología (2011), trans. Sandra Baquedano Jer, chapter I (Sobre el origen del universo), page 57, {{ISBN|978-9562890922}}

* The movement of the cosmos is the movement from over-being to non-being. The universe, however, is the disintegration into multiplicity, that is, into egoistic individualities arrayed against each other. Only in this struggle of essences, which before were a simple unity, can the original essence itself be destroyed.
** Filosofía De La Redención: Antología (2011), trans. Sandra Baquedano Jer, chapter II (La ley universal del debilitamiento de la fuerza), page 59, {{ISBN|978-9562890922}}

* The first movement and the origin of the universe are one and the same. The transformation of the simple unity into the world of multiplicity, the transition from the transcendent to the immanent realm, was precisely the first movement; all subsequent movements were only continuations of the first, that is, they could not have been anything else than a new disintegration or further fragmentation of ideas. This further disintegration could manifest itself in the early periods of the universe only through the actual division of simple matter and its connections. Each simple chemical force had the urge to expand its individuality, i.e., to change its motion; however, it clashed with all others possessing the same urge, and thus arose the most fearsome struggles of the ideas with each other, in states of maximum impetus and agitation. The result was always a chemical bond, i.e., the victory of the stronger force over a weaker one and the entry of the new idea into the endless struggle.
** Filosofía De La Redención: Antología (2011), trans. Sandra Baquedano Jer, chapter II (La ley universal del debilitamiento de la fuerza), pages 59-60, {{ISBN|978-9562890922}}

* The plant grows, reproduces (in some way) and dies (after living for some time). Disregarding any particularity, the great and actual fact of death, which could not appear on the scene anywhere in the inorganic realm, comes to light first and clearly. Could the plant die if it did not want to die in the depths of its essence? It follows only its fundamental impulse, which drew all its desire from God's longing for non-being.
** Filosofía De La Redención: Antología (2011), trans. Sandra Baquedano Jer, chapter III (Teleología del exterminio), page 69, {{ISBN|978-9562890922}}

* The animal basically follows its impulses, which are limited to hunger, thirst, the need to sleep and everything related to mating; it lives in a narrow sphere. To the human being, on the other hand, life comes to him through reason, in the form of wealth, women, honor, power, fame, etc., which fuels his will to live, his yearning to live. Reason makes satisfaction, artificially, a refined enjoyment. Thus death is detested with all one's soul and the mere mention of such a word tormentingly contracts the hearts of the majority, and the fear of death turns into anguish of death and despair, when human beings cast their eyes upon it. On the contrary, life is loved with passion. Accordingly, in the human being the will to death - the innermost impulse of his essence - is no longer concealed by the will to live as simply as in the animal, but disappears completely into the depths, from where it only manifests itself, from time to time, as a deep longing for tranquility.
** Filosofía De La Redención: Antología (2011), trans. Sandra Baquedano Jer, chapter III (Teleología del exterminio), pages 71-72, {{ISBN|978-9562890922}}

* Let us suppose that, in the future, the birth of a human being occurs without pain, and that science succeeds in protecting humans from every disease: in short, that the old age of these protected beings is fresh and vigorous, ending suddenly with a gentle and painless death (euthanasia). Death is the only thing we cannot take away and, consequently, we have before us a short and painless life. Is this a happy life? Let us examine it carefully. The citizens of our ideal state are human beings of gentle character and developed intelligence. They have, so to speak, been inculcated with a complete knowledge - free from absurdity and error - and however they reflect upon it, they will always consider it to be right. There are no more effects whose causes are enigmatic. Science has indeed reached its pinnacle and every citizen is satisfied with its achievements. The sense of beauty is powerfully displayed in everything. We cannot suppose that all are artists, yet everyone indeed possesses the capacity to enter easily into an aesthetic relation. They have been freed from all worries, for their work has been organized in an unprecedented manner and everyone is self-governing. Are they happy? They would be if they did not feel in themselves a terrible monotony and emptiness. Their needs have been taken away from them; they truly have neither worry nor suffering, but instead they have been seized by tedium. They have paradise on earth, but its atmosphere is stifling and suffocating. If they still had enough energy to endure such an existence until natural death, they would surely not have the heart to go through it again as rejuvenated beings.
** Filosofía De La Redención: Antología (2011), trans. Sandra Baquedano Jer, chapter IV (Humanidad, Civilización y estado ideal), pages 87-88, {{ISBN|978-9562890922}}

* And this unhappiness - which corrodes and shakes the heart - is the driving force in the lives of the lower groups of the population, which whips them toward the path of redemption. The poor are consumed with the burning desire to possess the houses, the gardens, the goods, the saddle horses, the carriages, the champagne, the jewels and daughters of the wealthy. Well, then give them all these trifling possessions. Rise and descend from the luminous heights, from where you have seen with intoxicated gaze the promised land of eternal tranquility, where you had to recognize that life is essentially unfortunate, where the blindfold had to fall from your eyes; descend into the dark valley through which the turbid stream of the dispossessed creeps, and place your delicate, but loyal, pure and courageous hands in the calloused hands of your brothers. "They are brutes." Then give them motives that will ennoble them. "Their manners disgust." Then change them. "They believe that life has value. They consider the rich happier, for they eat and drink better, because they feast and make noise. They think the heart beats more peacefully under silk than under the coarse garb of toil." Then disillusion them, but not with sayings, but with deeds. Let them experience, let them prove for themselves that neither wealth, nor honor, nor fame, nor a pleasant life makes for happiness. Break down the barriers that separate those deceived by supposed happiness and they will be perplexed. Then they will complain: "We had thought we could be happy like this, and it turns out that, deep down, nothing has changed in us". All human beings must first of all be fed up with all the pleasures that the world can offer, before mankind can be ripe for redemption. Since their redemption is their destiny, they must be satiated, and such satisfaction is only brought about when the social question is resolved.
** Filosofía De La Redención: Antología (2011), trans. Sandra Baquedano Jer, chapter IV (Humanidad, Civilización y estado ideal), page 91, {{ISBN|978-9562890922}}

* The immanent philosophy does not recognize any miracle and does not know how to account for events in another unknown world, which would be a consequence of the actions of this world. Therefore, there is for it only a completely certain negation of the will to live, which is expressed by virginity. As we have seen in physics, the human being finds absolute annihilation in death; nevertheless, he is only apparently extinguished if he continues to live in his children, for in these children he has already risen from the dead: he has embraced life in them anew and affirmed it for an indeterminate time. This everyone feels instinctively. The insurmountable aversion of the genders after copulation in the animal kingdom manifests itself in the human being as a profound sadness.
** Filosofía De La Redención: Antología (2011), trans. Sandra Baquedano Jer, chapter V (El santo y el demonio), page 106, {{ISBN|978-9562890922}}

* Everything in the universe is unconsciously a will to death. This will to death is, above all in the human being, hidden in its entirety by the will to live, because life is a means to death, which presents itself clearly for even the most feeble-minded individual: we die unceasingly, our life is a slow agony, death daily overpowers every human being until, finally, it extinguishes with a breath the light of life in each one of us.
** Filosofía De La Redención: Antología (2011), trans. Sandra Baquedano Jer, chapter VII (Apología del suicidio), page 128, {{ISBN|978-9562890922}}

* He who is not afraid of death, enters a house engulfed in flames; he who is not afraid of death, jumps without hesitation into a turbulent flood; he who is not afraid of death, charges into a dense hail of bullets; he who is not afraid of death, fights unarmed against thousands of armored titans; in summary, he who does not fear death is the only one who can do something for others, bleed for others, and has, at the same time, the only happiness, the only desirable good in this world: undisturbed peace of heart.
** Filosofía De La Redención: Antología (2011), trans. Sandra Baquedano Jer, chapter VII (Apología del suicidio), page 129, {{ISBN|978-9562890922}}

* How easy it is to throw stones on the suicide's grave, and how difficult it was, on the other hand, the struggle of that poor man who had prepared his deathbed so well. First, he cast a fearful glance from afar towards death and turned away in fright; then he avoided it, trembling and going around it in wide circles which, however, became smaller and smaller every day until, at last, he clasped death's neck with his weary arms and looked directly into its eyes: and then there was peace, sweet peace.
** Filosofía De La Redención: Antología (2011), trans. Sandra Baquedano Jer, chapter VII (Apología del suicidio), page 129, {{ISBN|978-9562890922}}

* Pessimistic philosophy will be for the historical period that is now beginning, what the pessimistic religion of Christianity was for the one that has passed. The symbol of our flag is not the crucified redeemer but the angel of death with large, placid and clement eyes, supported by the dove of the idea of redemption; in essence, it is the same symbol.
** Filosofía De La Redención: Antología (2011), trans. Sandra Baquedano Jer, chapter VIII (Perspectiva hacia el vacío), page 133, {{ISBN|978-9562890922}}

== Quotes about Philipp Mainländer ==

* Mainländer has a worldview of his own about the origin of the universe: God, saturated with his own over-being, decides that non-existence is better than existence; accordingly, like the Big Bang at the beginning of time, he commits suicide, desirous of non-being. Thus, the universe has not arisen out of a divine desire for creation, but is the result of a depletion of divine will. The philosophy of the decomposition or disintegration of the universe means that everything, organic and inorganic, is subordinated to the law of the weakening of power, that is, that the human being is also in the universe to die and cease to be. The death of God has generated life, but the course of life is not different from the slow process of divine disintegration. It is a will that can be verified daily in cemeteries, and is part of a cosmological [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telos telos].
** Sandra Baquedano Jer, Filosofía De La Redención: Antología (2011), on the book's back cover, {{ISBN|978-9562890922}}
Frederick C. Beiser, Weltschmerz: Pessimism in German Philosophy, 1860-1900 (2018), Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0198822653}}
* The heart and soul of Mainländer’s philosophy lies in its gospel of redemption. That gospel is very simple, and it can be summarized in two propositions: (1) that redemption or deliverance comes only with death; and (2) that death consists in nothingness, complete annihilation. All of Mainländer’s philosophy is devoted to the explanation and defence of this gospel.
** p. 206
* Metaphysics, he tells us, gives us a view of the world as a whole, so that all the partial perspectives of the earlier chapters of his book now appear as a single vision. That vision is, to put it mildly, macabre. We now enter the darkest recesses of Mainländer’s imagination, which fabricate for us a grim cosmology of death. What the metaphysician sees from his exalted standpoint of the whole of things, Mainländer attests, is that everything in nature and history strives for one thing: death. There is in all things in nature, and in all actions in history, “the deepest longing for absolute annihilation”. In his earlier chapters of his book, in the discussion of physics, ethics and politics, Mainländer wrote about the individual will to life as the very essence of everything, not only of every human being, but also of every thing that exists, whether inorganic or organic. Now in metaphysics, however, we see that this was only a limited perspective, because the striving for existence or life is really only a means for a deeper goal: death. We live only so that we die, because the deepest longing within all of us is for peace and tranquillity, which is granted to us only in death. In this longing of all things for death, we are only participating, unbeknownst to ourselves, in the deeper and broader cosmic process of the divine death. We long to die, and we are indeed dying, because God wanted to die and he is still dying within us.
** p. 218.

* Better than life in the ideal state is complete tranquillity and deliverance, which comes only with death. Why, though, bother with creating the ideal state if we can have death now? Mainländer answers: though he personally can find redemption in all political conditions, so that he does not need to bother with the ideal state, the same is not true for the masses, who need to live in the ideal state before they find redemption. Why, though, must they first live in such a state? To that question Mainländer responds somewhat cryptically: before we turn against life, we must learn to enjoy all that it has to offer. Only he who attempts to enjoy all the rotten fruits of this earth will see through its emptiness and discover for himself the true value of death.
** p. 228.

== See also ==
* [[Antinatalism]]
* [[Philosophical pessimism]]
* [[Julius Bahnsen]]
* [[Eduard von Hartmann]]

== External links ==
{{wikipedia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mainländer, Philipp}}
[[Category:1841 births]]
[[Category:1876 deaths]]
[[Category:Antinatalists]]
[[Category:Philosophical pessimists]]
[[Category:Poets from Germany]]
[[Category:Academics from Germany]]
[[Category:Philosophers from Germany]]
[[Category:Socialists from Germany]]
[[Category:Social critics]]
[[Category:Suicides]]
[[Category:People from Frankfurt am Main]]

Yosa Buson

2026-06-27T14:03:17Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* */ stub tag

[[File:Yosa Buson uk.jpg|thumb|right|A painting of Yosa Busan]]

'''[[w:Yosa Buson|Yosa Buson]] or Yosa no Buson''' (与謝蕪村, 1716 – January 17, 1784, or on the twenty-fifth [[day]] of the twelfth [[month]], 1783) was a [[Japanese]] [[poet]] and [[painter]] of the Edo period. Along with [[Matsuo Bashō]] and [[Kobayashi Issa]], Buson is considered among the greatest poets of the Edo Period.

{{stub}}

== Quotes ==
* ''Shiraume ni akaru yo bakari to narinikeri.''
** Of late the [[night]]s are [[dawn]]ing plum-[[blossom]] white.
** Japanese Death Poems. Compiled by Yoel Hoffmann. ISBN 978-0-8048-3179-6

== External links ==
{{wikipedia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yosa, Buson}}
[[Category:Poets from Japan]]
[[Category:1783 deaths]]

Zionism

2026-06-27T13:59:21Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: Remove undue quote from Michael Hoffman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_A._Hoffman_II

[[File:Theodor Herzl portrait.jpg|thumb|[[Theodor Herzl]], the seminal leader of early Zionism.]]
'''[[w:Zionism|Zionism]]''' is a movement seeking to establish and maintain a Jewish state in [[w:Palestine (region)|Palestine]] / the [[w:Land of Israel|Land of Israel]]. The movement began in the late 19th century and in 1948 the [[State of Israel]] was established.
__NOTOC__
{{TOCalpha}}

== Quotes ==
=== A ===

*Children of Israel, be one band, and thus prepare yourselves for the redemption!
**[[w:Judah Alkalai|Judah Alkalai]]. ''[[w:Havatzelet|Havatzelet]]'', vii. Oct. 22, 1876.

* Zionism is as old as the [[w:Babylonian Exile|Babylonian Exile]], which began in 586BCE. Separation from the Land of Israel as they were being led into captivity by their conquerors rested crushingly upon the spirits of the Jewish exiles; a longing for the homeland consumed them. Turning in the direction of [[w:Kingdom of Judah|Judah]], they then took an awesome vow: "If I forget thee, O [[Jerusalem]], let my right hand lose its cunning. Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I remember thee not; if I set not Jerusalem above my chiefest joy" ([[Psalms]] 137:5-6).
** [[Nathan Ausubel]], ''The Book of Jewish Knowledge'', 1964, art. Zionism p. 526.

=== B ===

*To be or not to be! To be the last Jews or the first Hebrews.
**[[w:Micha Josef Berdyczewski|Micha Josef Berdyczewski]]. The quote is speaking about the annihilation of Diaspora Jewry. The “Old Jew” is the diaspora Jew, doomed to perish, while the “Hebrews” are the “new Jews”: liberated, proud, strong Zionists. Quoted in ''Not in the Heavens'', p. 86

*Shall we, with our inheritance, do less than the Irish, the Serbians, or the Bulgars? And must we not, like them, have a land where the Jewish life may be naturally led, the Jewish language spoken, and the Jewish spirit prevail?
**[[w:Louis Brandeis|Louis Brandeis]] in ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/22300/22300-h/22300-h.htm A Call to the Educated Jew]'', 1916.

*Loyalty to America demands that each American Jew become a Zionist.
**[[w:Louis Brandeis|Louis Brandeis]] in ''[https://archive.org/details/jewishproblemhow00branrich/page/n1/mode/2up The Jewish Problem]'', 1915.

*For hundreds of years the Jewish masses have blindly searched for a way that will return them to nature, to the soil. At last we have found it. Zionism is the way.
**[[w:Ber Borochov|Ber Borochov]], ''Nationalism & Class Struggle'' (1907), translation 1937. [https://archive.org/details/nationalismclass0000boro/page/74/mode/2up?q=hundreds p. 74].

* I want to express what we mean by a Jewish State. We mean by a Jewish State simply a State where the majority of the people are Jews, not a State where a Jew has, in any way, any privilege more than anyone else.
** [[David Ben-Gurion]] in the [https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-178863/ hearing of the Jewish Agency] to [[w:UNSCOP|UNSCOP]], 7 July 1947

*I'm not [[Antisemitism|anti-Semitic]] at all, but I am anti-Zionist. I don't believe they had the right, after 3,000 years, to reclaim the [[land]] with Western [[bombs]] and [[Firearm|guns]] on [[The Bible|biblical]] injunction.
**1970 interview in ''Conversations with [[James Baldwin]]'' (1989)

* During our last talks with the [British] Government in London, when certain proposals were made for a settlement-which, unfortunately, we could not consider-we were offered that Jews should have more rights than others. And certain examples were given us of certain British colonies, in Ceylon and other places. And '''we declared emphatically''' to the Government that we will not accept, '''we will fight any privilege accorded to a Jew because he is a Jew.''' What we want to have is more Jews in Palestine but not more privileges tor the Jews. '''A Jewish state means a state based on absolute equality of all her citizens and on democracy'''.
** [[David Ben-Gurion]] in the [https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-178863/ hearing of the Jewish Agency] to [[w:UNSCOP|UNSCOP]], 7 July 1947

* Life-sustaining Zionism and the seeds of [[fascism]] cannot live together.
** [[Ehud Barak]] during an interview to [[w:Channel 10 (Israel)|Channel 10]], (May 20, 2016).[http://www.timesofisrael.com/livni-pm-picking-liberman-over-yaalon-is-crisis-of-ethics/]

[[File:POALEI ZION GROUP "EZRA" IN PLONSK SHOWING DAVID GREEN (BEN GURION). קבוצת "עזרא" של פועלי ציון, בפלונסק בפולין. בין חברי הקבוצה דוד גרין (בן גוריון)..jpg|thumb|260px|For many of us, [[Antisemitism|anti-Semitic]] feeling had little to do with our dedication [to Zionism] [...] We emigrated not for negative reasons of escape but for the positive purpose of rebuilding a homeland ... ~ [[David Ben-Gurion]]]]

*For many of us, [[Antisemitism|anti-Semitic]] feeling had little to do with our dedication [to Zionism]. I personally never suffered anti-Semitic persecution. [[w:Płońsk|Płońsk]] [Ben-Gurion's hometown] was remarkably free of it ... Nevertheless, and I think this very significant, it was Płońsk that sent the highest proportion of Jews to Eretz Israel from any town in [[Poland]] of comparable size. We [[Emigration|emigrated]] not for negative reasons of escape but for the positive purpose of rebuilding a homeland ... Life in Płońsk was peaceful enough.
** [[David Ben-Gurion]], Memoirs (1970), p. 36

* '''I am a Zionist. You don't have to be a Jew to be Zionist.'''
** [[Joe Biden]], ''[https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3586542,00.html Biden in 2007 interview: I am a Zionist]'' (April 2007) Shalom TV

=== C ===
* In our age, the choice for the Jew is between Zionism or ceasing to be a Jew.
** [[w:Richard Crossman|Richard Crossman]], ''Palestine Mission'', 1947, p. 66.

=== D ===
* Definitions of “colonialism,” as a general concept, usually revolve around the control of one people over another, for economic gain or to impose their culture or religion on the colonized people. There are two important elements to this relationship. The first is the métropole, the mother country of which the colonists are the agents, a sponsor whose economic, cultural, or religious interests are being advanced by the implantation of their own people on foreign soil. The second is the subject population, which is in some respect related to the basic motivation of the colonization. Prevailing definitions of “settler colonialism” add to this the further implication of an intention to replace, or even eliminate, the indigenous people and/or culture. This goes well beyond the usual motives of domination or exploitation. Zionism does not fit this model. There was no métropole, no mother country of which the settlers were an extension. Jews who came to Palestine, first from Russia and later from elsewhere, generally fit the accepted definition of refugees who were escaping persecution (at least 80 percent of them by my calculation). In no sense (despite Turkish suspicions) did they represent Russian interests. They sought rather to leave their proverbial Diaspora baggage behind and build a new society based on ancient Middle Eastern roots, including a revived Semitic language.
** [[w:Alan Dowty|Alan Dowty]], [https://jewishstudies.washington.edu/israel-hebrew/why-israel-isnt-a-settler-colonial-state/ ''Is Israel a settler colonial state?''], Stroum Center for Jewish Studies, University of Washington, November 10th, 2022

=== E ===

*Revive the organic center: let the unity of Israel which has made the growth and form of its religion be an outward reality.
**[[George Eliot]], [[s:Daniel Deronda (First Edition)/Volume 3/Chapter 42|''Daniel Deronda'', volume 3, chapter 42]].

*It is a nationalism whose aim is not power but dignity and health. If we did not have to live among intolerant, narrow-minded and violent people, I should be the first to throw over all nationalism in favor of universal humanity.
**[[Albert Einstein]], ''The World As I See It'', 1949 translation, [[s:Page:The World as I See It.pdf/125|p. 125]].

* Palestine is not only a place of refuge for the Jews of Eastern Europe, but the embodiment of the reawakening corporate spirit of the whole Jewish nation.
** Physicist [[Albert Einstein]], ''The World As I See It'', 1949 translation, [[s:Page:The World as I See It.pdf/115|p. 115]].

=== F ===
* The wealthy, whose comforts of life have lured them away from the suffering of their people and who find in material comfort a substitute for spiritual satisfaction, have for the most part been indifferent to the appeal of Zionism. The power of the magnet is not felt by gold!
** Harry Friedenwald. Quoted in [[Paul Goodman|Paul Goodman]] & Arthur D. Lewis, ''Zionism: problems and views'', 1916, [https://archive.org/details/zionismproblemsv00good/page/136/mode/2up p. 136].

* There were three possible responses to such [[discrimination]]. The first was to leave. Yet despite the importance of Zionism in Polish-Jewish politics, only a small proportion of Polish Jews drew the conclusion that they would be better off trying to find a Jewish state in the new 'home' their people had been granted in what was now the [[Mandatory Palestine|British 'mandate' in Palestine]]. Even in the 1930s just 82,000 Polish Jews emigrated there, though as we shall see this also reflected British nervousness about the effect of continued Jewish immigration on Palestine's internal stability. In fact, only a minority of Polish Zionists were committed to systematic [[Colonialism|colonization]] of the Holy Land; the majority were just as interested in what could be achieved in Poland itself. It was easier in more ways than one for a West Prussian to leave Poland for neighbouring [[Weimar Republic|Germany]] than for a Jew to leave Poland for the more distant Holy Land.
** [[Niall Ferguson]], ''The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West'' (2006), p. 171

=== G ===

*There will be not only peace between us and the Arabs, ... but close friendship and co-operation.
**[[David Ben-Gurion]], to Anglo-American Commission of Inquiry, March 19, 1946. ''The Macmillan Dictionary of Political Quotations'', p. 117.

*It is the task of Zionism in the Diaspora to transform the Jews domiciled there into workers and producers. There, too, the chief thing is creation, not wealth.
**[[w:A. D. Gordon|A. D. Gordon]], Quoted in S. Spiegel. ''Hebrew Reborn'', p. 416.

*Before, or at least along with, the redemption of the soil there must be also the redemption of the soul.
**[[w:Judah Leib Gordon|Judah Leib Gordon]], letter to S. Bernfeld, Jan. 31, 1888. ''[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=ien.35556039672548 Igrot, ii]''. p. 248.

*The State is not in itself an aim: it is a means to an end, the end of Zionism.
**[[David Ben-Gurion]], speech, Aug. 13, 1948. ''Rebirth and Destiny of Israel'', 276.

*I am told Zionism is a Utopia. I do not know; perhaps. But inasmuch as I see in this Utopia an unconquerable thirst for freedom, one for which the people will suffer, it is for me a reality. With all my heart I pray that the Jewish people, like the rest of humanity, may be given spiritual strength to labor for its dream and to establish it in flesh and blood.
**[[w:Maxim Gorky|Maxim Gorky]]. Quoted in ''Maccabean'', April 1902, ii. 213.

* Zionism in its spiritual sense is a lofty aspiration. By spiritual sense I mean they should want to realise the Jerusalem that is within. Zionism meaning reoccupation of [[Palestine]] has no attraction for me. I can understand the longing of a Jew to return to Palestine, and he can do so if he can without the help of [[Bayonet|bayonets]], whether his own or [[British Army|those of Britain]]. In that event he would go to Palestine peacefully and in perfect friendliness with the [[Arabs]]. The real Zionism of which I have given you my meaning is the thing to strive for, long for and die for. Zion lies in one’s heart. It is the abode of [[God]]. The real Jerusalem is the spiritual Jerusalem. Thus he can realise this Zionism in any part of the world.
** [[Mahatma Gandhi]], Interview for ''[[w:The Jewish Chronicle|The Jewish Chronicle]]'' (London, October 2, 1931), in [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/interview-to-the-jewish-chronicle-london-by-gandhi-october-1931 "Gandhi, the Jews & Zionism"], Jewish Virtual Library.

* The cry for the national home for the Jews does not make much appeal to me. The sanction for it is sought in the [[The Bible|Bible]] and the tenacity with which the Jews have hankered after return to Palestine. Why should they not, like other peoples of the earth, make that country their home where they are born and where they earn their livelihood? Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that [[England]] belongs to the [[English people|English]] or [[France]] to the [[French people|French]]....The nobler course would be to insist on a just treatment of the Jews wherever they are born and bred. The Jews born in France are French. If the Jews have no home but Palestine, will they relish the [[idea]] of being forced to leave the other parts of the world in which they are settled? Or do they want a double home where they can remain at will? This cry for the national home affords a colourable justification for the [[The Holocaust|German expulsion of the Jews]].
** [[Mahatma Gandhi]], Harijan, 26 November 1938, in [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/lsquo-the-jews-rsquo-by-gandhi Gandhi & Zionism: ‘The Jews’], Jewish Virtual Library.

*Zionism views itself as the political expression of the Jewish nation. Indeed, it fulfills itself as the fulfillment of Jewish history. In a matter analogous to most other [[Nationalism|nationalisms]], Zionism has constructed a three-part narrative that traces the unbroken history of the Jewish nation from its birth and efflorescence in Palestine through a period of [[decay]] and degeneration in exile to a period of [[Redemption (theology)|redemption]] at the hands of the modern Zionist movement and its return to its ancestral homeland in Palestine. For Zionists, the Jewish claim to Palestine can be found in [[the Bible]] and corroborative [[Archaeology|archaeological]] evidence. Most commonly, the Zionist narrative of Jewish history begins with [[Abraham]] and his descendants, who [[Immigration|immigrated]] to Palestine in the second millennium BC, possibly from [[Iraq]]. The standard Zionist narrative considers the tenth-century BC reigns of [[David|King David]] and [[Solomon|King Solomon]] the highpoint of the Jewish presence in Palestine. Theirs was a period of [[Culture|cultural]] and [[Politics|political]] [[glory]], when the Jewish nation was politically united and religious authority radiated from the great temple in Jerusalem. But their was also a short-lived period, lasting less than seventy years, about half of the length of the "[[Ancient Greece|golden age]]" of [[Greece]].
**[[w:James L. Gelvin|James L. Gelvin]], ''The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: One Hundred Years of War'' (2014)'','' Cambridge University Press, p. 6

* Know that you [[Zionism|Zionists]] do not represent Judaism and do not represent the Jewish people. . . You only represent the idea of a [[w:political movement|political movement]] whose ideas and values oppose the ideas and values of our holy Torah and the Jewish religion. We strongly condemn your aggressive actions and emphasize to the whole world: There is a big difference between Judaism and Zionism...
** Yehuda Gerami, [https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/irans-chief-rabbi-says-zionists-do-not-represent-judaism-629286 Iran's Chief Rabbi Says Zionists Do Not Represent Judaism], ''JPost''

*I have for many years opposed Zionism as the dream of [[Capitalism|capitalist]] Jewry the world over for a Jewish State with all its trimmings, such as [[Government]], [[Law|laws]], [[police]], militarism and the rest. In other words, a Jewish State machinery to protect the [[Privilege|privileges]] of the few against the many. Reginald Reynolds (referring to an article he wrote called ‘Palestine and Socialist Policy’) is wrong, however, when he makes it appear that the Zionists were the sole backers of Jewish emigration to Palestine. Perhaps he does not know that the Jewish masses in every country and especially in the [[United States of America]] have contributed vast amounts of [[money]] for the same purpose. They have given unstintingly out of their earnings in the hope that Palestine may prove to be an asylum for their brothers, [[Antisemitism in Europe|cruelly persecuted]] in nearly every [[Europe|European]] country. The fact that there are many non-Zionist communes in Palestine goes to prove that the Jewish workers who have helped the persecuted and hounded Jews have done so not because they are Zionists, but for the reason I have already stated, that they might be left in peace in Palestine to take root and live their own lives.
**[[Emma Goldman]] [https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emma-goldman-on-zionism "On Zionism "] (1938)

=== H ===

[[File:Herzl on a balcony full.jpg|thumb|200px|If you will it, it is no dream ~ Theodor Herzl]]

*One of the things Zionism was meant to make from scratch was a [[Hebrew]] present. Not only in reality; in the language, too. In ancient Hebrew, there was very little grammatical present. There was a past and a future--that is, memory and longing. We almost never said "I go," "I do." It was necessary to make the present a linguistic habit, a routine part of life. Perhaps Zionism came into being primarily to create for us a present tense. To say at long last that the Jews, too, have a present. Whoever now denies this present has forgotten the whole lesson of Zionism; he would send us back to the days of remembering and longing of the Diaspora. We came to Israel so as to not wait for a messiah who is yet to come; rather, we came to be here now, today. That is Zionism in a nutshell.
**[[Shulamith Hareven]], from "Life Is Now, Mr. Shamir" collected in ''The Vocabulary of Peace: Life, Culture, and Politics in the Middle East'' (1995)

*The world will be freer by our liberty, richer by our wealth, greater by our greatness.
**[[Theodor Herzl]], ''The Jewish State'', 1896.

*Let everyone find out what Zionism really is, Zionism, which was rumored to be a sort of millennial marvel—that it is a moral, lawful, humanitarian movement, directed toward the long-yearned-for goal of our people.
**[[Theodor Herzl]], address to Zionist congress, Basel, Switzerland (aug 29 1997). In ''Great Jewish Speeches Throughout History'', p. 51.

*Zionism is the return of the Jews to Judaism, before their return to the Jewish land.
**[[Theodor Herzl]], address to the first Zionist Congress, Aug. 29, 1897. Quoted in ''The People in Its Land'', p. 108.

*The heart of the people—that is the foundation on which the land will be regenerated.
**[[Ahad Ha'am]], "The Wrong Way," 1889. ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/67667/pg67667-images.html Ten Essays]'', 14.

*[Zionism] provides an opportunity for communal work and political excitement; his emotions find an outlet in a field of activity which is not subservient to non-Jews; and he feels that, thanks to this ideal, he stands once more spiritually erect and has regained his personal dignity, without overmuch trouble and purely by his own efforts…. For it is not the attainment of the ideal that he heeds; its pursuit alone is sufficient to cure him of his spiritual disease, which is that of an inferiority complex, and the loftier and more distant the ideal, the greater its power to exalt.
**[[Ahad Ha'am]]. ''Textual Sources for the Study of Judaism'', p. 162.

*Were I to sum up the [[w:Basel_Congress|Basel Congress]] in a word — which I shall guard against pronouncing publicly — it would be this: At Basel, I founded the Jewish State. If I said this out loud today, I would be answered by universal [[laughter]]. Perhaps in five years, certainly in fifty, everyone will know it.
** [[Theodor Herzl]] in a diary entry, (3 September 1897), a few days after the [[w:World Zionist Organization|First Zionist Congress]] in Basel, Switzerland, as quoted in ''Nonstate Nations in International Politics: Comparative System Analyses'' (1997) by Judy S. Bertelsen, p. 37.

* It’s somehow absurd and trivial to use the word ''[[Israel]]'' and the expression ''60'' ''th birthday'' in the same sentence or the same breath. (What is this, some candle-bedecked ceremony in [[Miami]]?) The questions before us are somewhat more antique, and also a little more pressingly and urgently modern, than that. Has Zionism made Jews more safe or less safe? Has it cured the age-old problem of [[Antisemitism|anti-Semitism]] or not? Is it part of the ''[[w:Tikkun_olam|tikkun olam]]''—the mandate for the [[healing]] and repair of the [[human]] world—or is it another rent and tear in the fabric? [[Judaism|Jewish]] people are on all sides of this argument, as always. There are [[w:Hasidic_Judaism|Hasidic]] rabbis who declare the Jewish state to be a blasphemy, but only because there can be no such state until the arrival of the Messiah (who may yet tarry). There are Jewish leftists who feel shame that a [[Settler colonialism|settler state]] was erected on the ruins of so many [[Palestine|Palestinian]] villages. There are also Jews who collaborate with [[Far-right politics|extreme-conservative]] [[Christian right|Christians]] in an effort to bring on the day of [[Armageddon]], when all these other questions will necessarily become moot. And, of course, there are Jews who simply continue to live in, or to support from a distance, a nerve-racked and high-tech little state that absorbs a lot of [[violence]] and [[cruelty]] and that has also shown itself very capable of inflicting the same.
** [[Christopher Hitchens]], "[https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2008/05/can-israel-survive-for-another-60-years.html Can Israel survive for another 60 years?]," 12 May 2008, Slate.com

* I find that no other question so much reminds me of [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]] and his aphorism about the necessity of living with flat-out [[contradiction]]. Do I sometimes wish that Theodor Herzl and [[Chaim Weizmann]] had never persuaded either the [[Jews]] or the [[Gentile|gentiles]] to create a quasi-[[Utopia|utopian]] [[farmer]]-and-[[worker]] state at the eastern end of the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]]? Yes. Do I wish that the [[Israel Defense Forces|Israeli air force]] could find and destroy all the arsenals of [[Hezbollah]] and [[Hamas]] and [[wikipedia:Palestinian_Islamic_Jihad|Islamic Jihad]]? Yes. Do I think it ridiculous that [[Vienna|Viennese]] and [[Russia|Russian]] and [[Germany|German]] [[wikipedia:Scholars|scholars]] and [[doctors]] should have vibrated to the mad rhythms of [[Antiquity|ancient]] so-called [[Prophecy|prophecies]] rather than helping to [[Secularization|secularize]] and [[reform]] their own societies? Definitely. Do I feel horror and disgust at the thought that a whole new generation of [[Arabs|Arab]] [[Palestine|Palestinians]] is being born into the [[Palestinian refugees|dispossession]] and/or [[Israeli-occupied territories|occupation]] already suffered by their grandparents and even great-grandparents? Absolutely, I do.
** [[Christopher Hitchens]], "[https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2008/05/can-israel-survive-for-another-60-years.html Can Israel survive for another 60 years?]," 12 May 2008, Slate.com

* The Jews have but one way of saving themselves — a return to their own people and an emigration to their own land.
** [[Theodor Herzl]], ''[[w:Der Judenstaat|The Jewish State]]'', 1896.

* If you will it, it is no dream
** [[Theodor Herzl]], ''[[w:The Old New Land|The Old New Land]]'', 1902

* The Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations are forbidden to the Jews.
:Other nations drive out thousands, even millions of people and there is no refugee problem. Russia did it, Poland and Czechoslovakia did it. Turkey drove out a million Greeks and Algeria a million Frenchman. Indonesia threw out heaven knows how many Chinese—and no one says a word about refugees.
:But in the case of Israel, the displaced Arabs have become eternal refugees. Everyone insists that Israel must take back every single Arab. Arnold Toynbee calls the displacement of the Arabs an atrocity greater than any committed by the Nazis.
:Other nations when victorious on the battlefield dictate peace terms. But when Israel is victorious, it must sue for peace. Everyone expects the Jews to be the only real Christians in this world.
:Other nations, when they are defeated, survive and recover, but should Israel be defeated it would be destroyed. Had Nasser triumphed last June [1967], he would have wiped Israel off the map, and no one would have lifted a finger to save the Jews.
:No commitment to the Jews by any government, including our own, is worth the paper it is written on. There is a cry of outrage all over the world when people die in Vietnam or when two Negroes are executed in Rhodesia. But when Hitler slaughtered Jews no one remonstrated with him.
:The Swedes, who are ready to break off diplomatic relations with America because of what we do in Vietnam, did not let out a peep when Hitler was slaughtering Jews. They sent Hitler choice iron ore and ball bearings, and serviced his troop trains to Norway.
:The Jews are alone in the world. If Israel survives it will be solely because of Jewish efforts. And Jewish resources.
:Yet at this moment, Israel is our only reliable and unconditional ally. We can rely more on Israel than Israel can rely on us. And one has only to imagine what would have happened last summer had the Arabs and their Russian backers won the war to realize how vital the survival of Israel is to America and the West in general.
:I have a premonition that will not leave me; as it goes with Israel so will it go with all of us. Should Israel perish, the Holocaust will be upon us.
** Eric Hoffer [https://www.wsj.com/articles/notable-quotable-eric-hoffer-on-israel-1968-1406761244]

=== J ===
* [It is the] iron law of every [[Colonialism|colonizing]] movement, a law which knows of no exceptions, a law which existed in all times and under all circumstances. If you wish to colonize a [[land]] in which people are already living, you must provide a garrison on your behalf. Or else – or else, give up your [[Colony|colonization]], for without an armed force which will render physically impossible any attempts to destroy or prevent this colonization, colonization is impossible, not “difficult”, not “dangerous” but IMPOSSIBLE! … Zionism is a colonizing adventure and therefore it stands or falls by the question of armed force. It is important to build, it is important to speak [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], but, unfortunately, it is even more important to be able to shoot – or else I am through with playing at colonialization.
** [[Ze'ev Jabotinsky]], as quoted in Lenni Brenner, ''The Iron Wall: Zionist Revisionism from Jabotinsky to Shamir'' (1984), p. 78.

* We cannot promise any reward either to the [[Arabs]] of Palestine or to the Arabs outside Palestine. A voluntary agreement is unattainable. And so those who regard an accord with the Arabs as an indispensable condition of Zionism must admit to themselves today that this condition cannot be attained and hence that we must give up Zionism. We must either suspend our settlement efforts or continue them without paying attention to the mood of the [[Indigenous peoples|natives]]. [[Settler colonialism|Settlement]] can thus develop under the protection of a force that is not dependent on the local population, behind an iron wall which they will be powerless to break down.
** [[Ze'ev Jabotinsky]], as quoted in Avi Shlaïm, ''The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World'', W. W. Norton: 2014, p. 14.

*we Jewish people have our own independent case against Zionism. It is terribly important to make clear that we are also struggling for ourselves in the Palestinian solidarity movement. And I think one of the greatest crimes against Jews that Israel has perpetrated-aside from saying that Jews did not fight the Nazis, that we went quietly into the camps; we don't know what they were doing (in fact we do; they were making deals with the Nazis)—aside from that, their crime has been to try to cut us off from our history and tradition of taking part in movements against injustice.
**[[Selma James]], Speech at US Assembly of Jews Confronting Racism and Israeli Apartheid (2010), collected in ''Sex, Race and Class: the Perspective of Winning'' (2012)

===K===

*For many, Zionism was inherited at birth and they now think of it as synonymous with Jewishness. The threat of being labelled a traitor for questioning Israeli policies, and the allegation of self-hatred and anti-Semitism have inhibited an in-depth study of Zionism, its diverse political tenets, its history in relation to other Jews and to non-Jews and its role in defining Jewish identity in the States.
**[[Irena Klepfisz]] "''Khaloymes''/Dreams in Progress: Culture, Politics, and Jewish Identity" in ''Dreams of an Insomniac: Jewish Feminist Essays, Speeches and Diatribes'' (1990)

*Just as many contemporary [[Yiddish|Yiddishists]] romanticize and depoliticize the past, so do most contemporary Zionists romanticize and depoliticize the Israeli present. Such nostalgia is rightfully condemned by those who want Jews to engage in the political present. But these critics erroneously conclude that any focus on their Jewish identity will inherently foster Jewish escapist tendencies.
**[[Irena Klepfisz]] "''Khaloymes''/Dreams in Progress: Culture, Politics, and Jewish Identity" in ''Dreams of an Insomniac: Jewish Feminist Essays, Speeches and Diatribes'' (1990)

=== L ===

*Zionism is the affirmation of our personality. We have faith in ourselves, our spirit, our destiny to be worthy of our past.
**[[w:Bernard Lazare|Bernard Lazare]], ''[[:fr:s:Le Nationalisme Juif|Le Nationalisme Juif]]'', 1898. Quoted in N. Sokolow. ''History of Zionism'', 1919. i. 293.

*The promulgation of the Mission of Israel demands a world center, a world authority whence the forces actuating it could radiate in every direction.
**[[w:David Lubin|David Lubin]], letter to Brandeis, March 20, 1918. Quoted in O. R. Agresti. ''David Lubin'', 343.

*Audacity created the Zionist Congress. It was Theodor Herzl’s only weapon. ... The Zionist Congress enabled us to regain corporate responsibility of our national destiny. It gave a [[w:Jewish Diaspora|Galuth]] people status and an address. It is the forerunner of the Jewish State.
**[[w:Louis Lipsky|Louis Lipsky]], Nov. 1921. ''Selected Worlds'', 1927, i.161.

*now it seems to me that Zionism asks too little, not too much! They have traded in that City of the vision for a cramped fortress tower, believing that Jews will always be persecuted, hunted. That most of humanity couldn't care less if it happened again. Would let it happen. Knowing some of humanity would even applaud. Believing there is no other way for Jews to survive. I want to shout it at them from the rooftops, to cry it out loud: you have never asked for enough! Zionism, at least as it's lived today, accepts anti-Semitism, says it's permanent in the world: As long as there are Jews, there will be Jew-haters, Jew-killers, so we'll build a wall of bodies around us and live behind it, a menace to our neighbors, trying to feel safe. I stand here and cry out to you: "Come out of the trenches! Ask for it all! I demand for myself, and my children who will also be Jews, and for you, too, my soldiering kin, a world where fortresses are unknown and unnecessary."
**[[Aurora Levins Morales]] ''Getting Home Alive'' (1986)

* All forms of Zionism hold the perception that a certain extent of anti-Semitism benefits the Zionist enterprise. To put it more sharply, anti-Semitism is the generator and ally of Zionism. Masses of Jews leave their place of residence only when their economic situation and physical safety are undermined. Masses of Jews are shoved to this country rather than being attracted to it. The yearning for the land of Zion and Jerusalem is not strong enough to drive millions of Jews to the country they love and make them hold on to its clods.
** [[Yaron London]], ''[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4882021,00.html Why Israel isn’t shocked by anti-Semites in White House]'' (November 21, 2016)

* As the Jews in Israel long for immigrants with a certain affiliation to their people, and as Zionism—like any other ideology—needs constant justification, we have a secret hope in our hearts that a moderate [[Antisemitism|anti-Semitic]] wave, along with a deterioration in the economic situation in their countries of residence, will make Diaspora Jews realize that they belong with us. ... Is proof even necessary? No one will protest the assertion that the [[w:Antisemitism in 21st-century France|rise in anti-Semitism in France]] gave us some satisfaction, in the sense of “we warned you, didn’t we?” Late Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] did not hesitate to make such a declaration, angering the [[w:Government_of_France|French government]] and many Jews who see themselves as unconditional [[French people|French citizens]]. Thousands of Jews from [[France]] who see Israel as a lifeboat, as an insurance policy, purchased apartments here and raised [[real estate]] prices in the coastal cities. That’s good. It proves Zionism was right.
** [[Yaron London]], ''[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4882021,00.html Why Israel isn’t shocked by anti-Semites in White House]'' (November 21, 2016)

* In order to remove these malignant doubts, it would be good to have some anti-Semitism in America. Not serious anti-Semitism, not [[Pogrom|pogroms]], not persecutions that will empty America from its Jews, as we need them there, but just a taste of this pungent stuff, so that we can restore our faith in Zionism.
** [[Yaron London]], ''[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4882021,00.html Why Israel isn’t shocked by anti-Semites in White House]'' (November 21, 2016)

* One can be a Zionist without being a [[Nationalism|nationalist]], even an unaggressive one. The earlier Zionism, that which has had a far longer career than the Neo-Zionism of to-day, was none the less Zionist, even though it had no tinge of nationalism in the modern semi-aggressive sense. That Zionism was not based on a Jewish nation, whose existence in the modern sense it did not admit, but on the Jewish people. The earlier Zionism had no political connotation. It was no less successful on that account. It was certainly one of the instruments that kept Judaism alive and Jewry in existence. That early - it may be termed spiritual - Zionism still exists even though its voice is drowned by the more blatant shouts of a nationalism that differs from it in many respects. And as that earlier Zionism, which is a large part of Judaism, flourished for centuries before Political Zionism was conceived, it will not inconceivably survive Political Zionism as a living force, for centuries.
** {{w|Alfred Montefiore Hyamson}} in ''{{w|Palestine: A Policy}}'' (1942), pp. xi-xii

===M===
*We come to Zion only by way of Zion.
**[[Martin Buber]], ''Zion als Ziel und Aujgabe'', 1936.

*My guess is that Gen Z hearts are hardened by the propaganda you see on TikTok, which likes to call the Jews "colonizers." But colonizers are intruders who have no history in an area like, when Spain conquered the Mayans or when your mom took over Facebook. When the Dutch took over South Africa, they had no history to the land. They just wanted it. But Israel is the Jews' homeland. And Jews have always lived there. I cap you not. You can look it up. It's in this book called the Bible. Which is horribly wrong about sex ed, slavery, science, and cooking, but the archeology checks out. It says the Jews built a temple with a really big wall seven centuries before Muhammad or Islam ever existed, and sure as shit, you can still go there and touch it. Calling Jews colonizers in Israel is like calling Native Americans colonizers here. It's ridiculous. Chappell, did you know that for 2,000 years, Palestine was like an Uber driver with a three-star rating? Nobody wanted it. And there was never any Arab country called Palestine. It was an orphan province. And if you asked people what they thought about it back then, they'd say it gave them the ick. But after World War II, and after the Jews were very nearly wiped out by an actual attempted genocide, they decided it was time for their historic homeland to be an actual country so that for once they could defend themselves. And the UN, we like them, right? Yeah, they agreed and voted a country for each of the indigenous peoples. One side agreed to that. But the Arabs had a slightly different proposal. They said, "How about we keep it all and wipe you out?"
** Bill Maher, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V76HS4jHoJE Real Time with Bill Maher], Oct 12, 2024

=== N ===

*A day will come when Zionism will be needed by you, proud Germans [German Jews], as much as by those wretched Ostjuden. ... A day will come when you will beg for asylum in the land you now scorn.
**[[w:Max Nordau|Max Nordau]], speech, Berlin, Jan. 23, 1899.

* Judaism is Zionism, and Zionism is Judaism.
** Zionist leader [[w:Max Nordau|Max Nordau]], [https://sammlungen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/cm/periodical/titleinfo/3476254 address, II Zionist Congress], Aug. 28, 1898.

* Judaism will be Zionist, or Judaism will not be.
** Zionist leader [[w:Max Nordau|Max Nordau]], address, Amsterdam, April 1899.

===P===
* [In order] that we may not be compelled to wander from one exile to another, we must have an extensive, productive land of refuge, a center which is our own.
**[[w:Leon Pinsker]], ''[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/quot-auto-emancipation-quot-leon-pinsker Auto-Emancipation]''.

*The national regeneration of the Jews must be initiated by a congress of Jewish notables.
**[[w:Leon Pinsker]], ''[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/quot-auto-emancipation-quot-leon-pinsker Auto-Emancipation]''.

===R===
*perhaps the nineteenth-century word Zionism-so incendiary, so drenched in idealism, dissension, ideas of blood and soil, in memories of victimization and pursuant claims of the right to victimize-perhaps the use of this word, by Zionists, post-Zionists, and anti-Zionists alike, needs to dissolve before twenty-first-century realities.
**[[Adrienne Rich]] "Jewish Days and Nights" in Tony Kushner and Alisa Solomon, eds., ''Wrestling with Zion: Progressive Jewish-American Responses to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict'' (2003) and ''A Human Eye: Essays on Art in Society, 1997-2008'' (2009)

* '''Zionism is''' not a mere national or chauvinistic caprice, but '''the last desperate stand of the Jews against annihilation'''.
** [[w:Arthur Ruppin|Arthur Ruppin]], ''[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.75938 The Jews of Today]'', 1913, p. 300

* In other words, Zionism was a colonialist phenomenon in all respects and fully resembled other examples of modern colonialism – apart from the fact that it was a national movement, that it was not motivated by a desire for economic gain, that it arose out of Jewish suffering and was realized by people who may be defined as refugees, that the settlers had no colonial mother country, and that the bond with the Land of Israel was part of the traditional historical identity of the Jewish people.
** Haviv Rettig Gur, in an [https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/zionism-and-colonialism/ article] as a response to Alexander Yakobson's quote from "Israel and the Family of Nations: The Jewish nation-state and human rights"

=== S ===

*The rebirth of Israel’s national consciousness and the revival of Judaism are inseparable. When Israel found itself, it found its God. When Israel lost itself, or began to work at its self-effacement, it was sure to deny its God.
**[[w:Solomon Schechter|Solomon Schechter]], 1906. Quoted in J. H. Hertz. ''A Book of Jewish Thoughts''. 116f.

* If we are Zionists, as we say we are, what is the good of meeting and talking and drinking tea? Let us do something real and practical— let us organize the Jewish women of America and send nurses and doctors to Palestine.
**[[Henrietta Szold]]. From an address to a women’s Jewish study group meeting at Temple Emanu-El in New York on Purim, February 24, 1912. Quoted by [https://wiki.projectherzl.com/wiki/Zionism:_In_their_own_words Project Herzl]

*in recent times, largely because of the Arab-Israeli conflict, there has been a construction in the public sphere of Jews and Muslims as always already enemies. In the media, journalists often appeal to the cliché that “this conflict goes back thousands of years.” But historically that is false; it largely goes back to the late nineteenth century and the emergence of Zionism. For many centuries and even millennia, Jews and Muslims often faced Christian prejudice together...The two stories/histories of Jews and Muslims are often told in isolation, but in fact the two groups were subjected to the same inquisition and continued to live together within Muslim spaces. In my work, I have insisted on the Judeo-Muslim hyphen, because while the Judeo-Christian hyphen implies a legitimate meta-narrative, the Judeo-Muslim hyphen has been elided. Yet, historically the Judeo-Muslim hyphen could be seen as the norm rather than the Judeo-Christian, which is a relatively recent phenomenon, going back to the Euro-Jewish enlightenment and reinforced by Zionist Eurocentrism...Zionism, to my mind, can be described as an effort to whiten the Jew philosophically and even literally.
**[[Ella Shohat]], [https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/29824 interview] (2013)

* Political Zionism is problematic for obvious reasons. But I can never forget what it achieved as a moral force in an era of complete dissolution. '''It helped to stem the tide of 'progressive' leveling of venerable, ancestral differences; it fulfilled a conservative function.'''
** Green, K. H. (editor), [[Leo Strauss|Strauss, Leo]], ''Jewish Philosophy and the Crisis of Modernity : Essays and Lectures in Modern Jewish Thought'', 1997, State University of New York Press, pp. 413–14.

* Anti-Zionists, last of all, exhibit a distaste for certain words. It was [[Thomas Hobbes]] who, anticipating [[semantics]], pointed out that [[words]] are counters, not [[coins]]; that the [[Wisdom|wise]] man looks through them to [[reality]]. This counsel many anti-Zionists seem to have neglected. They are especially disturbed by the two nouns nationalism and [[commonwealth]], and by the adjective political. And yet these terms on examination are not at all upsetting. Jewish nationalism means no more than recognition of the peoplehood of Israel, and of the propriety of that people's being a [[Religion in the United States|religio-cultural group in America]], a [[Nations|nationality]] in [[Eastern Europe]], and in Palestine an actualized nation. Nor is the word political more horrendous, even when it precedes Zionism. For what does it signify? It refers either to methods for realizing the Zionist objective or to the objective itself. If to the former, it denotes the [[w:World Zionist Organization|World Zionist Organization]], the [[w:Jewish Agency for Palestine|Jewish Agency for Palestine]], and their transactions with the Mandatory Power and others on [[immigration]] into Palestine and related problems. If this be political Zionism, what can be wrong with it? Anyone wishing Jews to be free to enter Palestine knows that governments must be dealt with and understandings negotiated. Or are there some so naive as to approve of results but not of the only means for attaining them?
** Rabbi {{w|Milton Steinberg}} in "Creed of An American Zionist" (1945).

* The idea that Zionism is essentially racist is only consistent with the view that all nationalism is a form of [[racism]]. In that case all states that claimed to be based on nationalism would need to be removed as well. Anti-Zionism, however tends to argue one or some of the following ideas: (a) Jews are not a [[Nations|nation]] (b) Jews are only identifiable by attachment to Judaism as [[religion]] (c) there is only tenuous evidence linking Jews to Torah historical accounts (d) the Jews come from Eastern Europe, not the [[Middle East]] (e) Jews are not a homogeneous group (f) Jews have collaborated with oppressors ([[Imperialism]], the [[Nazism|Nazis]]) (g) Zionism inevitably means [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict|oppressing the Palestinians]]. There are of course other views. These arguments all lead to an uncomfortable position that whereas all other self-declared nationalisms have validity, the Jews have no such claims. Yet in different ways the arguments about Zionism can be easily adopted to almost all other national situations. Yet no one asks ‘So exactly how is it that you are [[Australia|Australian]]?’ This question is posed to Jews a great deal. While there are honorable Anti-Zionist positions they are few. On the whole Anti-Zionism is close to, or a mask for, Anti-Semitism.
** John Strawson in [http://www.engageonline.org.uk/archives/index.php?id=13 "Why I am against the AUT Israel Boycott of Israeli Universities" in ''Engage'' (18 May 2005)].

*I never heard [my parents] talk between themselves about Palestine or Zionism, and I suspected they had no strong convictions on the subject, at least until after the war, when the horror of [[the Holocaust]] made them feel there should be a "National Home." I felt they were bullied by the organizers of these meetings, and by the gangsterlike evangelists who would pound at the front door and demand large sums for yeshivas or “schools in Israel.” My parents, clearheaded and independent in most other ways, seemed to become soft and helpless in the face of these demands, perhaps driven by a sense of obligation or anxiety. My own feelings […] were passionately negative: I came to hate Zionism and evangelism and politicking of every sort, which I regarded as noisy and intrusive and bullying.
** [[Oliver Sacks]] ''Uncle Tungsten'', p. 171 {{ISBN|0-375-40448-1}}

*…the difficulty of Zionism is essentially one thing only, its attempt to settle a country that is already settled.
** Vincent Sheean, ''Personal History''. New York, 1935, p.381

===T===
*The ultimate aim of the Zionists is to liberate the Jewish people from the peculiar psychological complex induced by the penalization to which they have been subject for centuries in the Gentile world.
**[[w:Arnold J. Toynbee|Arnold J. Toynbee]], ''A Study of History'', 1934, ii. 252.

===W===

*To bring water to the thirsty earth, shade to the sun-parched sands, the laughter of children to a countryside where only jackals howl; to unearth the good soil under the rocks, to push back the desert, and remove the last swamps—these are among the tasks of the Jewish National Fund in its second fifty years.
**[[w:Chaim Weizmann|Haim Weizmann]], message, Jan. 19, 1951. ''N.Y. Times'', Jan. 20, 1951.

*Zionism, as conceived and in part executed by Theodor Herzl, was the half-conscious instinct of a people integrating past and future together into the totality of the will to live and to be itself and only itself.
**[[w:Stephen Samuel Wise|Stephen Samuel Wise]], ''A Century of Jewish Progress'', 1933.

===Y===

*If we wish that the name Israel be not extinguished, then we are in duty bound to create something which may serve as a center for our entire people, like the heart in an organism, from which the blood will stream into all the arteries of the national body and fill it with life.
**[[Eliezer Ben-Yehuda]], “Sheela Nikbada.” ''HaShahar'', 1879.

* One people, one land, one language!
** Revivor of the Hebrew language, [[Eliezer Ben-Yehuda]], quoted in Hemda Ben Yehuda, ''New Palestine'', Dec. 1950.

* Zionism’s nature as an ethnic and national rather than an economic project; the refugee status of most of the Jews [who came to Palestine]; the loose organization of the Diaspora Jewish communities as opposed to well-organized [colonial] mother countries; and lastly, the ideal of the ‘return to Zion’ which is grounded in Jewish tradition.
** Alexander Yakobson, "Israel and the Family of Nations: The Jewish nation-state and human rights"

===W===
*Zionism as a philosophy, even in its leftist versions, doesn't appeal to me. I've never envisioned sovereignty over a piece of land as a solution to anti-Semitism, a negation of the Diaspora, a necessary focus of Jewish identity and culture, or the basis for building a socialist utopia. I see nationalism of all sorts, including national liberation movements, as problematic-an understatement when applied to the [[Middle East]]. Yet I support the existence of Israel because Zionism is, among other things, a strategy forced on Jews by a particular historical situation. What it comes down to is that Israel has given Jews something whose lack cost millions of lives: a place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in. These days, however, the Israeli government seems to believe that, far from the state's existing to insure the survival of Jews, Jews exist to insure the survival of the state.
**[[Ellen Willis]] “What the Pollard Case Means to Jews” (1987) included in No More Nice Girls: Countercultural Essays (1992)

*the "revisionist" strain of Zionism, with its roots in Deir Yassin and its followers in [[Lebanon]], has propelled [[Israel]] toward disaster.
**[[Ellen Willis]] “Ministries of Fear” (November 1985) included in No More Nice Girls: Countercultural Essays (1992)

===Z===
*Itoism says, “Zion is where the Jew lives as a Jew.”
**[[w:Israel Zangwill|Israel Zangwill]], ''Territorialism as Practical Politics'', 1913.

== See also ==
* [[Israel]]

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}
{{wiktionary|Zionism}}
[[Category:Zionism| ]]

Afrikan Spir

2026-06-23T03:51:49Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Words of a Sage: Selected thoughts of African Spir (1937) */ order

[[File:Photograph of Afrikan Spir (cropped).jpg|right|thumb|200px|Man pursues two goals: he seeks happiness and, being empty by essence, he seeks to fill his life; this latter motive plays a more considerable role than is usually thought. What we take for vanity, ambition, love of power and riches, is often, in reality, the need to mask this emptiness.]]

'''[[w:Afrikan Spir|Afrikan Spir]]''' (1837–1890) was a Russian Neo-Kantian philosopher of German descent.

== Quotes ==
[[File:Justice_Statue_Iran.jpg|thumb|right|The realization of justice is, in the actual state of things, a matter of life or death for society and for civilisation itself.]]
=== ''Words of a Sage: Selected thoughts of African Spir'' (1937) ===
:''Paroles d'un sage: Choix de pensées d'African Spir'' by Hélène Claparède-Spir (''Words of a Sage: Selected thoughts of African Spir''), Paris-Genève, Je Sers-Labor, 1937

* The doctrine expounded by me is the true one, but I am not its author. I have only been, so to speak, the soil in which it has germinated and has developed itself with an extreme slowness in the course of long years. Also there has never been such a disproportion between the man and his work than in my case, and what is the saddest, is that one has to suffer because of the incapacity and the weakness of the other. A man more capable than me, possessing this doctrine, would already have stirred the world.
** ''Esquisse biographique'', p. 18.

* What is missing to our civilisation is the soul, the spiritual unity, the basis. That is why everything in it is pretence and contrivance; and why also, '''in spite of the progress and marvellous improvement they have accomplished in the external realm, men have, in general, become themselves neither better nor happier. They have neglected too much the essential; their own perfecting.'''
** p. 36.

* Grâce à la connaissance des lois physiques, l’homme a pu au dehors asservir la nature, mais, intérieurement, il en est resté l’esclave.
** Thanks to the knowledge of physical laws, man has been able to enslave nature on the outside, but on the inside, he has remained its slave.
*** p. 36.

* If the abandonment of religious and moral principles was to become widespread, the consequences could be become such that we would finally see crop up in the very heart of civilisation, a new and apalling barbarism capable of engulfing all the acquisitions of the past.
** p. 37.

* Nothing that rests on contradictions shall succeed or last in the long run; all that involves a contradiction is fatally destined, sooner or later, to disintegrate and disappear.
** p. 37.

* Men who have sacrificed their well-being, and even their lives, for the cause of truth or the public good, are, from an empirical point of view (which scorns virtue and altruism) regarded as insane or as fools; but, from a moral standpoint, they are heroes who honour humanity.
** p. 38.

* If we accomplish a good deed, a charity in the hope of future rewards, or with a more or less admitted ulterior motive to profit from personal advantages, we are probably doing a useful thing, but which is devoid of any truly moral character.
** p. 39.

* The virtue preached by devout persons is the virtue of the slave who always believes themselves under the eye of the master. However, Jésus said: 'Serve God not as slaves, but as sons in the house'
** p. 39, with a quote from ''Galatians'' 4:6-8.

* In reality, there is no contradiction between science and religion, whose domains are distinct, and which, far from fighting and persecuting each other, must, on the contrary, complement each other.
** p. 39.

* If we recognize, following the materialist theories, that only the physical nature exists, and that man contains no higher essence, divine, which raises him above his animal nature, it would be a question neither of obligation, nor of moral responsibility; then the supreme good would consist for him, indeed, to satisfy his appetites and his natural inclinations, to look for pleasure and to flee from pain. In this case, there could be neither religion nor morality, since religion is precisely what raises man above vulgar reality, and morality is the very negation of selfishness.
** p. 41.

* '''If the present civilisation does not acquire some stable moral fondations, its existence will hardly be more assured than that of the civilisations that have preceeded it, and which have fallen.'''
** p. 41.

* The feeling of solidarity that is born amidst a community rests on the feeling of antagonism against those who are opposed to it. Most of the time we only adhere to a party or a group, in order to better differentiate ourselves from another.
** p. 42.

* Si nous possédions un flair moral plus développé, nous serions aussi écœurés moralement par la rapacité de ceux qui cherchent a profiter et à accaparer sans égards pour autrui, que nous le sommes par une odeur nauséabonde.
** '''If we possessed a more developed moral sense, we'd be as disgusted by the rapacity of those who seek to profit and take without regard for others, as we are by a foul smell.'''
*** p. 43.

* Men generally are too inclined to let themselves be overawed by what is quantitatively great. It is thus that even thoughtful minds let themselves be impressed by the strength of [[w:Napoleon|Napoleon]], so much so that they see in his person something august or majestic, when in fact he only had selfish ambitions. Half the earth was put to fire and sword to obtain for a man the pleasant sensation of his own absolute power.
** p. 43.

* Injustice having always been predominant on earth, there are some who imagine that this existing social order will continue forever. That this order was able to last until now, has mainly been due to the conviction of people that it was of divine institution.
** p. 45.

* Si dans un banquet quelqu’un s’avisait d’arracher aux convives les morceaux de la bouche, on serait unanime à trouver le procédé inique et brutal, mais quand par ailleurs la chose se pratique sous une forme moins apparente, on ne s’en montre guère offusqué.
** '''If at a banquet someone were to rip the morsels from the mouths of the guests, we would be unanimous in finding their behaviour to be iniquitous and brutal, but when the same is done in a less conspicuous way, people are hardly offended.'''
*** p. 46.

* It is not on the ruins of liberty that we may in the future build justice.
** p. 46.

* The social organization of work is the most complicated and difficult problem that humanity has ever had to solve. It being possible to realize this organization neither by violence, nor by merely external or legal measures, it requires the free participation of all to the common work, and, consequently, to a regeneration of men that brings them to overcome their selfishness and to understand their duty towards themselves and towards the community.
** p. 47.

* The more gifted by nature is a man, the more is deplorable the abuse that he does by using them to shameful ends. A swindler or crook of higher condition is more blameworthy than a vulgar scoundrel; an intelligent evil-doer, having benefited from a higher education, represents a more saddening phenomenon than an unfortunate illiterate fellow having committed an offence.
** p. 48.

* En s'adonnant trop exclusivement à la recherche d'un bonheur matériel, de biens éphémères, on méconnaît les vraies réalités dela vie et on laisse s'étioler et se dessécher l'esprit.
** '''By devoting ourselves too exclusively to the pursuit of material happiness and ephemeral goods, we ignore the true realities of life and allow our spirit to wither and dry up.'''
*** p. 49.

* To succeed in brilliant businesses, to achieve great success, that is what the ambition and efforts of the majority of men aim for. But at the end of the day what do they get for it? Softer cushions, better meat, maybe decorations or medals - that is all. And to think that there are found serious men who consume their whole existence in the pursuit and the expectation of these trivialities.
** p. 49.

* To spend for destruction ten times more than for instruction, such is the fashion in our time; and men seriously regard themsleves as rational beings!
** p. 50.

* In the actual state of social relationships, the forms of politeness are necessary as a subsitute for benevolence.
** p. 50.

* Nothing depicts better the poverty of human nature than to see men, placed as the leaders of nations, be preoccupied only with their own prestige and their own personal interest.
** p. 51.

* The most sacred duty, the supreme and urgent work, is to deliver humanity from the malediction of Cain - fratricidal war.
** p. 51.

* The well understood equity as well as interest of society demand that we work much more to prevent crimes and offenses than to punish them.
** p. 52.

* Place a spider on top of a mountain and it will only try to catch flies; alas, they are many who, in the figurative meaning, have spider's eyes.
** p. 52.

* In life we only try to produce, to win, and enjoy the more we can; in science, to discover and invent the more we can; in religion, to dominate on the greatest number of people we can; whereas the forming of the character, the further development of the faculties of the intelligence, the refinement of the consciousness and of the heart, are considered incidental things.
** p. 52.

* La réalisation de la justice est, dans l’état actuel des choses, une question de vie ou de mort pour la société et pour la civilisation elle-même.
** '''The realization of justice is, in the actual state of things, a matter of life or death for society and for civilisation itself.'''
***p. 55.

* Deep down, everything comes down to the following simple question: Do we really want justice and the realization in this world of higher principles? Or else do we want to serve selfish, short-sighted interests, which, when all is said and done, are also detrimental to those very same people that pursue them?
** p. 55.

* The intellectual development of man, far from having gotten men away from war, has rather, on the contrary, brought them to a more perfected refinment in the art of killing.
** p. 55.

* '''It is from our lack of proper content, from our inner emptiness, that we need occupations and distractions. Otherwise we experience boredom, which is nothing else than the feeling of unease that takes hold of us when our spirit is not asorbed in the mirages of life.'''
** p. 56.

* There is only one thing in the world that is really valuable, it is to do good.
** p. 56.

* L’homme poursuit deux buts: il recherche le bonheur et, étant vide par essence, il cherche à remplir sa vie; ce dernier motif joue un rôle plus considérable qu’on ne le pense d’ordinaire. Ce que l’on prend pour vanité, ambition, amour du pouvoir et des richesses, est souvent, en réalité, le besoin de masquer ce vide.
** Man is in pursuit of two goals: he is looking for happinesse and, being by essence empty, he is trying to fill his life; the latter reason plays a more considerable role than we ordinarily think. What we take for vainglory, ambition, love of power and riches, is often, indeed, a need to mask this emptiness.
*** p. 56.

* If pity was always equally alive and acting in all individuals and in all circumstances, we could do away with morality. Unfortunately, it is not compassion, but rather it's opposite - selfishness - that acts most strongly in us.
** p. 57.

* Education has a tremendous power on man. Can't we see to which the astonishing discipline the people of Sparta have submitted for centuries? And this with a view to very petty purposes: purely outer greatness, the military predominace of Sparta. This example proves that men can do most anything they want; therefore it would only be a question of making them will the good.
** p. 58.

* Up to now, in general, we have mainly stuffed the brains of young people with an indigestible multitude of various notions, without thinking enough about the prime necessity to form their character.
** p. 58.

* '''Morality, to be effective, has to be well-reasoned. To want to repress evil only by coercion, and to obtain morality by a kind of education using constraint, without motivating it from within, is to make an artificial thing, devoid of lasting value.'''
** p. 59.

* Only a moral education based on free inner discipline can bring to bear a salutary action and lead to a true morality.
** p. 59.

* To reform society, and with it humanity, there is only one means; to transform the mentality of men, to direct them in a new spirit.
** p. 60.

* As long as men will not be freed from their errors and delusions, humanity will not be able to progress towards the accomplishment of its true destiny.
** p. 60.

* To sacrifice the moral to the physical, as is done in these days, is to sacrifice reality for a shadow.
** p. 61.

* We can, following the example of Kant, consider the moral development and improvement of men, as the supreme goal of human evolution.
** p. 61.

* De même que l'humanité a commencé par des outils en silex, et est arrivé peu à peu aux machines si puissantes et perfectionnées d'aujourd'hui, de même l'homme, en se façonnant de génération en génération, arrivera à un degré de perfection dont l'exemple ne nous a été donné, jusqu'à présent, que par de rares individus.
** '''As humanity began with flint tools, and has arrived little by little to the powerful and perfected machines of today, so man, by shaping himself generation after generation, will arrive to a degree of perfection which, up to now, the example was given to us only by rare individuals.'''
*** p. 62.

== Quotes about ==

* I do not know a philosopher so profound and at the same time so precise.
** [[Leo Tolstoy]], Hélène Claparède-Spir (1944) ''Evocation: Tolstoi, Nietzsche, [[Rilke]], Spir'', Genève, Georg et Cie.

* I am sure that his doctrine will be understood and appreciated as it deserves and that the destiny of his work will be similar to that of [[Schopenhauer]], who became known and admired only after his death.
** [[Leo Tolstoy]], Hélène Claparède-Spir (1944) ''Evocation: Tolstoi, Nietzsche, [[Rilke]], Spir'', Genève, Georg et Cie.

* Der von mir geschätzte Logiker heißt: A. Spir.
** The logician I value is called: A. Spir.
*** [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]<ref>2011. 907. An Ernst Schmeitzner in Chemnitz (Naumburg, Sa 22. November 1879)[1] . Nietzsche Online [online]. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. Available from: https://www-degruyter-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/database/NIETZSCHE/entry/W007678B02T005V000907/html. [Accessed 2025-02-15]</ref>

== External links ==
{{wikipedia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spir, African}}
[[Category:Logicians from Russia]]
[[Category:Philosophers from Russia]]
[[Category:Non-fiction authors from Russia]]
[[Category:1837 births]]
[[Category:1890 deaths]]

Max Beerbohm

2026-06-22T02:21:24Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes about Max Beerbohm */ link

[[File:Max Beerbohm 1901 retouched.jpg|thumb|I am a [[w:Tory|Tory]] [[Anarchist]]. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased — short of [[altering]] any of the things to which I have grown accustomed.]]
'''[[w:Max Beerbohm|Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm]]''' ([[24 August]] [[1872]] – [[20 May]] [[1956]]) was an English writer and caricaturist.

==Quotes==
* The [[w:Nonconformist conscience|Nonconformist Conscience]] makes cowards of us all.
** [http://books.google.com/books?id=NA0HAQAAIAAJ&q=%22The+NonConformist+Conscience+makes+cowards+of+us+all%22&pg=PA250#v=onepage "A Note on George the Fourth,"] ''[[w:The Yellow Book|The Yellow Book]]'' (October 1894)
** [http://books.google.com/books?id=OvlGAAAAYAAJ&q=%22The+Nonconformist+Conscience+makes+cowards+of+us+all%22&pg=PA63#v=onepage "King George the Fourth,"] ''[[w:The Works of Max Beerbohm|The Works of Max Beerbohm]]'' (1896)

* Most women are not so young as they are painted.
** ''A Defense of Cosmetics'' (1895)

* To give an accurate and exhaustive account of that period would need a far less brilliant pen than mine.
** "1880" (1895) from ''The Works of Max Beerbohm'' (1896)[http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext99/twomb10.txt]

* I was a modest, good-humoured boy. It is [[w:Oxford University|Oxford]] that has made me insufferable.
** ''More'', “Going Back to School” (1899)

* The most perfect caricature is that which, on a small surface, with the simplest means, most accurately exaggerates, to the highest point, the peculiarities of a human being, at his most characteristic moment in the most beautiful manner.
** ''The Spirit of Caricature'' (1901)

* As a teacher, as a propagandist, [[w:George Bernard Shaw|Shaw]] is no good at all, even in his own generation. But as a personality, he is immortal.
** ''Around Theatres'', “A Cursory Conspectus of G.B.S” (1924)

* The past is a work of art, free of irrelevancies and loose ends.
** ''Comment''

* Lift latch, step in, be welcome, Sir, Albeit to see you I’m unglad.
** ''A Luncheon''

* Only the insane take themselves quite seriously.
** Quoted in ''Max'' by [[w:Lord David Cecil|David Cecil]] (1964), ch. 2

* There is much virtue in a window. It is to a human being as a frame is to a painting, as a proscenium to a play, as 'form' to literature. It strongly defines its content.
** [http://books.google.com/books?id=YZMhAAAAMAAJ&q=%22There+is+much+virtue+in+a+window+It+is+to+a+human+being+as+a+frame+is+to+a+painting+as+a+proscenium+to+a+play+as+form+to+literature+It+strongly+defines+its+content%22&pg=PA147#v=onepage "Fenestralia"], [[w:Mainly on the Air|Mainly on the Air]] (1946), [[w:The Atlantic|The Atlantic]] ([http://books.google.com/books?id=5KAGAQAAIAAJ&q=%22There+is+much+virtue+in+a+window+It+is+to+a+human+being+as+a+frame+is+to+a+painting+as+a+proscenium+to+a+play+as+form+to+literature+It+strongly+defines+its+content%22&pg=PA85#v=onepage April 1944])

=== ''[http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext99/zdbsn11.txt Zuleika Dobson]'' (1911) ===
* Zuleika, on a desert island, would have spent most of her time in looking for a man's footprint.
** Ch. II

* She was a young person whose reveries never were in retrospect. For her past was no treasury of distinct memories, all hoarded and classified, some brighter than others and more highly valued. All memories were for her but as the motes in one fused radiance that followed her and made more luminous the pathway of her future.
** Ch. II

* He was too much concerned with his own perfection ever to think of admiring any one else.
** Ch. III

* For a young man, sleep is a sure solvent of distress. There whirls not for him in the night any so hideous phantasmagoria as will not become, in the clarity of the next morning, a spruce procession for him to lead. Brief the vague horror of his awakening; memory sweeps back to him, and he sees nothing dreadful after all. "Why not?" is the sun’s bright message to him, and "Why not indeed?" his answer.”
** Ch. IV

* The dullard's envy of brilliant men is always assuaged by the suspicion that they will come to a bad end.
** Ch. IV

* One has never known a good man to whom dogs were not dear; but many of the best women have no such fondness. You will find that the woman who is really kind to dogs is always one who has failed to inspire sympathy in men. For the attractive woman, dogs are mere dumb and restless brutes — possibly dangerous, certainly soulless. Yet will coquetry teach her to caress any dog in the presence of a man enslaved by her.
** Ch. VI

* He heard that whenever a woman was to blame for a disappointment, the best way to avoid a scene was to inculpate oneself.
** Ch. VII

* Oxford walls have a way of belittling us; and the Duke was loath to regard his doom as trivial. Aye, by all minerals we are mocked. Vegetables, yearly deciduous, are far more sympathetic.
** Ch. VII

* Death cancels all engagements.
** Ch. VII

* It is so much easier to covet what one hasn’t than to revel in what one has. Also, it is so much easier to be enthusiastic about what exists than about what doesn’t.
** Ch. VIII

* She was one of those people who say "I don't know anything about music really, but I know what I like."
** Ch. IX

* You cannot make a man by standing a sheep on its hind-legs. But by standing a whole flock of sheep in that position you can make a crowd of men. If man were not a gregarious animal, the world might have achieved, by this time, some real progress towards civilization. Segregate him, and he is no fool. But let him loose among his fellows, and he is lost —- he becomes a unit in unreason.
** Ch. IX

* A crowd, proportionately to its size, magnifies all that in its units pertains to the emotions, and diminishes all that in them pertains to thought.
** Ch. IX

* Of all the objects of hatred, a woman once loved is the most hateful.
** Ch. XIII

* Just as "pluck" comes of breeding, so is endurance especially an attribute of the artist. Because he can stand outside himself, and (if there be nothing ignoble in them) take pleasure in his own sufferings, the artist has a huge advantage over you and me.
** Ch. XV

* The Socratic manner is not a game at which two can play.
** Ch. XV

* Everywhere he found his precept checkmated by his example.
** Ch. XV

* All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.
** Note to the 1946 edition

=== ''[http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext99/evnow10.txt And Even Now]'' (1920) ===
* I have known no man of genius who had not to pay, in some affliction or defect either physical or spiritual, for what the gods had given him.
** ''No. 2, The Pines'' (1914)

* No fine work can be done without concentration and self-sacrifice and toil and doubt.
** ''Books Within Books'' (1914)

* In every human being one or the other of these two instincts is predominant: the active or positive instinct to offer hospitality, the negative or passive instinct to accept it. And either of these instincts is so significant of character that one might as well say that mankind is divisible into two great classes: hosts and guests.
** ''Hosts and Guests'' (1918), [[w:Harper's Magazine|Harper's Monthly]] ([http://books.google.com/books?id=H2Q2AQAAMAAJ&q=%22Mankind+is+divisible+into+two+great+classes+hosts+and+guests%22&pg=PA425#v=onepage August 1919])

* I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased — short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed.
** ''Servants'' (1918)

* Strange, when you come to think of it, that of all the countless folk who have lived before our time on this planet not one is known in history or in legend as having died of laughter.
** ''Laughter'' (1920)

* It seems to be a law of nature that no man, unless he has some obvious physical deformity, ever is loth to sit for his portrait.
** ''Quia Imperfectum'' (1920)

* '''To say that a man is vain means merely that he is pleased with the effect he produces on other people. A conceited man is satisfied with the effect he produces on himself.'''
** ''Quia Imperfectum''

* Men of genius are not quick judges of character. Deep thinking and high imagining blunt that trivial instinct by which you and I size people up.
** ''Quia Imperfectum''

== Quotes about Max Beerbohm ==
* How might one describe Max Beerbohm to someone who knows nothing about him? Well, for a start, one might imagine [[D.H. Lawrence]]. Picture the shagginess of Lawrence, his thick beard, his rough-cut clothes, his disdain for all the social and physical niceties. Recall his passionateness—his passion, so to say, for passion itself—his darkness, his gloom. Think back to his appeal to the primary instincts, his personal messianism, his refusal to deal with anything smaller than capital “D” Destiny. Do not neglect his humorlessness, his distaste for all that otherwise passed for being civilized, his blood theories and manifold roiling hatreds. Have you, then, D.H. Lawrence firmly in mind? Splendid. Now reverse all of Lawrence’s qualities and you will have a fair beginning notion of Max Beerbohm, who, after allowing that Lawrence was a man of “unquestionable genius,” felt it necessary to add, “he never realized, don’t you know—he never suspected that to be stark, staring mad is somewhat of a handicap to a writer.”
** [[w:Joseph Epstein (writer)|Joseph Epstein]], ''Max Beerbohm'' (September 1985)

*After his very early days, when he gambolled with an ornate and consciously absurd vocabulary, he wrote supremely well. His essay on [[Venice]], originally an article in the ''Daily Mail'', is a model not only of imaginative observation but of variety of structure. It is, I believe, the best travel sketch ever written.
**[[Evelyn Waugh]], 'The Max Behind The Mask', ''Atlas'' (January 1965), quoted in ''The Essays, Articles and Reviews of Evelyn Waugh'', ed. Donat Gallagher (1983), p. 631

*I felt, when I was listening to them, that I was listening to the voice of the last civilized man on earth. Max's broadcasts justify the entire invention of broadcasting.
**[[Rebecca West]], quoted in S. N. Behrman, ''Portrait of Max: An Intimate Memoir of Sir Max Beerbohm'' (1960), p. 265

*But what did Mr. Beerbohm give to the [[essay]] and what did he take from it? That is a much more complicated question, for here we have an essayist who has concentrated on the work and is without doubt the prince of his profession.
**[[Virginia Woolf]], 'The Modern Essay', ''The Common Reader'' (1925; 1929), p. 276

*If you knew how I had pored over many essays – how they fill me with marvel – how I can't conceive what it would be like to write as you do! – This is sober truth: – but I shan't attempt to say how much pleasure your letter gave me.
**[[Virginia Woolf]] to Max Beerbohm (29 January 1928), quoted in ''Letters of Max Beerbohm 1892–1956'', ed. Rupert Hart-Davis (1989), p. 167

== External links ==
{{wikipedia}}
{{Wikisource author}}
{{commons category}}
* {{gutenberg author| id=Max+Beerbohm | name=Max Beerbohm}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beerbohm, Max}}
[[Category:People from London]]
[[Category:Critics from the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Essayists from England]]
[[Category:Humorists]]
[[Category:Short story writers from England]]
[[Category:Novelists from England]]
[[Category:Cartoonists]]
[[Category:Latin authors]]
[[Category:1872 births]]
[[Category:1956 deaths]]
[[Category:University of Oxford alumni]]
[[Category:Victorian novelists]]

Japanese proverbs

2026-06-21T17:52:11Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: Undid revision 3955080 by ~2026-35938-51 (talk)

[[File:Great Wave off Kanagawa - reversed.png|thumb|A frog in a well does not know the great ocean.]]

[[w:Japanese proverbs|'''Japanese proverbs''']] (諺 '''''[[wikt:ことわざ|kotowaza]]''''') take the form of short sayings, idiomatic phrases and four-character idioms.

== Sayings ==
* 猿も木から落ちる
** ''Saru mo ki kara ochiru.''
** Even monkeys fall from trees.
** English equivalent: It is a good horse that never stumbles.
** {{cite book|last=Garrison|first=Jeff|title=日本語イディオム辞典|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mQ5gyagWePMC&pg=PA491|publisher=Kodansha International|isbn=978-4-7700-2797-9|page=491}}

* 井の中の蛙大海を知らず
** ''I no naka no kawazu taikai-o shirazu.''
** A frog in a well does not know the great ocean.
** Chinese equivalent: 井底之蛙。
** "Do not associate with a fool because he will beautify his actions before you and long that you too be like him."
** [[Ali]], [[Nahj al-Balagha]], [https://www.al-islam.org/nahjul-balagha-part-2-letters-and-sayings/selections-sayings-and-preaching-amir-al-muminin-ali#hadith-n-293 Hadith n. 293], at the {{w|Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project}}. (7th-8th century)
** {{cite book|author=日本博学倶楽部|title=「ことわざ」なるほど雑学事典: よくあるカン違いから本来の意味まで、話がはずむ面白ネタ|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_GrmGRYX5rUC&pg=PA63|year=2002|isbn=978-4-569-57753-1|page=63}}

* 二兎を追う者は一兎も得ず
** ''Nito-o ou mono wa itto mo ezu.''
** Who chases two rabbits catches neither.
** Italian equivalent: ''Chi troppo vuole, nulla stringe.''
** English equivalents: You must not run after two hares at the same time. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buridan%27s_ass donkey can starve] choosing between two bales of hay.
** {{cite book|author=日英言語文化研究会|title=日英語の比較: 発想・背景・文化|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X-Ug7Il3iewC&pg=PA137|year=2006|isbn=978-4-384-05436-1|page=137}}

* 良薬口に苦し
**''Ryooyaku Kuchi ni Nigashi.''
** Translation: Good medicine is bitter to the mouth.
** English equivalent: The truth hurts.
** Chinese equivalent: 良藥苦口。
** {{cite book | last1 = Maynard | year = 1993 | title = Listen and Learn: 101 Japanese Idioms | url=http://books.google.se/books?ei=vp9WU_-LAoGVyAP-_YHwCQ&id=HXI-Xvv5dMYC&dq=Listen+%26+Learn%3A+101+Japanese+Idioms&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Good+medicine+tastes+bitter+in+the+mouth | publisher = McGraw-Hill | page = 123 | isbn=1}}

*角を矯めて牛を殺す
** ''Tsuno-o tamete ushi-o korosu.''
** Translation: To kill a bull by straightening its horns.
** {{cite book|author1=池田彌三郎|author2=Donald Keene|author3=常名鉾二郎|title=日英故事ことわざ辞典|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=3KsvAQAAIAAJ|year=1982|publisher=北星堂書店|page=56}}

*継続は力なり
** ''Keizoku wa chikara nari.''
** Translation: To continue is power.
** {{cite book | last1 = | year = 2008 | title = ポケット図解ドラッカー経営のツボがよーくわかる本: | publisher = 秀和システム | page = 37 | isbn=4798020680}}

* 鳥なき里の蝙蝠
** ''Tori naki sato no koumori.''
** Translation: A bat in a village without birds.
** {{cite book|author=石本登也|title=虜囚|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=5oXIfOUz--4C&pg=PA176|date=February 2003|publisher=文芸社|isbn=978-4-8355-5134-0|page=176}}

* 苦あれば楽あり
**''Ku areba raku ari.''
** Translation: There are hardships and there are delights.
** English equivalent: After rain comes fair weather; No pain, no gain; March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers.
** Chinese equivalent: [[wikt:苦盡甘来|苦盡甘来]]。
** {{cite book|author=上田彬|title=小我を取れば、うまくいく|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=9X04Uv49UBYC&pg=PA120|date=April 2005|publisher=文芸社|isbn=978-4-8355-8853-7|page=120}}

* 毒食わば皿まで
** ''Doku kuwaba sara made.''
** Translation: When poisoned, one might as well swallow the plate.
** English equivalent: "In for a penny, in for a pound."
** Yiddish equivalent: "If you're going to eat pork, eat it till your mouth drips."
** {{cite book|author=喜多見淳|title=淳樹物語: 続・天草に蜩は鳴かない|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Hycsv4RUEsMC&pg=PA232|date=25 January 1999|publisher=文芸社|isbn=978-4-88737-200-9|page=232}}

* 早起きは三文の徳
** ''Haya oki wa sanmon no toku.''
** Translation: Early rising benefits you three pence.
** English equivalent: The early bird gets the worm.
** {{cite book|author=Martin H. Manser|title=The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=fgaUQc8NbTYC&pg=PA70|accessdate=5 September 2013|year=2007|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-0-8160-6673-5|page=70}}
** {{cite book|author=山口晃範|title=無人島の娘たち|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Xs2f6V5_m9cC&pg=PA128|date=November 2006|publisher=文芸社|isbn=978-4-286-02018-1|page=128}}




* 愚公山を移す
** ''Gukou yama-o utsusu.''
** Translation: Yugong moves a mountain.
** English equivalent: Faith can move [[mountains]]; where there's a will, there's a way.
** Chinese equivalent: [[wikt:愚公移山|愚公移山]]。
** "愚公移山" is a Chinese fable from the book ''{{w|Liezi}}'' (《列子》).
** "Nothing is impossible to those who have sufficient faith; applied not only to religious faith, but to any strong belief in a cause or objective."
** {{cite book|author1=Martin H. Manser|author2=David Pickering|title=The Facts On File Dictionary of Classical and Biblical Allusions|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=LIcL56NQ3gsC&pg=PA124|accessdate=25 September 2013|year=2003|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-0-8160-4868-7|page=124}}
** {{cite book|title=Studies in Chinese language, literature and philosophy|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=UThDAQAAIAAJ|year=1971|page=72}}

* 井戸の中の独言も三年たてば知れる
** ''Ido no naka no hitori-goto mo san'nen tateba shireru.''
** Translation: Even the mutterings of a man in a well are widely known after three years.
** {{cite book|author=山口翼|title=日本語大シソーラス: 類語検索大辞典|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=IJwPAAAAYAAJ|year=2003|publisher=大修館書店|page=87}}

* 亀の甲より年の功
** ''Kame no kou yori toshi no kou.''
** Translation: Wisdom gotten from age is better than the shell of a tortoise.
** English equivalent 1: Years know more than '''[[books]].'''
** English equivalent 2: "Experience is the mother of wisdom."
** "Prudence is the footprint of Wisdom."
** Amos Bronson Alcott, ''Orphic Sayings'' (1840)
** {{cite book|author=高田哲郎|title=あちゃ・むし・だんべぇ物語パート5|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=9KqvrV7zGr8C&pg=PA248|date=June 2010|publisher=幹書房|isbn=978-4-902615-68-5|page=248}}
** {{cite book|author=創元社編集部|title=ことわざ・名言事典|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=XTPaWGswpLUC&pg=PA20|date=September 2000|publisher=創元社|isbn=978-4-422-02106-5|page=20}}

* 一盲衆を引く
** ''Ichi mou shuu-o hiku.''
** Translation: One blind man leads the crowd.
** English equivalent: If the BLIND lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
** "''Un sot trouve toujours un plus sot qui l'admire.''
** Translation: A fool always finds one still more foolish to admire him.
** Variant A fool always finds a greater fool to admire him."
** [[Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux]], ''L'Art Poétique (The Art of Poetry)'', Canto I, l. 232 (1674).
** {{cite book|last=Paczolay|first=Gyula |title=European proverbs: in 55 languages, with equivalents in Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Chinese and Japanese|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=JiXzAAAAMAAJ|year=1997|publisher=Veszprémi Nyomda|isbn=1-875943-44-7|page=203|chapter=35}}
** {{cite book|title=Kokugakuin zasshi|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=u3U9AQAAIAAJ|year=1978|publisher=國學院大學|page=4}}

* 一寸先は闇
** ''Issun saki wa yami.''
** Translation: It is dark one inch ahead of you.
** English equivalent 1: Who can see in the future?
** English equivalent 2: Expect the unexpected.
** {{cite book|author=関洸念|title=諺にみる運・根・鈍: 日本人の魂の故郷を温ねて|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=7V37fijqLq4C&pg=PA35|date=15 December 1999|publisher=文芸社|isbn=978-4-88737-686-1|page=35}}

* 出る釘は打たれる
** ''Deru kugi wa utareru.''
** Translation: The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
** Chinese equivalent: 棒打出頭鳥。
** Note: While ''kui'' (杭, stake) is sometimes used in place of ''kugi'' (釘, nail) some purists point to the incongruity of using "kui" since, in traditional Japanese post and beam house construction, it is physically impossible to hammer a stake flush with the wood, and a stake in the ground would have no structural function.
** "'''It has often been said that [[power]] corrupts. But it is perhaps equally important to realize that [[weakness]], too, corrupts. Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many. Hatred, malice, rudeness, intolerance, and suspicion are the faults of weakness.''' The resentment of the weak does not spring from any injustice done to them but from the sense of inadequacy and impotence. '''They hate not wickedness but weakness. When it is their power to do so, the weak destroy weakness wherever they see it.'''"
** Eric Hoffer, ''The Passionate State Of Mind, and Other Aphorisms'' (1955)
** Roku Okada, ''Japanese Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases'', Japan Travel Bureau, Tokyo 1955, page 28

* 艱難にあって初めて真友を知る
** ''Kannan ni atte hajimete shinyū-o shiru.''
** Translation: Friends are known first in hardships.
** English equivalent: A friend in need is a friend indeed.
** Chinese equivalent: 患難見真情。
** {{cite book | last1 = Paczolay | first = Gyula | year = 1997 | title = European Proverbs in 55 languages | publisher = DeProverbio.com | page = 159 | pages = 527 | isbn = 1-875943-44-7}}

* 虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず
** ''Koketsu ni irazunba koji-o ezu.''
** Translation: If you do not enter the tiger's cave, you will not catch its cub.
** English equivalent: Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
** Chinese equivalent: 不入虎穴，焉得虎子。
** "If you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be."
** Joseph Campbell, ''The Power of Myth'' (1988)
** Meaning: "Nothing can be achieved without effort, suffering or hardship."
** Source for meaning of English equivalent: {{cite book|author=Martin H. Manser|title=The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=fgaUQc8NbTYC&pg=PA205|year=2007|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-0-8160-6673-5|page=205}}
** {{cite book | last1 = 茂田滄海 | year = 2002 | title = サラリーマンの父から息子への、67通の手紙: 中国の名言をちりばめて | publisher = 文芸社 | page = 81 | isbn=4835539524}}

* 木の実は元へ落つる
** ''Kinomi wa moto e otsuru.''
** Translation: A berry falls to (its tree's) roots.
** English equivalent: The apple does not fall far from the tree.
** "Children observe daily and — in their behaviour — often follow the example of their parents."
** {{cite book | last1 = Paczolay | first = Gyula | year = 1997 | title = European Proverbs in 55 languages | publisher = DeProverbio.com | page = 259 | pages = 527 | isbn = 1-875943-44-7}}

* 七転び八起き
** ''Nana korobi ya oki.''
** Translation: Fall down seven times, get up eight.
** English equivalent: If at first you don't succeed try, try again.
** {{cite book | last1 = McDermott | first = Patrick | year = 2007 | title = Mind Body Spirit: The Triangle of Life | publisher = iUniverse | page = 84 | pages = 300 | isbn = 0595420761}}

* 能ある鷹は爪を隠す
** ''Nou aru taka wa tsume-o kakusu.''
** Translation: The smart hawk hides its talons.
** Meaning: One should hide his best abilities until the time comes to show them.
** Closest English equivalent: "Still water runs deep."
** {{cite book | last1 = 関洸念 | year = 1999 | title = 諺にみる運・根・鈍: 日本人の魂の故郷を温ねて | publisher = 文芸社 | page = 399 | isbn=4887376863}}

* 小打も積もれば大木を倒す
** ''Shouda mo tsumoreba taiboku-o taosu.''
** Translation: With many little strokes a large tree is felled.
** English equivalent: Little strokes fell great oaks.
** Meaning: "A difficult task, e. g. removing a person/group from a strong position, or changing established ideas cannot be done quickly. It can be achieved gradually, by small steps, a little at a time."
** {{cite book | last1 = Paczolay | first = Gyula | year = 1997 | title = European Proverbs in 55 languages | publisher = DeProverbio.com | page = 252 | pages = 527 | isbn = 1-875943-44-7}}

* 立つ鳥跡を濁さず
** ''Tatsu tori ato-o nigosazu.''
** Translation: A leaving bird does not leave a mess.
** English equivalent: It is an ill bird that fouls its own nest; Don't wash your dirty linen in public.
** Meaning: "Why wantonly proclaim one's own disgrace, or expose the faults or weaknesses of one's kindred or people?"
** Meaning 2: "It is considered contemptible to defy the rule of solidarity by revealing facts harmful to the group one belongs to."
** {{cite book|title=Proverbs of All Nations|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=PdxtAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA109|year=1859|publisher=W. Kent & Company (late D. Bogue)|page=109}}
** {{cite book|last=Paczolay|first=Gyula |title=European proverbs: in 55 languages, with equivalents in Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Chinese and Japanese|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=JiXzAAAAMAAJ|year=1997|publisher=Veszprémi Nyomda|isbn=1-875943-44-7|page=466|chapter=106}}

* この父にしてこの子あり
** ''Kono chichi ni shite kono ko ari.''
** Translation: With such father there is such a child.
** English equivalent: Like father, like son.
** Chinese equivalent: 有其父，必有其子。
** Meaning: "Sons may look and behave like their fathers. This is due to inheritance and the example observed closely and daily."
** {{cite book | last1 = Paczolay | first = Gyula | year = 1997 | title = European Proverbs in 55 languages | publisher = DeProverbio.com | page = 170 | pages = 527 | isbn = 1-875943-44-7}}

* 酒は本心を表す
** ''Sake-wa honshin-o arawasu.''
** Translation: Sake [in other words alcohol], reveals the true heart.
** English equivalent: In wine there is truth; ''In vino veritas.''
** Chinese equivalent: 酒後吐真言。
** Meaning: "Alcohol consumed removes the inhibition against telling the truth that occasionally one would like to keep secret."
** {{cite book | last1 = Paczolay | first = Gyula | year = 1997 | title = European Proverbs in 55 languages | publisher = DeProverbio.com | page = 272 | pages = 527 | isbn = 1-875943-44-7}}

* 目は口ほどに物を言う
** ''Me-wa kuchi hodo mono-o iu.''
** English equivalent: The eyes are sometimes a true index of the heart.
** {{cite book|author=旺文社|title=中学入試でる順　ポケでる　国語　慣用句・ことわざ（三訂版）|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_XV5DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA176|date=13 September 2014|publisher=株式会社旺文社|isbn=978-4-01-011051-5|page=176}}

* 義は険しい山よりも重く、死は大鳥の羽よりも軽い
** Duty is weightier than a mountain, while death is lighter than a feather.
** ''{{w|Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors}}'' (1882), as quoted in {{cite book|title=Sources of the Japanese tradition, Volume II|year=1964|publisher=Columbia University Press|page=199}}

== Idiomatic phrases ==
* 水に流す
** ''Mizu ni nagasu.''
** Translation: let the water flow.
** English equivalent: Forgive and forget; [[w:water under the bridge]].
** "I never take vengeance unless I am forced to do so by an oath or in self-protection. I believe that evil is its own punishment."
** Claudius (later Caesar/Emperor of the Roman Empire), in Robert Graves' historical novel ''I, Claudius'' (1934).
** {{cite book | last1 = | year = 2011 | title = 真面目なのに生きるのが辛い人 | publisher = PHP研究所 | page = 25 | isbn=456979551X}}

* 石の上にも三年
** ''Ishi no ue nimo san nen.''
** Translation: [To stay] three years on a rock.
** Meaning: "This proverb teaches the principle of perseverance by encouraging one to see an enterprise through to its conclusion."
** {{cite book|author1=Jonathan H. X. Lee|author2=Kathleen M. Nadeau|title=Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=9BrfLWdeISoC&pg=PA636|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-35066-5|page=636}}
** {{cite book | last1 = | year = 2009 | title = 黄金の天馬: 合気道を創始した男 | publisher = PHP研究所 | page = 134 | isbn=4569673775}}

* 乗りかかった船
** ''Nori-kakatta fune.''
** Translation: A ship that you are already partially in.
** English equivalent: In for a penny, in for a pound.
** {{cite book|author=中地正行|title=遥かなる大地|url=https://books.google.co.jp/books/about/%E9%81%A5%E3%81%8B%E3%81%AA%E3%82%8B%E5%A4%A7%E5%9C%B0.html?id=2HDLwAEACAAJ&redir_esc=y|date=November 2001|publisher=文芸社|isbn=978-4-8355-2160-2|page=145}}

* 竜頭蛇尾
**''Ryuto-dabi''
**Translation: A dragon's head, a serpent's tail.
** English equivalentː A good Start often means a bad finish.
** {{cite book
|year = 1995
|title = ポケット版ことわざ辞典
|url = https://books.google.se/books?id=MKwvAQAAIAAJ&q=%E7%AB%9C%E9%A0%AD%E8%9B%87%E5%B0%BE+%E3%81%93%E3%81%A8%E3%82%8F%E3%81%96&dq=%E7%AB%9C%E9%A0%AD%E8%9B%87%E5%B0%BE+%E3%81%93%E3%81%A8%E3%82%8F%E3%81%96&hl=sv&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjl_-6-v7zyAhVoSPEDHQUKDHQQ6AEwAnoECGEQAg
|page = 437
|isbn = 4415081304
}}

==External links==
{{wikipedia}}
* [http://www.kotowaza.org Japanese / English / Dutch v.v. Proverb dictionary]

[[Category:Proverbs by language]]
[[Category:Japan|proverbs]]

Shotetsu

2026-06-21T16:10:46Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ format

[[File:Painting of Shotetsu by Sakai Hoitsu.jpg|thumb|All these images from a world of long ago— of what good are they? Pine winds, come—please blow away these unforgotten dreams.]]

'''[[w:Shotetsu|Shotetsu]]''' ({{lang|ja|正徹}}; 1381–1459) was a Japanese [[poet]] during the [[w:Muromachi period|Muromachi period]]. He is considered to have been the last poet in the courtly [[w:waka (poetry)|waka]] tradition and a number of his disciples were important in the development of the [[w:renga|renga]] art form, which led to the [[w:haikua|haiku]].

==Quotes==

* As if to say— "Isn't it true for men, as well: that the more the words, the less they are of value?"— the cuckoo does not call again.
** "One Call from a Cuckoo", ''Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu'', 1997, edited and translated by Steven D. Carter, page 52

* When I  look upon  the rich sheen  of summer hairs  in my new brush,  I am saddened  by a deer drawn  at night  to a hunter's torch.
** "Summer Writing Brush", ''Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu'', 1997, edited and translated by Steven D. Carter, page 53

* I had forgotten— as I kept on forgetting to remind myself that those who vow to forget are the ones who can't forget.
** "Forgotten Love", ''Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu'', 1997, edited and translated by Steven D. Carter, page 176

* All these images from a world of long ago— of what good are they? Pine winds, come—please blow away these unforgotten dreams.
** "Reminiscing", ''Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu'', 1997, edited and translated by Steven D. Carter, page 31

* Even in one’s sleep, it is dreams of this world one sees, and of no other; just as there is no dawning here that brings true awakening.
** "Dream", ''Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu'', 1997, edited and translated by Steven D. Carter, page 34

* How cruel the voice that bars me from traveling the way of dreams. Not a man, but still a gate guard is that wind in the reeds.
** "Dream Disturbed by Reeds", ''Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu'', 1997, edited and translated by Steven D. Carter, page 30

* If one continues to compose poems of the sort that everyone else considers good, one must remain forever at that ordinary level. On the other hand, when one writes poems whose essence is profound and difficult, others fail to understand them, and this is frustrating.
** As quoted in ''Conversations with Shotetsu (Shotetsu Monogatari)'', 1992, Translated by Robert H. Bower

* In this art of poetry, those who speak ill of [[Fujiwara no Teika|Teika]] should be denied the protection of the gods and Buddhas and condemned to the punishments of hell.
** As quoted in ''Conversations with Shotetsu (Shotetsu Monogatari)'', 1992, Translated by Robert H. Bower

==Quotes about==
* The annals of Japanese literary history abound with stories of suffering literati. [...] None of these, however, seems to have borne more grief than the Zen monk Shotetsu (1381-1459), [...] For Shotetsu was not once but thrice stricken: first, by the loss of all of the poems of his first thirty years—more than 30,000 of them—in a fire that destroyed his residence in 1432, at the age of fifty-two; second, by the confiscation of his estate revenues by an angry shogun at around the same time; and lastly by the refusal of his rivals to allow him any representation whatsoever in the only imperially commissioned poetic anthology of his time, the ''[[w:Shinshokukokin Wakashū|Shin shokuko-kinshū]]'' of 1439.
** Steven D. Carter, ''Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu'', 1997

==See also==
* [[Saigyo]]
* [[Basho]]
* [[Kobayashi Issa]]
* [[Yosa Buson]]
* [[Fujiwara no Teika]]

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}

[[Category:Poets from Japan]]
[[Category:Buddhists from Japan]]
[[Category:1381 births]]
[[Category:1459 deaths]]

Shotetsu

2026-06-21T11:55:37Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ Add poem

[[File:Painting of Shotetsu by Sakai Hoitsu.jpg|thumb|All these images from a world of long ago— of what good are they? Pine winds, come—please blow away these unforgotten dreams.]]

'''[[w:Shotetsu|Shotetsu]]''' ({{lang|ja|正徹}}; 1381–1459) was a Japanese [[poet]] during the [[w:Muromachi period|Muromachi period]]. He is considered to have been the last poet in the courtly [[w:waka (poetry)|waka]] tradition and a number of his disciples were important in the development of the [[w:renga|renga]] art form, which led to the [[w:haikua|haiku]].

==Quotes==

* As if to say— "Isn't it true for men, as well: that the more the words, the less they are of value?"— the cuckoo does not call again.
** "One Call from a Cuckoo", ''Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu'', 1997, edited and translated by Steven D. Carter, page 52

* When I  look upon  the rich sheen  of summer hairs  in my new brush,  I am saddened  by a deer drawn  at night  to a hunter's torch.
** "Summer Writing Brush", ''Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu'', 1997, edited and translated by Steven D. Carter, page 53

* I had forgotten— as I kept on forgetting to remind myself that those who vow to forget are the ones who can't forget.
** "Forgotten Love", ''Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu'', 1997, edited and translated by Steven D. Carter, page 176

* All these images from a world of long ago— of what good are they? Pine winds, come—please blow away these unforgotten dreams.
** "Reminiscing", ''Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu'', 1997, edited and translated by Steven D. Carter, page 31

* Even in one’s sleep, it is dreams of this world one sees, and of no other; just as there is no dawning here that brings true awakening.
** "Dream", ''Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu'', 1997, edited and translated by Steven D. Carter, page 34

* How cruel the voice that bars me from traveling the way of dreams. Not a man, but still a gate guard is that wind in the reeds.
** "Dream Disturbed by Reeds", ''Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu'', 1997, edited and translated by Steven D. Carter, page 30

* If one continues to compose poems of the sort that everyone else considers good, one must remain forever at that ordinary level. On the other hand, when one writes poems whose essence is profound and difficult, others fail to understand them, and this is frustrating.
** As quoted in ''Conversations with Shotetsu (Shotetsu Monogatari)'', 1992, Translated by Robert H. Bower

* In this art of poetry, those who speak ill of [[Fujiwara no Teika|Teika]] should be denied the protection of the gods and Buddhas and condemned to the punishments of hell.
** As quoted in ''Conversations with Shotetsu (Shotetsu Monogatari)'', 1992, Translated by Robert H. Bower

==Quotes about==
* The annals of Japanese literary history abound with stories of suffering literati. [...] None of these, however, seems to have borne more grief than the Zen monk Shotetsu (1381-1459), [...] For Shotetsu was not once but thrice stricken: first, by the loss of all of the poems of his first thirty years—more than 30,000 of them—in a fire that destroyed his residence in 1432, at the age of fifty-two; second, by the confiscation of his estate revenues by an angry shogun at around the same time; and lastly by the refusal of his rivals to allow him any representation whatsoever in the only imperially commissioned poetic anthology of his time, the ''[[w:Shinshokukokin Wakashū|Shin shokuko-kinshū]]'' of 1439.
** Steven D. Carter, ''Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu'', 1997

==See also==
* [[Saigyo]]
* [[Basho]]
* [[Kobayashi Issa]]
* [[Yosa Buson]]
* [[Fujiwara no Teika]]

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}

[[Category:Poets from Japan]]
[[Category:Buddhists from Japan]]
[[Category:1381 births]]
[[Category:1459 deaths]]

User:IOHANNVSVERVS

2026-06-21T11:15:47Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Select quotations */ fix and link

[[File:Saint Dominic (Detail from The Mocking of Christ).jpg|thumb|'''For if hevene be on this erthe, and ese to any soule, it is in cloistre or in scole.''']]

'''This user is a Wikiquote [[wikiquote:administrator|administrator]]''' '''[[Special:Contributions/IOHANNVSVERVS|View user contributions]]''' '''[[w:User:IOHANNVSVERVS|My Wikipedia account]]'''

==Articles created==
*[[Henry Demarest Lloyd]] ⭐️
*[[Victor L. Berger]]
*[[Mercy Otis Warren]]
*[[Bhartrihari]]
*[[Fabius Maximus]]
*[[Mikhail Tal]]
*[[Frank T. Johns]]
*[[Mourid Barghouti]]
*[[Satanta]]
*[[Silius Italicus]]
*[[Davideis (Cowley)]]
*[[Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri]]
*[[Abdilatif Abdalla]]
*[[Wen Yiduo]]
*[[Fujiwara no Teika]]
*[[Shmuel HaNagid]]
*[[Morris Rosenfeld]] ⭐️
*[[Orestes Brownson]]
*[[Richard Hildreth]]
*[[Shotetsu]]
*[[Saigyo]] ⭐️
*[[Kobayashi Issa]]
*[[Deskaheh]]
*[[Epaminondas]]

==Articles massively expanded or improved==
*[[Al-Ma'arri]]
*[[Al-Mutanabbi]]
*[[Abu Nuwas]]
*[[Afrikan Spir]]
*[[Bai Juyi]]
*[[Mahmoud Darwish]]
*[[Emanuel Lasker]]
*[[Swahili proverbs]]
*[[Matsuo Basho]]
*[[Masaoka Shiki]]

==Articles significantly contributed to==
*[[Ennius]]
*[[Robert M. La Follette]]
*[[Dorothy Thompson]]
*[[Du Fu]]
*[[Chief Joseph]]

==Select quotations==
* Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed. Ignorance of each other's ways and lives has been a common cause, throughout the history of mankind, of that suspicion and mistrust between the peoples of the world through which their differences have all too often broken into war.
** From ''The Constitution of [[w:UNESCO|UNESCO]]''

* It is not enough for one's words to be understandable. One must make oneself unmisunderstandable.
** Paraphrase of [[Quintilian]], ''[[w:Institutio Oratoria|Institutio Oratoria]]'', Book VIII, Chapter II, 24

* ''La clarté est la bonne foi des philosophes.''
** Clarity is the [[wikt:good faith|good faith]] of philosophers.
*** [[Luc de Clapiers, Marquis de Vauvenargues]], ''Reflexions et Maximes'', Maxim no. 729

* ''Non qui parum habet, sed qui plus cupit, pauper est.''
** It is not who has little, but who wants more than they have, that is poor.
*** [[Seneca the Younger|Seneca]], ''Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium''; Letter II, line 6

* Δικαιοσύνης καρπὸς μέγιστος ἀταραξία.
** The greatest reward of righteousness is peace of mind.
*** Attributed to [[Epicurus]] by [[w:Clement of Alexandria|Clement of Alexandria]] in [[w:Stromata|''Stromata'']]

* ''Obsequium amicos, veritas odium parit''
** Obsequiousness begets friends; truth, enmity.
*** [[Terence|Terentius]], ''Andria''; Act I, scene i, line 41

* अनुभवति हि मूर्ध्ना पादपस्तीव्रमुष्णं । शमयति परितापं छायया संश्रितानाम् ॥
** The tree endures the scorching heat direct That others may find refuge in it's shade
*** [[Kalidasa]], [[w:Abhijñānaśākuntalam|अभिज्ञानशाकुन्तलम्]]

* ''Die Wahrheit kann warten: denn sie hat ein langes Leben vor sich.''
** The truth can wait, for she lives a long life.
*** [[Schopenhauer]], ''Willen in der Natur''

User:IOHANNVSVERVS

2026-06-21T11:14:52Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Select quotations */ improve citation

[[File:Saint Dominic (Detail from The Mocking of Christ).jpg|thumb|'''For if hevene be on this erthe, and ese to any soule, it is in cloistre or in scole.''']]

'''This user is a Wikiquote [[wikiquote:administrator|administrator]]''' '''[[Special:Contributions/IOHANNVSVERVS|View user contributions]]''' '''[[w:User:IOHANNVSVERVS|My Wikipedia account]]'''

==Articles created==
*[[Henry Demarest Lloyd]] ⭐️
*[[Victor L. Berger]]
*[[Mercy Otis Warren]]
*[[Bhartrihari]]
*[[Fabius Maximus]]
*[[Mikhail Tal]]
*[[Frank T. Johns]]
*[[Mourid Barghouti]]
*[[Satanta]]
*[[Silius Italicus]]
*[[Davideis (Cowley)]]
*[[Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri]]
*[[Abdilatif Abdalla]]
*[[Wen Yiduo]]
*[[Fujiwara no Teika]]
*[[Shmuel HaNagid]]
*[[Morris Rosenfeld]] ⭐️
*[[Orestes Brownson]]
*[[Richard Hildreth]]
*[[Shotetsu]]
*[[Saigyo]] ⭐️
*[[Kobayashi Issa]]
*[[Deskaheh]]
*[[Epaminondas]]

==Articles massively expanded or improved==
*[[Al-Ma'arri]]
*[[Al-Mutanabbi]]
*[[Abu Nuwas]]
*[[Afrikan Spir]]
*[[Bai Juyi]]
*[[Mahmoud Darwish]]
*[[Emanuel Lasker]]
*[[Swahili proverbs]]
*[[Matsuo Basho]]
*[[Masaoka Shiki]]

==Articles significantly contributed to==
*[[Ennius]]
*[[Robert M. La Follette]]
*[[Dorothy Thompson]]
*[[Du Fu]]
*[[Chief Joseph]]

==Select quotations==
* Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed. Ignorance of each other's ways and lives has been a common cause, throughout the history of mankind, of that suspicion and mistrust between the peoples of the world through which their differences have all too often broken into war.
** From ''The Constitution of [[w:UNESCO|UNESCO]]''

* It is not enough for one's words to be understandable. One must make oneself unmisunderstandable.
** Paraphrase of [[Quintilian]], ''De Institutio Oratoria'', Book VIII, Chapter II, 24

* ''La clarté est la bonne foi des philosophes.''
** Clarity is the [[wikt:good faith|good faith]] of philosophers.
*** [[Luc de Clapiers, Marquis de Vauvenargues]], ''Reflexions et Maximes'', Maxim no. 729

* ''Non qui parum habet, sed qui plus cupit, pauper est.''
** It is not who has little, but who wants more than they have, that is poor.
*** [[Seneca the Younger|Seneca]], ''Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium''; Letter II, line 6

* Δικαιοσύνης καρπὸς μέγιστος ἀταραξία.
** The greatest reward of righteousness is peace of mind.
*** Attributed to [[Epicurus]] by [[w:Clement of Alexandria|Clement of Alexandria]] in [[w:Stromata|''Stromata'']]

* ''Obsequium amicos, veritas odium parit''
** Obsequiousness begets friends; truth, enmity.
*** [[Terence|Terentius]], ''Andria''; Act I, scene i, line 41

* अनुभवति हि मूर्ध्ना पादपस्तीव्रमुष्णं । शमयति परितापं छायया संश्रितानाम् ॥
** The tree endures the scorching heat direct That others may find refuge in it's shade
*** [[Kalidasa]], [[w:Abhijñānaśākuntalam|अभिज्ञानशाकुन्तलम्]]

* ''Die Wahrheit kann warten: denn sie hat ein langes Leben vor sich.''
** The truth can wait, for she lives a long life.
*** [[Schopenhauer]], ''Willen in der Natur''

Krishna

2026-06-21T11:10:01Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: Revert spam

[[File:Krishna Holds Up Mount Govardhan (MET 70694) cropped.png|thumb|Krishna lifting [[w:Govardhan|Govardhan]] Hill]]
'''{{w|Krishna}}''' ([[w:Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]]: कृष्ण, Kṛṣṇa in IAST, pronounced [ˈkr̩ʂɳə], meaning "black" or "dark") is the most widely revered [[god]] of Hinduism, worshipped across many traditions of [[Hinduism]] in a variety of different perspectives. While many [[wikipedia:Vaishnav|Kshatriya groups]] recognize him as an [[avatar]] of the [[god]], [[Vishnu]]; some traditions within [[w:Krishnaism|Krishnaism]], consider Krishna to be [[w:Svayam Bhagavan|svayam bhagavan]], or the Supreme Being. Krishna's disappearance marks the end of [[w:Dvapara Yuga|Dvapara Yuga]] and the start of [[w:Kali Yuga|Kali Yuga]] (present age), which is dated to February 17/18, 3102 BCE. [[Worship]] of the deity Krishna, either in the form of deity Krishna, either in the form of [[w:Vasudeva|Vasudeva]], [[w:Bala Krishna|Bala Krishna]] or [[w:Gopal (Krishna)|Gopal]] can be traced to as early as 4th century BC.
*See also:
**'''[[Bhagavad Gita]]''' sayings of Krishna not repeated here
[[ File:Nicholas Roerich 008.jpg|thumb|right| ]]

==Quotes==

*You grieve for those who should not be grieved for; yet you speak wise words. Neither for the [[Death|dead]] nor those not dead do the wise grieve. Never was there a [[time]] when I did not exist nor you nor these lords of men. Neither will there be a time when we shall not exist; we all exist from now on. As the [[soul]] experiences in this body childhood, youth, and old age, so also it acquires another body; the sage in this is not deluded.
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 2, verses 11–13; Sanderson Beck [http://www.san.beck.org/Gita.html translation]

* The senses, moving toward their appropriate objects, are producers of heat and cold, pleasure and pain, which come and go and are brief and changeable; these do thou endure, O son of Bharata!
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 2, verse 14; translation: [[w:Charles Wilkins|Charles Wilkins]]

* As you put on fresh new clothes and take off those you've worn, You'll replace your body with a fresh one, newly born.
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 2, verse 22; Carl E. Woodham

* Swords cut him not, nor may fire burn him, O son of Bharata, waters wet him not, nor dry winds parch. He may not be cut nor burned nor wet nor withered; he is eternal, all-present, firm, unshaken, everlasting. He is called unmanifest, unimaginable, unchanging; therefore, knowing him thus, deign not to grieve!
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 2, verses 23–25; Charles Johnston

* One sees This as a wonder; another speaks of This as a wonder; another hears of This as a wonder; yet, having heard none understands This at all!
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 2, verse 29; [[w:Chinmayananda Saraswati|Swami Chinmayananda]] [http://books.google.com/books?id=eVw_Rff7m7AC&lpg=PP1&dq=the%20holy%20geeta&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=the%20holy%20geeta&f=false commentary]

* Either slain thou shalt go to heaven; or victorious thou shalt enjoy the earth. Therefore arise, O Son of Kuntī (Arjuna), resolved on battle.
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 2, verse 37; [[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]] [http://books.google.com/books?id=hCf5HAAACAAJ&dq=bhagavad+gita+Sarvepalli+Radhakrishnan&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Lh-lUufNCIjBrAeF74DADA&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA translation]

* You are only entitled to the action, never to its fruits. Do not let the fruits of action be your motive, but do not attach yourself to nonaction.
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 2, verse 47; Lars Martin Fosse [http://books.google.com/books?id=DUcxvUN0wekC&lpg=PR3&dq=Bhagavad%20Gita&pg=PR3#v=onepage&q=Bhagavad%20Gita&f=false translation]

* When your intellect transcends the mire of delusion, then you will attain to disgust of what has been heard and what is yet to be heard. When, perplexed by what you have heard, you stand immovable in ''samadhi'', with steady intellect, then you will attain ''yoga''.
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 2, verses 52–53; Jeaneane D. Fowler [http://books.google.com/books?id=zU4E5ZidVr0C&lpg=PP1&dq=Bhagavad%20Gita&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=Bhagavad%20Gita&f=false translation]

* When one's mind dwells on the objects of Senses, fondness for them grows on him, from fondness comes desire, from [[desire]] anger. [[Anger]] leads to bewilderment, bewilderment to loss of memory of true [[Self]], and by that [[intelligence]] is destroyed, and with the destruction of intelligence he perishes
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 2, verses 62–63 

* To him [the Sage], what seemeth the bright things of day to the mass, are known to be the things of darkness and ignorance—and what seemeth dark as night to the many, he seeth suffused with the light of noonday.
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 2, verse 69; [[w:Yogi Ramacharaka|Yogi Ramacharaka]] [http://books.google.com/books?id=k8eWAHJPSqkC&lpg=PP1&dq=bhagavad%20gita&pg=PA40#v=onepage&q=bhagavad%20gita&f=false edition]

[[File:Vishnu Yagna Kunda.jpg|thumb|right|From food come forth beings; from rain food is produced; from sacrifice arises rain, and sacrifice is born of action.]]

* Not by not acting in this world does one become free from action, nor does one approach perfection by renunciation only. Not even for a moment does someone exist without acting. Even against one’s will, one acts by the nature-born qualities.
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 3, verses 4–5; [[w:Gavin Flood|Gavin Flood]] and Charles Martin [http://books.google.com/books?id=eNcMMgEACAAJ&dq=bhagavad+gita+Gavin+Flood+and+Charles+Martin&hl=en&sa=X&ei=BiClUpj0IYyGrQes9IGwBA&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA translation]

* From food come forth beings; from rain food is produced; from sacrifice arises rain, and sacrifice is born of action. Know you that action comes from BRAHMAJI (the Creator) and BRAHMAJI come from the Imperishable. Therefore, the all-pervading BRAHMAN (God-principle) ever rests in sacrifice.
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 3, verses 14–15; Swami Chinmayananda commentary

*Nit for me, partha, is there any duty in the three worlds, nor anything to attain that is unattained; and I am always at work.
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 3, verse 22; [[w:Ramesh Menon|Ramesh Menon]] [http://books.google.com/books?id=2MMzMgAACAAJ&dq=bhagavad+gita+ramesh+menon&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RqWdUojLO4iTrge-iICIDw&redir_esc=y translation]

* All actions are performed by the gunas of prakriti. Deluded by identification with the ego, a person thinks, "''I'' am the doer."
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 3, verse 27; [[Eknath Easwaran]] [http://books.google.com/books?id=2WsnLilhMYkC&lpg=PP1&dq=bhagavad%20gita%20Eknath%20Easwaran&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=bhagavad%20gita%20Eknath%20Easwaran&f=false translation]

* '''One's own duty, even if imperfectly performed, is better than being done by other even if well performed.''' Death in (performance of) one's own duty is preferable. (The adoption of) the duty of another carries fear (with it).
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 3, verse 35; [[w:Kisari Mohan Ganguli|Kisari Mohan Ganguli]] [http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m06/m06027.htm translation]

* I explained this eternal science of yoga to [[w:Vivasvan|Vivasvān]]. Vivasvān shared it with [[w:Manu (Hinduism)|Manu]], then Manu imparted it to [[w:Ikshvaku|Ikṣvāku]]. This science was taught and handed down in succession, but in time it was broken and the science of yoga seems to be lost.
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]:Chapter 4, verses 1–2; [[w:The Times of India|''The Times of India'']]

* Whensoever there is the fading of the Dharma and the uprising of unrighteousness, then I loose myself forth into birth. For the deliverance of the good, for the destruction of the evil-doers, for the enthroning of the Right, I am born from age to [[Age of Aquarius|age]].
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 4, verses 7–8; [[Sri Aurobindo]] [http://intyoga.online.fr/bg_04.htm translation]

*In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 4, verse 8 [https://www.asitis.com/4/8.html ''As It is'', Swami Prabhupada translation]

* However men try to reach me, I return their love with my love; whatever path they may travel, it leads to me in the end.
**[[Bhagavad Gita|"Bhagavad Gita"]]: Chapter 4, verse 11; [[w:Stephen Mitchell (translator)|Stephen Mitchell]]

* Krishna (Sans.) The most celebrated Avatar of Vishnu, the "Saviour" of the Hindus and the most popular god. He is the eighth Avatar, the son of Devaki, and the nephew of Kansa, the Indian Herod, who while seeking for him among the shepherds and cowherds who concealed him slew thousands of their newly-born babes. The story of Krishna's conception, birth and childhood are the exact prototype of the New Testament story. The missionaries, of course, try to show that the Hindus stole the story of the Nativity from the early Christians who came to India.
**[https://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/key/key-glo2.htm The Key to Theosophy — H. P. Blavatsky, Glossary]

===''Bhagavad-Gita'', translation by [[Swami Prabhupada]], (1995)===
:[https://archive.org/details/IllustratedBhagavadGita/page/n3 (Full illustrated text online)]
[[File:ISKCON Narasimha.jpg|thumb|Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion — at that time I descend Myself. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium. 4.7 & 4.8]]
*As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.
**Text 2.13
*O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
**Text 2.14
*Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion — at that time I descend Myself.
**Text 4.7
*To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.
**Text 4.8
*One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.
**Text 4.9
*A learned person sees that although there are different bodies, every living being is the soul. He also sees that Krsna as the Supersoul is equally present in all bodies.
**Text 5.18
*Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons do not surrender unto Me.
**Text 7.15
*It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father...of all living entities.
**Text 14.4

==Quotes about Krishna==

[[File:Rama and Sita at Prem Mandir (Love Temple) Vrindavan India.jpg|right|thumb|...A very important division within [[w:Vaishnavism|Vaishnavism]] is comprised of the [[mythology]] and [[worship]] of [[Krishna]], one of [[Hinduism]]’s most beloved [[deities]].... - [[w:Guy Beck|Guy L. Beck]].]]
[[File:Radhamadhava.JPG|right|thumb|[[w:Radha|Radha]], in [[Hinduism]], the [[w:Gopi|Gopi]] (milkmaid) who became the [[w:Consort|consort]] of the god Krishna during that period of his [[life]] when he lived among the [[w:Gopas|gopas]] (cowherds) of [[w:Vrindavana|Vrindavana]]... - [[w:Encyclopedia Britannica|Encyclopedia Britannica]].]]
[[File:Krishna_meets_parents.jpg|right|thumb|...Krishna (literally “black,” or “dark as a cloud”) was born into the [[w:Yadava|Yadava clan]], the son of [[w:Vasudeva|Vasudeva]] and [[w:Devaki|Devaki]], sister of [[w:Kamsa|Kamsa]], the wicked king of [[w:mathura|Mathura]] (in modern [[w:Uttar Prdesh|Uttar Pradesh]]). Kamsa, hearing a [[prophecy]] that he should be destroyed by Devaki’s child, tried to slay her children, but Krishna was smuggled across the [[w:Yamuna River|Yamuna River]] to Gokula (or [[w:Vraj|Vraja]], modern Gokul), where he was raised by the leader of the cowherds, [[w:Nanda|Nanda]], and his wife [[w:Yashoda|Yashoda]]. -[[w:Encyclopedia Britannica|Encyclopedia Britannica]].]]
[[File:Krishna_flute_suchindram_temple_car_carving.jpg|right|thumb|In my [[past]] there is Krishna. In my dreams I dream of recreating a huge college of [[w:Flutists|flutists]], a veritable ''[[w:Vrindaban|Vrindaban]]''...I dare to dream that through my [[students]] my flute will be left behind as the memory of Krishna. - [[Hariprasad Chaurasia]].]]
*Let it be clear that Raja Krishna, according to what has been revealed to me, was such a truly great man that it is hard to find his like among the [[w:Rishis|Rishis]] and [[Avatars]] of the [[Hindus]]. He was an Avatar—i.e., [[Prophet]]—of his time upon whom the [[Holy Spirit]] would descend from [[God]]. He was from God, [[victorious]] and [[prosperous]]. He cleansed the [[land]] of the [[w:Aryans|Aryas]] from [[sin]] and was in fact the Prophet of his age whose teaching was later corrupted in numerous ways. He was full of [[love]] for God, a [[friend]] of [[virtue]] and an [[enemy]] of [[evil]].
**Ghulam Ahmed in: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=Pe_jlLBDA8sC&pg=PA39 Lecture Sialkot]'', Islam International, 2007, p.39

*The [[Gita|Bhagavad Gītā]], also more simply known as [[Gita]], is a [[w:Sanatana Dharma|Sanatana Dharma]] or [[w:Hindu scripture|Hindu scripture]] produced from the [[w:Colloquay|colloquy]] given by Sri Krishna to [[w:Arjuna|Arjuna]] during the [[w:Kurukshetra WarKurukshetra War]]. Its [[philosophies]] and insights are intended to reach beyond the scope of [[religion]] and to [[humanity]] as a whole. The context of the Gita is a conversation between Lord Krishna and the [[w:Pandava|Pandava]] prince Arjuna taking place on the [[w:Battlefield|battlefield]] before the start of the Kurukshetra War. Responding to Arjuna's [[confusion]] and [[moral]] [[w:Dilemma|dilemma]] about fighting his own cousins, Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a [[w:Warrior|warrior]] and prince, and elaborates on different Yogic and [[Vedanta|Vedantic]] [[philosophies]], with examples and analogies;
**[[Edwin Arnold]] in: ''[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Bhagavad_Gita_(Arnold_translation) The Bhagavad Gita (Arnold translation)]'', Wikisource

*[[Sri Aurobindo]] on the the [[Gita]], on Krishna as godhead, his aura and the Krishna consciousness There are four very great events in [[history]], the [[Trojan War|siege of Troy]], the [[life]] and crucifixion of [[Christ]], the exile of Krishna in [[w:Brindavan|Brindavan]] and the colloquy with Arjuna on the field of Kurukshetra. The siege of Troy created Hellas, the exile in Brindavan created devotional [[religion]]...[[Christ]] from his [[cross]] humanized [[Europe]], the colloquy at Kurukshetra will yet [[liberate]] [[humanity]]. Yet it is said that none of these events ever happened. Krishna as godhead is the Lord of Ananda, [[Love]] and [[Bhakti]], he manifests the union of [[wisdom]] (Jnana), and works and leads the earth-evolution through this towards union with the [[Divine]] by Ananda, Love and Bhakti.
**[[Sri Aurobindo]] in: Jutta Zimmermann ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=9uypURXETZIC&pg=PA104 The Bhagavad Gita as a Living Experience]'', Lantern Books, 2002

*[[w:Blue|Blue]] is his [Krishna’s] special and significant colour, the colour of his [[aura]] when he [[w;Manifests|manifests]] – that is why he is called Nila Krishna. The adjective does not mean that he was blue or dark in the physical body. [[w:Violet|Violet]] is the colour of the [[light]] of [[divine]] [[Compassion]], as also of Krishna’s [[grace]]. It is also [[radiance]] of Krishna’s protection.
**[[Sri Aurobindo]] in: ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=12FRAAAAYAAJ Sri Aurobindo: Letters on yoga]'', Sri Aurobindo Birth Centenary Library, 1970

*The broad [[w:category|category]] suggested by the term “[[w:Vaishnava|Vaishnava]]” has been acknowledged by most [[w:Scholars|scholars]] to encompass the majority of [[Hindu]] [[believers]]. This includes the [[w:Veneration|veneration]] of [[Vishnu]], [[w:Narayana|Narayana]], [[w:Lakshmi|Lakshmi]], Krishna, [[w:Rama|Rama]], [[w:Sita|Sita]] and the remaining [[w:Avatars|avatars]] ([[incarnations]]) with their female [[w:Consorts|consorts]], [[saints]], [[sectarian]] [[leaders]] and followers. A very important division within [[w:Vaishnavism|Vaishnavism]] is comprised of the [[mythology]] and [[worship]] of [[Krishna]], one of [[Hinduism]]’s most beloved [[deities]]. Yet, the “Krishna” traditions themselves are by no means uniform regarding the nature of the personality of Krishna nor the methods of worship. Divided into “normative” and “alternative”, the normative Krishna tradition is based primarily on a canon of early [[w:Sanskrit|Sanskrit texts]], while the so-called alternative Krishna traditions may or may not include these [[w:Radha-vallabha|Radhavallabha]] [[w:Sampradaya|Sampradaya]] (RVS)] along with regional or vernacular sources.
**[[w:Guy Beck|Guy L. Beck]] in: ''[http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&id=0SJ73GHSCF8C&oi=fnd&pg=PA151 Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity]'', SUNY Press, 24 March 2005, p.151

*'''Krishna, [[w:Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]] ''Kṛṣṇa'', one of the most widely revered and most popular of all Indian divinities, worshipped as the eighth incarnation ([[avatar]], or avatara) of the [[Hindu]] god [[w:Vishnu|Vishnu]] and also as a supreme [[god]] in his own right.''' Krishna became the focus of numerous [[bhakti]] (devotional) [[w:Cults|cults]], which over the centuries have produced a [[wealth]] of [[religious]] [[poetry]], [[music]], and [[painting]]. The basic sources of Krishna’s [[mythology]] are the epic [[Mahabharata]] and its 5th-century-ce appendix, the [[w:Harivamsha|Harivamsha]], and the [[Puranas]], particularly Books 10 and 11 of the [[w:Bhagavata Purana|Bhagavata-purana]]. They relate how Krishna (literally “black,” or “dark as a cloud”) was born into the [[w:Yadava|Yadava clan]], the son of [[w:Vasudeva|Vasudeva]] and [[w:Devaki|Devaki]], sister of [[w:Kamsa|Kamsa]], the wicked king of [[w:mathura|Mathura]] (in modern [[w:Uttar Prdesh|Uttar Pradesh]]). Kamsa, hearing a [[prophecy]] that he should be destroyed by Devaki’s child, tried to slay her children, but Krishna was smuggled across the [[w:Yamuna River|Yamuna River]] to Gokula (or [[w:Vraj|Vraja]], modern Gokul), where he was raised by the leader of the cowherds, [[w:Nanda|Nanda]], and his wife [[w:Yashoda|Yashoda]].
**[[w:Encyclopedia Britannica|Encyclopedia Britannica]] in: ''[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/323556/Krishna Krishna''], Encyclopedia Britannica

*[[w:Radha|Radha]], in [[Hinduism]], the [[w:Gopi|Gopi]] (milkmaid) who became the [[w:Consort|consort]] of the god Krishna during that period of his [[life]] when he lived among the [[w:Gopas|gopas]] (cowherds) of [[w:Vrindavana|Vrindavana]]. Radha was the wife of another gopa but was the most [[beloved]] of Krishna’s consorts and his constant [[companion]]. In the [[bhakti]] (devotional) movement of [[w:Vaishnavism|Vaishnavism]], the female, Radha, symbolizes the human [[soul]] and the male, Krishna, the [[divine]].
**[[w:Encyclopedia Britannica|Encyclopedia Britannica]] in: ''[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/488404/Radha Radha]'', Encyclopedia Britannica

*In my [[past]] there is Krishna. In my dreams I dream of recreating a huge college of [[w:Flutists|flutists]], a veritable ''[[w:Vrindaban|Vrindaban]]'' in which students will arrive to learn and study with satchels full of flutes, live in mud huts, eat at a common ''langar''. A modern ''Vrindaban'' from which a thousand flutes will ring out each day. For what else is there? When my breath is gone and I can not play anymore what do I leave behind? Some dedicated students! When you leave nothing behind, you cry at the point of death, but I still dream, I dare to dream that through my [[students]] my flute will be left behind as the memory of Krishna.
**[[Hariprasad Chaurasia]] in: ''[http://www.hariprasadchaurasia.com/discography-3/ Discography]'' , Official website Hariprasad Chaurasia 19 December 2013

* [[w:Rama|Rama]] Rama Rama Rama [[w:Sita|Sita]] Rama you chant Do with devotion, and get the release you want... As those [[w:Yama|Yama]] hordes arrive, to bid you to come Spirit tries to escape the throat, Hari’s name will not come Body systems cease working and our relative are bemoaning Name of the Ocean-daughter’s lord will it come to your asking? When your breath is blocked by phlegm in your throat [[w:Vasudev|Vasudev]] [[w:Krishna|Krishna]]’s name will be of no use then to shout When you beautiful body breaks down and falls apart As your eyes get blurred and dead, Ranga’s name will not depart When your body juices mix up and collect down below As the elements disintegrate, uttering God’s name will it allow. Having born as a wicked and done many a cruel deed As soul departs, Puranadara Vittala’s name will not proceed.
**[[Purandara Dasa]] explains the agony of the last stages of [[death]] and advices taking the name of god at the time, as quoted in: M.K.V.Narayan [http://books.google.com/books?id=-r7AxJp6NOYC&pg=PA79 Lyrical Musings on Indic Culture: A Sociology Study of Songs of Sant Purandara Dasa],Readworthy, 1 January 2010, p.81-82

* I sometimes wonder if that is what Krishna meant— Among other things —or one way of putting the same thing: That the future is a faded song, a Royal Rose or a lavender spray Of wistful regret for those who are not yet here to regret,... And do not think of the fruit of action. Fare forward. O voyagers, O seamen,... So Krishna, as when he admonished Arjuna On the field of battle. Not fare well, But fare forward, voyagers.
**[[T. S. Eliot|T.S. Eliot]]. "The Dry Salvages" from ''[[Four Quartets]]'' (1941), [https://genius.com/Ts-eliot-four-quartets-the-dry-salvages-annotated] as quoted in Londhe, S. (2008). [https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Tribute_to_Hinduism.html?id=G3AMAQAAMAAJ A tribute to Hinduism: Thoughts and wisdom spanning continents and time about India and her culture]

[[File:Mysore_painting.jpg|right|thumb|[[w:Ashta-Bharyas|Ashta-Bharyas]] - His first [[w:Ashtabharya|eight wives]] as told in the Krishna story [appear] in this sequence, 1) [[w:Rukmini|Rukmini]], 2)[[w:Satyabhama|Satyabhama]], and 3)[[w:Jambavati|Jambavati]] – their [[marriage]]s are entwined due to a wondrous jewel derived from [[w:Surya|Surya]], the Sun; 4)[[w:Kalindi|Kalindi]]; 5)[[w:Mitravinda|Mitravinda]], 6) Satya or [[w:Nagnajiti|Naganjiti]]; 7) [[w:Bhadra (Krishna's wife)|Bhadra]]; 8) [[Lakshmana (Krishna's wife)|Laksmana]] or Madra. Each of these begets ten sons. … Their ranking consists of three sets of wives corresponding to the constituents of Krishna’s soverign rule from [[w:Dwarka|Dwarka]]...D Dennis Hudson]]
[[File:Krishna_Holding_Mount_Govardhan_-_Crop.jpg|right|thumb|On the fourth day, [[w:Govardhan puja|Govardhan puja]] is performed. On this day Krishna saved Gokul by lifting up the [[w:Govardhan Mountain|Govardhan Mountain]] on his little finger and holding it over the people as an umbrella. -Longman]]

*I always felt at home with Krishna. You see it was already a part of me. I think it's something that's been with me from my previous birth.
**[[George Harrison]]. Interview, Henley-On-Thames, Oxfordshire, 1982, Cited in Sushama Londhe in “A Tribute to Hinduism: Thoughts and Wisdom Spanning Continents and Time about India and Her Culture”

*Lord Krishna – the 8th [[w:Incarnation|incarnation]] of [[God]] [[w:Vishnu|Vishnu]], the [[Creator]]– had eight wives (the [[w:Ashta-Bharyas|Ashta-Bharyas]]). They are: [[w:Rukmini|Rukmini]], [[w:Satyabhama|Satyabhama]],[[w:Jambavati|Jambavati]], [[w:Kalindi|Kalindi]], [[w:Mitravrinda|Mitravrinda]], [[w:Nagnajiti|Nagnajiti]], [[w:Bhadra (Krishna's wife)|Bhadra]] and [[Lakshmana (Krishna's wife)|Laksmana]]. Besides Ashtabharyas, he had thousands of adoring female friends (16,000 are prominent among them) who were young girls known as [[w:Gopi|Gopi]]s. These were not his [[concubines]] as some non-[[Hindus]] may think of. The amorous relationship between Sri Krishna and the Gopi is the [[symbol]] of relationship between the [[creator]] and the human beings.
**Faruque Hasan in: ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=bmvtBAAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA83 The Realities and the Myths of The Clash of Civilizations]'', Lulu.com

*[[Hindus]] interpret the Diwali story based upon where they live:In [[w:North India|North India]] they celebrate the story of [[w:Rama|King Rama]]'s return to Ayodhya after he defeated [[w:Ravana|Ravana]] by lighting rows of clay lamps. [[w:South India|South India]] celebrates it as the day that Lord Krishna defeated the [[demon]] [[w:Narakasura|Narakasura]]. In western India the festival marks the day that [[w:Vishnu|Lord Vishnu]], the Preserver (one of the main [[gods]] of the [[w:Hindu trinity|Hindu trinity]]) sent the demon [[w:Mahabali|King Bali]] to rule the [[w:Nether world|nether world]].
**Reenita Malhotra Hora in: ''[http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/peopleplaces/diwali/ Diwali, India's Festival of Light]'', National Geographic Society.

*His first [[w:Ashtabharya|eight wives]] as told in the Krishna story [appear] in this sequence, 1) [[w:Rukmini|Rukmini]], 2)[[w:Satyabhama|Satyabhama]], and 3)[[w:Jambavati|Jambavati]] – their [[marriage]]s are entwined due to a wondrous jewel derived from [[w:Surya|Surya]], the Sun; 4)[[w:Kalindi|Kalindi]]; 5)[[w:Mitravinda|Mitravinda]], 6) Satya or [[w:Nagnajiti|Naganjiti]]; 7) [[w:Bhadra (Krishna's wife)|Bhadra]]; 8) [[Lakshmana (Krishna's wife)|Laksmana]] or Madra. Each of these begets ten sons. … Their ranking consists of three sets of wives corresponding to the constituents of Krishna’s soverign rule from [[w:Dwarka|Dwarka]]. The first three of wives signifies Krishna’s majestic status: Rukmini signifies his majesty (sri), Satyabhama signifies his realm (w:Bhumi|bhumi]]); and intertwined with her is Jambavati, who signifies his victory (Vijaya). The second set signifies Aryavarta or the Realm of the Nobles which Krishna takes as his own; Kalindi represents its center, Satya represents its eastern side (and the [[w:Solar Dynasty|Solar Dynasty]]), and Lakshmana represents its western side. The third set signifies the consolidation of Krishna’s [[w:Yadava|Satvata clan]], for both Mitravinda and Bhadra are Krishna’s paternal cousins.
**D Dennis Hudson in: ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=IMCxbOezDi4C&pg=PA264 The Body of God : An Emperor's Palace for Krishna in Eighth-Century Kanchipuram: An Emperor's Palace for Krishna in Eighth-Century Kanchipuram]'', Oxford University Press, 27 August 2008, p.264

*I am not manifest to all, being veiled by yoga-maya and its [[delusion]] the world knows Me not, the unborn and [[w:Immutable|immutable]] (BG 7.25).
**Sri Krishna speaks of his power in the [[Bhagavat Gita]] quoted by Bansi Pandit in: ''[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=XA9zEw93KXEC&pg=PA62'' The Hindu Mind: Fundamentals of Hindu Religion and Philosophy for All Ages (1 January 2001, p. 119

*The second school of yoga is that of Shri Krishna, particularly expounded in the great poem the Bhagavad-Gita... This teaches above all else the doctrine of love. The disciple Arjuna, to whom the Guru spoke, was a great lover of mankind; according to the scripture this great soldier sank down upon the floor of his chariot before the battle of Kurukshetra began, full of sorrow because he loved his enemies and could not bear to injure them. The teacher Shri Krishna then explained to him, amid much philosophical teaching, that the greatest thing in life is service, that God himself is the greatest server—for he keeps the wheel of life revolving, not because any benefit can possibly accrue to him in consequence, but for the sake of the world—and that men should follow his example and work for the welfare of mankind. Many Great Ones, he said, had reached perfection by following this path of life, by doing their duty without personal desire. To love without ceasing is the way of the second Ray; in the Gita it is shown how this love should be directed to men and other beings in karma yoga (the yoga by action or work) and to God in bhakti yoga (the yoga by devotion).
**[[C.W. Leadbeater]], [[The Masters and the Path|''The Masters and the Path'']] (1925) p. 134

*On the fourth day, [[w:Govardhan puja|Govardhan puja]] is performed. On this day Krishna saved Gokul by lifting up the [[w:Govardhan Mountain|Govardhan Mountain]] on his little finger and holding it over the people as an umbrella.
**Longman in: ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=PlqxdVhdVmYC&pg=PA79 Images]'', Longman, p.79

*'''Even if you try not to do your [[duty]] you will be perforce obliged to do it. Let the [[body]] complete the [[task]] for which it came into being. Sri Krishna also says in the [[Gita]], whether [[w:Arjuna|Arjuna]] liked it or not he would be forced to fight.''' When there is work to be done by you, you cannot keep away; nor can you continue to do a thing when you are not required to do it, that is to say, when the work allotted to you has been done. In short, the work will go on and you must take your share in it -- the share which is allotted to you.
**[[Ramana Maharshi]] in ''[http://benegal.org/ramana_maharshi/books/tw/tw653.html Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi 1st April, 1939 Talk 653.]'', benegal.org

*There was a [[prophet]] of [[God]] in [[India]] who was dark in colour and his name was ''Kahan''.
**History of Indian religions would immediately connect this description to Lord Krishna, who is invariably described in the [[w:Hindu literature|Hindu literature]] as being dark of complexion.
**[[w:Prophet Mohammed|Prophet Mohammed]] in: ''[http://www.alislam.org/books/study-of-islam/prophets.html The Belief In The Prophets]'', Alislam Organization

*My dear husband, You know all the [[transcendental]] [[truths]], and by your [[mercy]] I have heard the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna. Oh Lord, ''now I long to hear from you the glories of the [[Bhagavad Gita|Ṥrīmad Bhagavad-gītā]], which was spoken by Lord Krishna and, by hearing which, one's [[devotion]] to Lord Krishna increases.''
**[[w:Parvati|Parvati]] in Padma Purāṇa: Kāshināth Trimbak Telang ''[https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Bhagavad_Gita_(Telang_translation)/Chapter_1 The Bhagavad Gita (Telang translation)/Chapter 1]'',Wikisource

*The sounding of the [[w:Mridanga|mridanga]] (drum) in the [[w:Kirtan|kirtana]] (Devotional singing) is proclaiming loudly that those who have no [[devotion]] to Lord Krishna are very shameful and reprehensible. This is so because the ''mridanga'' sound ''diktum diktum'', which means Oh! great shame! Oh! great [[shame]]!
**[[w:Steven J. Rosen|Steven J. Rosen]] in: ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=fYjX7W6SCLMC&pg=PA201 The Agni and the Ecstasy: Collected Essays of Steven J. Rosen. Arktos.]'', p.201

*To attain Supreme [[peace]], everlasting peace and enjoy Supreme [[bliss]], Lord Krishna does not say that there are different [[Mukti]]s and the liberated [[w:Jiva|jiva]] (mukta) will go to Several [[w:Lokas|lokas]] ([[w:Vaikuntha|Vaikuntha]] etc) and enjoy with different grades of [[happiness]].
** Express News Service in: [''http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bangalore/article1472272.ece Moksha is well defined in Gita]'', Express News Service, 21 February 2013

*If only people freed themselves from their [[beliefs]] in all kinds of [[w:Ahura Mazda|Ormuzds]], [[w:Brahma|Brahmas]], [[w:Names of God in Judaism|Sabbaoths]], and their [[w:Incarnation|incarnation]] as Krishnas and [[Christ]]s, from [[belief]]s in [[Paradise]]s and [[Hell]]s, in [[reincarnations]] and resurrections, from [[belief]] in the interference of the Gods in the external affairs of the [[universe]], and above all, if they freed themselves from belief in the infallibility of all the various [[vedas]], [[Bibles]], [[w;Gospel|Gospels]], [[Tripiṭaka|Tripitaka]]s, [[Koran]]s, and the like, and also freed themselves from blind belief in a variety of [[scientific]] [[teachings]] and [[infinite]]ly small [[atoms]] and [[w:Molecules|molecules]],...
**[[Leo Tolstoy]] in: ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=9XymBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT2497 Complete Leo Tolstoy 33 Collection]'', AEB Publishing, p.2497

*Second day of [Diwali] is called [[w:Naraka Chaturdashi|Naraka Chaturdashi]] or Chhoti Diwali. [[w:Narakasur|Narakasur]], after defeating [[w:Indra|Lord Indra]], snatched the magnificent earrings of Mother Goddess [[w:Aditi|Aditi]] and took sixteen thousand daughters of [[gods]] and [[w:Saints|saints]] to his [[w:Harem|harem]]. Lord Krishna killed the demon, brought all women and earrings of Aditi. Lord Krishna came home early in the morning with [[demon]] [[blood]] on his forehead. Women massaged scented oil on Krishna and washed away dirt from his [[body]]. So we take oil massage and bathe before sunrise this day.
**Zak Vera in: ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=8HhVcspIBU4C&pg=PA179 Invisible River]'', AuthorHouse, 1 February 2010, p.180

*'''You must worship the Self in Krishna, not Krishna as Krishna.'''
**[[Swami Vivekananda]] in: ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=sxQDBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA58 The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda ( Vol 1-9 ) [ Kartindo Classics]]'', Kartindo.com, p.58

*Always resign yourselves to the Lord Shri Krishna. Always remember that we are but [[puppets]] in the Lord's hands. Remain pure always. Please be careful not to become impure even in [[thought]], as also in [[speech]] and action; always try to do good to others as far as in you lies.
**[[Swami Vivekananda]] in [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Works_of_Swami_Vivekananda/Volume_6/Epistles_-_Second_Series/XXXIX_Mother The Complete Works of [[Swami Vivekananda]]/Volume 6/Epistles - Second Series/XXXIX Mother], Wikisource

*Krishna also relates that it was he, in a former [[w:Incarnation|incarnation]], who communicated the indestructible yoga to an ancient illuminato, [[w:Vivasvat|Vivasvat]], who gave it to [[w:Manu|Manu]], the great [[legislator]]. He, in turn, instructed [[w:Ikshwaku|Ikshwaku]], the father of [[India]]'s solar warrior [[dynasty]]. Passing thus from one to another, the royal yoga was guarded by the [[w:Rishis|rishis]] until the coming of the materialistic ages. Then, due to priestly [[secrecy]] and man's indifference, the sacred [[knowledge]] gradually became inaccessible.
**[[Paramahansa Yogananda]] in:''[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Autobiography_of_a_Yogi/Chapter_26 Autobiography of a Yogi/Chapter 26: The Science of Kriya Yoga]'', Wikisource

*In the family of [[religions]], [[Hinduism]] is the wise old all-knowing [[mother]]. Its [[w:Sacred books|sacred books]], the [[Vedas]], claim, '[[Truth]] is one, but [[w:Sages|sages]] call it by different names.' If only [[Islam]], and all the rest of the [[w:Monotheistic|monotheistic]] 'book' religions, had learned that lesson, all the [[w:Horror|horror]] of [[history]]'s [[w:Religious wars|religious wars]] could have been avoided. '''Which other religion has its [[God]] say, as Krishna does in the [[Bhagavad Gita]], 'All paths lead to me''''
**[[w:Robert Charles Zaehner|Robert R. C. Zaehner]] in Sushama Londhe ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=G3AMAQAAMAAJ A Tribute to Hinduism: Thoughts and Wisdom Spanning Continents and Time about India and Her Culture]'', Pragun Publications, 2008, p.154

===''Krishna,'' by [[w:Edwin F. Bryant|Edwin F. Bryant]] (2007)===
[[File:Krishna_and_Arjun_on_the_chariot,_Mahabharata,_18th-19th_century,_India.jpg|right|thumb|Whatever one makes of a few slight references to Krishna in texts that are probably older than the [[Mahabharata]], and of the many efforts to imagine him prior to his literary debut in the [[epic]], the Mahabharata is the first text to portray him as both [[divine]] and [[human]], and to conceive of his humanity and divinity in a forceful and complex scale. - Alf Hiltebeitel]]
[[File:Shrinathji_discovered.jpg|right|thumb|Krishna also reveals that there is an [[eternal]], unchanging, [[loving]] relationship between the individual [[soul]] and Krishna encompassed by the term [[bhakti]], [[devotion]].]]
[[File:Avatars_of_Vishnu.jpg|right|thumb|In the [[Bhagavad Gita]], [[devotion]] to Krishna develops slowly out of the surrounding [[battle]] [[scene]]. Though that development never quite reaches the depths of attachment of later Krishna [[bhakti]], the text provides an [[image]] of Krishna who is both the Lord of the [[Universe]] and one who [[w:Incarnate|incarnates]] in this [[world]] again and again to set things right and protect the [[dharma]].]]

*While it is the [[w:Bhagavata Purana|Bhagavata Purana]] that occupies itself most particularly with the [[w:Incarnation|incarnation]] of Krishna, the Krishna story also occurs in significant detail in other [[Puranas]], particularly the [[w:Vishnu Purana|Vishnu Purana]], [[w:Padma Purana|Padma Purana]], and the later [[w:Brahma Vaivarta Purana|Brahma Vaivarta Purana]], and it is in this [[w:Genre|genre]] of [[literature]] the stories and [[legends]] that developed around his incarnation find their fullest expression.
**In: p.7

*Whatever one makes of a few slight references to Krishna in texts that are probably older than the [[Mahabharata]], and of the many efforts to imagine him prior to his literary debut in the [[epic]], the Mahabharata is the first text to portray him as both [[divine]] and [[human]], and to conceive of his humanity and divinity in a forceful and complex scale.
**Alf Hiltebeitel in: p.23

*It is also, I believe, a revelation that [[w:Karna|Karna]] and the [[w:Kauravas|Kauravas]] consider the option of killing Krishna. Could Karna—and this never-failing spear—really have done that? We are left to ponder the [[death]] of [[God]]. And what did Karna think of this option?
**In: p.36

*The places and [[w:Monuments|monuments]] related with Krishna and his [[life]] is being encroached, plundered and destroyed systematically, willfully and with all disregard to the [[cultural]] and [[historical]] heritage. One can well imagine what would have happened during foreign rules and invasions.
**In: p.37

*In chapter 7, Krishna reveals that the unquenchably active Nature is actually Krishna's own lower nature ([[prakriti]]). What [[Nature]] does, therefore, completely conforms to Krishna's will, even to the point that the [[Gita]] seems ultimately to teach that all one can do is be Krishna's instrument for Krishna’s activities. At times it appears that [[w:Arjuna|Arjuna]] himself has little say in his actions and will be compelled to do Krishna’s will no matter what Arjuna decides.
**In: p. 80

*Krishna also reveals that there is an [[eternal]], unchanging, [[loving]] relationship between the individual [[soul]] and Krishna encompassed by the term [[bhakti]], [[devotion]]. **In: p.80

*In the [[Bhagavad Gita]], [[devotion]] to Krishna develops slowly out of the surrounding [[battle]] [[w:Scene|scene]]. Though that development never quite reaches the depths of attachment of later Krishna [[bhakti]], the text provides an [[image]] of Krishna who is both the Lord of the [[Universe]] and one who [[w:Incarnate|incarnates]] in this [[world]] again and again to set things right and protect the [[dharma]].

*They knew that Yadavas could establish Krishna Raj again and hence it had become necessary to drive wedge, a divide between Krishna and [[w:Yadavas|Yadavas]]. What would be better way than that of making Krishna a god (from god he became [[God]] during [[Bhakti]] movement)
**In: p.88

*[[Bless]] me [Narada to Krishna] that my remembrance [of them] will remain, so that I can travel about [[Meditation|meditating]] [on them]. Thereafter, [[w:Narada|Narada]] entered another residence of Krishna's wives, O dear king, desiring to witness the [[Maya|yogamaya]] of the Lord of the lords of yoga...There he [saw] Krishna again, this time playing with [[dice]] with his beloved and with [[w:Uddhava|Uddhava]]...
**In:p.132

*After seeing this exhibition [at many places] of [Maya|yogamaya by Krishna, who was following human ways, [[w:Narada|Narada]] said to Hrishikesh Krishna smilingly: “We know that your yogamaya is hard to perceive, even for [[magicians]]. But it will [[manifest]], O [[Soul]] of the lords of yoga, by service to your [[w:Lotus|lotus]] feet”....“Give me you leave, O God. I will wonder about the [[worlds]], which are overflowing with your glories, [[singing]] about your [[Lila (Hinduism)|lilas]] which purify the [[earth]].”
**In: p.133
[[File:Krishna_Narakasura.jpg|right|thumb|Moreover Krishna was very fond of the downtrodden and oppressed people such as his friends of childhood or his peers or sixteen thousand hapless women whom [[society]] could not accept even if they had been liberated by Krishna from the [[bondage]] of demon king of [[w:Pragjotishpur|Pragjotishpur]] (Modern [[w:Assam|Assam]]) [[w:Narakasur|Narakasur]]. It was Krishna who adopted them, giving his name and telling them, they were his queens as he had given them all the Mangalsutra or matrimonial thread.]]

===''The Greatest Farce of History,'' by Gopal Chowdhary (2014)===

[[File:Jambavati_weds_Krishna.jpg|right|thumb|...It was the very daring act of entering the marriage alliance with ‘Shudra’ or the tribal girl ([[w:Jambavati|Jambavati]]) and that too by such popular figure as Krishna who despite not being declared king or heir apparent like his elder brother, [[Balarama|Balarama]], used to enjoy more power and respect than a [[King]].]]
[[File:Dwarka.jpg|right|thumb|... What might have been very upsetting and rather threatening for the [[traditional]] [[social]] and [[political]] elites of the ancient India that he had provided virtual guidelines for becoming Vasudev through various acts and machinations. And his [[life]] itself was such a broader canvas of Vasudevhood that one could easily [[w:Imbibe|imbibe]] them becoming the Vasudev.]]
[[File:Death_of_Jayadratha.jpg|right|thumb|...Moreover, for the sake of republican credo of electing the capable King irrespective of whether he is elder, Krishna took part in the great war of [[Mahabharata]] on the side of [[w:Pandavas|Pandavas]], who were the sons of younger brother, [[w:Pandu|Pandu]] of [[w:Hastinapur|Hastinapur]].]]
Gopal Chowdhary in: ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=9bOEAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA181 The Greatest Farce of History]'', Partridge Publishing, 4 March 2014
*Even the establishment of the system of [[w:Char Dham|Char Dham]] (Four Pilgrimage) related to Krishna's life— Gokul, [[w:Dwarka|Dwaraka]], [[w:Puri|Puri]] and [[w:Badrinath|Badrinath]]— by [[Adi Shankara|Sankarachrya]] seems to be brilliant strategy to keep Krishna in a historical and mythical mode. [[Hindu]] or [[w:Vedic religion|Vedic religion]] without Krishna or Krishna as [[God]] will be nothing but mere [[rituals]] and [[superstition]].
**In: p.38

*...[[Buddha]], though quite different from Krishna, tried to change the socio-cultural scape of [[India]] through his [[w:Scientology|scientific religion]], even though he and [[Buddhism]] were forcibly [[exiled ]]from this [[India|country]].
**In:p.47

*Krishna, after exterminating the King of [[w:Mathura|Mathura]], did not take the [[power]] in to his hands but restored the old system of Vritya or Mandal (circle system) and ruling with the consensus in the consultation with the Samati or Sabha (council).
**In:p.94

*Moreover Krishna was very fond of the downtrodden and oppressed people such as his friends of childhood or his peers or sixteen thousand hapless women whom [[society]] could not accept even if they had been liberated by Krishna from the [[bondage]] of demon king of [[w:Pragjotishpur|Pragjotishpur]] (Modern [[w:Assam|Assam]]) [[w:Narakasur|Narakasur]]. It was Krishna who adopted them, giving his name and telling them, they were his queens as he had given them all the Mangalsutra or matrimonial thread.
**In: p.112

*The influence of Krishna [[philosophy]] and his different [[temporal]] and non-temporal theories on the [[Buddhism]] could be deciphered from gleaning the various [[Buddhist]] texts, which seems to be the extension, supplantation, and elaboration of the [Krishna philosophy]…
**In:p.98

*...at the time when [[Gita]] was happening, Krishna had attained the title of [[w:Vasudev|Vasudev]] as he was addressed as such by [[w:Bhishma|Bhisma Pitamah]] many times and others as well. Moreover, he had already destroyed [[w:Kans|Kans]], [[w:JarasandhaJarasandh]], and the other Prati-Vasudev at the beginning of [[Kurukshetra war|war]], and was going to [[destroy]] the remaining Prati-Vasudev in the ensuing war.
**In:p.102

*Moreover, Krishna was such a [[w:Potent|potent]] [[force]] that he had established a new benchmark in the form of [[w:Vasudeva Krishna|Vasudev]]. What might have been very upsetting and rather threatening for the [[traditional]] [[social]] and [[political]] elites of the ancient India that he had provided virtual guidelines for becoming Vasudev through various acts and machinations. And his [[life]] itself was such a broader canvas of Vasudevhood that one could easily [[w:Imbibe|imbibe]] them becoming the Vasudev.
**In; P.103

*What might have shocked the highly regimented and stratified [[society]] of 1000-900 BC was the [[Yadavas act of straying from the [[w:Veda|Vedic]] fold and rituals, and mixing with [[w:Shudras|Shudras]] or 'Dasa' initiated and formalized by Krishna. It was the very daring act of entering the marriage alliance with ‘Shudra’ or the tribal girl ([[w:Jambavati|Jambavati]]) and that too by such popular figure as Krishna who despite not being declared king or heir apparent like his elder brother, [[w;Balarama|Balarama]], used to enjoy more power and respect than a [[King]].
**In: P.112

*Apart from Krishna, another [[w:Yadav|Yadav]], Ghor Angaris who was the second [[guru]] of Krishna after Guru [[w:Sandipani|Sandipan]], enacted another revolutionary feat: He himself performed his last rites embracing the [[Jainism]] after leaving the [[w:Vedic religion|Vedic religion]].
**In:p. 113

*...been appropriated by priestly class and composers of [[Upanishads]] without giving credit to Krishna. Moreover, the date of their composition has been stretched to the mythical time preceding the [[Gita]] and Krishna.
**In:p. 116

*...there were many kingdoms such as [[w:Avanti|Avanti]], [[w:Chedi|Chedi]], [[w:Hastinapur|Hastinapur]], and others where [[w:Yadavas|Yadavas]] or Krishna's relatives were the reigning kings, they did not provide any help to the [[w:Mathura|Mathura]].
**In:p. 117

*It appeared Krishna's act of enforcing the Raj Dharma had angered all the kings of [[w:Āryāvarta|Aryavrata]] and that was why they did not come to his help. However, Krishna being not an ordinary person, had anticipated the non-cooperative attitude of his [kings of Aryavrata]…
**In:p. 118

*It appears to be more of a case of pre-planned [[conspiracy]] to obliterate Krishna – a force that had transformed the socio-political scape of [[w:Ancient India|ancient India]], a [[visionary]], [[social]] and [[political]] revolutionary, master par excellence in [[diplomacy]] and expert in [[warfare]]. While the stakes have succeeded in achieving first goal, as Krishna has become not only [[God]] but also God of gods, [[w:Yadavas|Yadavas]] survived their joint political-social-cultural-military onslaught.
**In:p.163-64

*In the 4th century BC, [[Chanakya]] refers to the story of Krishna's birth, while [[Megasthenes|Megasthenes]] mentions that the Sourasenoi (Surasenas or Yadavas) hero-worshipped [[w:Megasthenes' Herakles|Herakles]] (Krishna). Their two great cities were Methora ([[w:Mathura|Mathura]]) and Kleisobora (Krishnapura?) on the navigable river Yobares ([[w:Yamuna|Yamuna]])....Herkales (Krishna) sent his daughter Pandala to rule over the kingdom of Mathura (Madura)
**In:p.179

[[File:Sri_nathji.jpg|right|thumb|...From the 10th century AD, Krishna became a favourite subject in [[w:Performing arts|performing arts]] and regional traditions of [[devotion]] developed for forms of Krishna such as [[w:Venkateshvara|Venkateshvara]] in [[w:Andhra Pradesh|Andhra Pradesh]], [[w:Jagannatha|Jagannatha]] in [[w:Orissa|Orissa]], [[w:Vithoba|Vithoba]] in [[w:Maharashtra|Maharashtra]] and [[w:Srinathji|Srinathji]] in [[w:Rajasthan|Rajasthan]].]]
*[[Worship]] of Krishna as Swayam Bhagvan, or the “Supreme Being”, known as Krishna, arose in the [[w:Middle Ages|Middle Ages]] in the context of the [[Bhakti]] movement. From the 10th century AD, Krishna became a favourite subject in [[w:Performing arts|performing arts]] and regional traditions of [[devotion]] developed for forms of Krishna such as [[w:Venkateshvara|Venkateshvara]] in [[w:Andhra Pradesh|Andhra Pradesh]], [[w:Jagannatha|Jagannatha]] in [[w:Orissa|Orissa]], [[w:Vithoba|Vithoba]] in [[w:Maharashtra|Maharashtra]] and [[w:Srinathji|Srinathji]] in [[w:Rajasthan|Rajasthan]].
**In: p.181

*The Sanskrit word ‘krshna’ is primarily an adjective meaning “black”, “dark”, or “dark-blue”. Sometimes it is also translated as “all [[attractive]]”. In the [[Lalitavistara Sūtra|Lalitavistara Sutra]], Krishna is the chief of the black [[demons]], the enemies of the [[Buddha]].
**[[w:Monier Williams|Monier Williams]] in: p.181

*The principal scriptures discussing Krishna's story are the [[Mahabharata]], the [[w:Harivamsa|Harivamsa]], the [[w:Bhagavata Purana|Bhagavata Purana]] and the [[w:Vishnu Purana|Vishnu Purana]]. [[Worship]] of a [[deity]] or hero called Krishna, in the form of [[w:Vasudeva|Vasudeva]], [[w:Bala Krishna|Bala Krishna]] or [[w:Gopal|Gopal]], can be traced to the 4th century BC.
**Norvin Hein in: p.181

*The earliest text that explicitly provides detailed descriptions of Krishna as a personality is the epic [[Mahabharata]] which depicts Krishna as an [[w:Incarnation|incarnation]] of [[w:Vishnu|Vishnu]]. Krishna is central to many of the main stories of the [[w:Epic|epic]]. The eighteen chapters of the sixth book ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhishma_Parva Bhishma Parva]) of the epic that constitutes the [[Bhagavad Gita]] contain the advice of Krishna to the warrior-hero [[w:Arjuna|Arjuna]], on the [[w;Kurukshetra|battlefield]].
**In:p.181-82

*Krishna is already an adult in the epic [Mahabharta], although there are allusions to his earlier exploits. The [[w:Harivamsa|Harivamsa]], a later appendix to this [[w:Epic|epic]], contains the earliest detailed version of Krishna's [[childhood]] and youth.
**In:p.182

[[File:Hera_suckling_Herakles_BM_VaseF107.jpg|right|thumb|...[[w:Megasthenes|Megasthenes]] (350-290 BC), a [[Greeks|Greek]] [[w:Ethnographer|ethnographer]] and an ambassador of [[w:Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus I]] to the [[court]] of [[w:Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta Maurya]] mentioned about [[w:Herakles|Herakles]] in his famous work ''Indica''. Many scholars have suggested that the [[deity]] identified as Herakles was Krishna]]
*[[w:Panini|Panini]], the ancient [[w:Grammarian|grammarian]] (probably belonged to 5th century or sixth century BC) mentions a character called Vasudeva son of Vasudeva, and also mentions [[w:Kaurva|Kaurava]] and [[w:Arjuna|Arjuna]] which testifies to Vasudeva Krishna, Arjuna and Kauravas being contemporaries. [[w:Megasthenes|Megasthenes]] (350-290 BC), a [[Greeks|Greek]] [[w:Ethnographer|ethnographer]] and an ambassador of [[w:Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus I]] to the [[court]] of [[w:Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta Maurya]] mentioned about [[w:Herakles|Herakles]] in his famous work ''Indica''. Many scholars have suggested that the [[deity]] identified as Herakles was Krishna
**In:p.183

*There is no unanimity among the [[theologians]] and [[religious]] figures as what is the position of Krishna. It shows he is being interpreted as per the whims and fancies of the person and sects concerned. This also proves the historicity of Krishna.
**In:p.185

*Garbe believes Krishna to have lived about two hundred years before [[Buddha]], to have been son of Vasudeva, to have founded a [[monotheistic]] and [[ethical]] [[religion]], and to have been eventually deified and identified with the god Vasudeva, he founded. In the [[Mahabharata]] we have all [[traditions]] about Krishna that survived until then, non-[[Aryan]] hero, a [[spiritual]] [[teacher]], a tribal god.
**In:p.193

*In the [[Buddhist]] texts the term 'kala' has been used for denote the villainous men or of wicked tendency, while in the [[Jain]] texts the term 'Krishna or Vasudev' has been used for referring to the great personality, called as the 'Slaka Purush'.
**In: p.195

*It is clear that Krishna's historicity and legacies have been highjacked to the non-temporal level at the best and mythical level at the worst. If seen from objective point of view, there should not be any doubt about the historicity of Krishna and [[Mahabharata]] period
**In: p.196

*Krishna and post-Krishna era underlines the rather high period of Indian socio-political scape when ruling elites or [[w:Kshatriya|Kshatriya]] was like [[philosopher]] king. The Gana-Sangh system or rather [[w:Republican|republican]] [[w:Credo|credo]] that Krishna had displayed in his stately conduct or the [[w:Democratic principles|democratic principles]] of [[w:Debate|debate]], discussion, and unanimity or a sort of consensus characterizing [[w:Yadavas|Yadavas]] and Krishna’s conduct testifies this.
**in: p.208

*Krishna: [[w:Political Philosophy|Political Philosophy]] If [[Plato]] is called the father of [[politics]] and [[Machiavelli]] as that of modern [[politics]], then Krishna could be undoubtedly designated as the father of politics of all the time. It is another matter that he has been relegated to the mystical realm, making him the God Himself.
**In: p.239

*...republican credo of Yadavas were refined and institutionalized by Krishna, and for upholding it, he did not spare his own relatives such as [[w:Kans|Kans]], [[w:Shishupal|Shishupal]] and others. Moreover, for the sake of republican credo of electing the capable King irrespective of whether he is elder, Krishna took part in the great war of [[Mahabharata]] on the side of [[w:Pandavas|Pandavas]], who were the sons of younger brother, [[w:Pandu|Pandu]] of [[w:Hastinapur|Hastinapur]].
**In: p.244

*It is no surprise that [[w:Chanakya|Chankya]] or Kautilya cast off his [[w:Political theory|political theory]] based on the organizational pattern, appropriating not only the nomenclature but also various aspects of Krishna real politicking and diplomacy. Of course, without acknowledging Krishna and his contribution to the humanity. Even [[Buddha]], whose three-fourth tenets of [[Buddhism]] is based on Krishna’s [[w:Samkhya|Samkhya]], [[w:Karma Yoga|Karma Yoga]], Gyana Yoga and [[Gita]] has not named Krishna in his acknowledgments, though he has done so indirectly by conceding the ancient traditions, thinkers and philosophers.
**In: p.245

*...[[w:Nanda Empire|Nanda]] the foster parents of Krishna and his uncle who was the brother of Krishna's father has been referred as Mandaladhish (Head of Mandal) of Gokul Mandal. Therefore, the Mandal was administrative unit and the kingdom was organized into different Mandal whose head was responsible for the administration, tax collection and other matters.
**In: p.245
[[File:Krishna_with_flute.jpg|right|thumb|Sri Krishna stole the [[hearts]] of the [[w:Gopis|Gopis]] unconditionally. The Gopis stole His [[Ecstasy]] unreservedly.]]

===''Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita: The Song of the Transcendental Soul,'' by [[Sri Chinmoy]] (1973) ===
====Part I====
([https://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/cbg full text online])
[[File:Relief_of_Krishna_playing_flute_with_his_herd_of_cows_in_Bucesvara_Temple_at_Koravangala.jpg|right|thumb|Sri Krishna’s [[w:Flute|Flute]] stirs the [[Universal]] [[Consciousness]]. Sri Krishna’s [[Gita]] [[enchants]] the [[Transcendental]] Consciousness.]]

*Sri Krishna stole the [[hearts]] of the [[w:Gopis|Gopis]] unconditionally. The Gopis stole His [[Ecstasy]] unreservedly.
**In: p.123

*Man’s growing [[divinity]] cries for the human [[perfection]] in Sri Krishna the man. In Sri Krishna’s [[humanity]] lies man’s promise of becoming [[divine]].
**In: p.123

*Sweetness and [[grace]] inexpressible, bond unbreakable, [[sacrifice]] unfathomable — this indeed is [[w:Radha|Radha]], the [[Mother]]-[[Heart]] of Sri Krishna.
**In: p.123

*[[w:Arjuna|Arjuna]] is the ascending human soul. Krishna is the descending divine Soul. Finally they meet. The human [[sou]] says to the [[divine]] Soul: “I need you.”The divine Soul says to the human soul: *I need you, too. I need you for my self-[[w:Manifestation of God|manifestation]]. You need me for your self-realisation.” Arjuna says: “O, Krishna, you are mine, absolutely mine.” Krishna says: “O, Arjuna, no mine, no thine. We are the [[Divine simplicity|Oneness]] complete, within, without.”
**In: p.xi

*[[God]] is [[proud]] of His [[Divinity]] in Sri Krishna. Man is proud of his [[humanity]] in Sri Krishna.
**In: p.124

*Sri Krishna is the [[beloved]] Boatman who untiringly plies His [[w:Boat|Boat]] of [[Consciousness]] between [[India]]’s unparalleled [[history]] and Her unrivalled [[spirituality]].
**In: p.124

*Sri Krishna’s [[w:Flute|Flute]] stirs the [[Universal]] [[Consciousness]]. Sri Krishna’s [[Gita]] [[enchants]] the [[Transcendental]] Consciousness.
**In: p.124

*Sri Krishna plays on His [[w:Flute|Flute]]. We hear. We do something more. We barter our body’s dust with His Soul’s Plenitude.
**In: p.124

*The influence of the [[Mahabharata]] is a flowering of centuries. The influence of Sri Krishna is the [[Blessing]] for [[Eternity]].
**In: p.124

*The [[w:Pandavas|Pandavas]] had [[love]] for Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna had not only love but also unstinting concern for the Pandavas.
**In: p.124

*[[w:Arjuna|Arjuna]] ultimately became the [[spiritual]] child of Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna ultimately became the [[loving]] [[slave]] of Arjuna’s surrender.
**In: p.124

*If the [[w:Avatar|Avatar]] Sri Krishna is the most complicated [[w:Door|Door]], then the [[Gita]], His [[Song]], is the most effective [[w:Key|Key]].
**In: p.124

==== Part II: The King, the Prince, the Son ====
[[File:Radha-Krishna,_a_depiction_of_Bhairava_Raga,_Ragamala._ca_1770.jpg|right|thumb|[[w:Radha|Radha]] carries the human [[soul]] into Sri Krishna’s [[Heart]]. Sri Krishna transforms the human soul into the Divine Soul and commands it to play its role in the Divine Play.]]
*[[w:Radha|Radha]] carries the human [[soul]] into Sri Krishna’s [[Heart]]. Sri Krishna transforms the human soul into the Divine Soul and commands it to play its role in the Divine Play.

*The [[Gita]] is Sri Krishna’s [[Heart]], his [[Vision]]-in-Fulfilment. The Gita is [[humanity]]’s [[Breath]], its Journey towards [[Immortality]].

*For an earth-bound soul, the [[Gita]] can fruitfully reconcile the dark problems of human [[life]]. For a [[Heaven]]-seeking [[soul]], the Gita can awaken a new [[consciousness]] of ever-increasing [[Bliss]].

*'''I do. I refuse to accept the invitation of [[Desire]]. Sri Krishna does. He comes in to illuminate my [[consciousness]].'''

*My [[ideal]] is to mount higher and higher up the ladder of [[divine]] [[evolution]]. Sri Krishna’s [[Ideal]] is to make of Himself the [[divine]] [[Sacrifice]] to strengthen the rungs of the ladder.

*Sri Krishna is sweet when I realise Him in the perfection of my “I". Sri Krishna is sweeter when I realise Him as the Doer. Sri Krishna is sweetest when I realise Him as the Pilot of all my actions and myself as His dedicated instrument.

*An aspirant’s is the cry that compels Sri Krishna to seize him with the very madness of [[love]].

*A [[w:Vaishnava|Vaishnava]]’s [[life]] is [[love]]-intoxicated. He is a portion of Sri Krishna’s individuality, perpetuating all the [[divine]] qualities of an everlasting Life.

*When I [[live]] in Sri Krishna’s [[Soul]], I see the [[Truth]] from above. When I live in Sri Krishna’s [[Heart]], I see the [[Truth]] from within. When I live in Sri Krishna’s [[Body]], I see the Truth from without.

*Sri Krishna is the shoreless [[w:Ocean|ocean]] of [[Bliss]]. But as soon as I sincerely [[dedicate]] myself to Him, He presents me with His own Boat and takes me to the boundless Shore, the Golden All.

*Sri Krishna walked the [[soil]] to annihilate the philosophies of world-shunning [[spirituality]] and of world-grasping [[materialism]]. He established on [[earth]] the “Dharmarajya,” the Kingdom of the Inner Law. He restored the true [[spirit]] of [[w:Kshatriya|Kshatriya]] heroism, motivated not by human [[ego]], but by Divine Will, making man a devoted and active instrument of the Supreme. He brought down to the earth-[[consciousness]] the supreme [[Truth]] that earth and earthly [[life]], being inherently [[divine]], must be made outwardly divine, fully and totally, in every sphere, in every aspect.

===[[w:The Gita Govinda|''The Gita Govinda,'']] by [[w:Jayadeva|Jayadeva]] (1792)===
[[File:Radha_and_Krishna_in_Discussion.jpg|right|thumb|...Oh [[w:Radha|Radha]], Radha! Take this [[soul]] that trembles In [[life]]'s deep midnight, to thy Golden house. So Nanda spoke -- and led by Radha’s [[spirit]], The feet of Krishna found the road aright; Wherefore, in [[bliss]] which all high [[hearts]] inherit, Together taste they [[love]]'s [[divine]] [[delight]].]]
[[File:Rasa_Lila_in_Manipuri_dance_style.jpg|right|thumb|...He is dancing with the dancers to a laughter-moving tone, In the soft awakenings Spring-time, when ‘tis hard to [[live]] alone.]]
[[w:Jayadeva|Jayadeva]], translated by [[Edwin Arnold]] in:''[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Gita_Govinda The Gita Govinda]'', Wikisource
*The [[sky]] is [[cloud]]ed; and the wood resembles The sky, thick arched with a black tamala boughs; Oh [[w:Radha|Radha]], Radha! Take this [[soul]] that trembles In [[life]]'s deep midnight, to thy Golden house. So Nanda spoke -- and led by Radha’s [[spirit]], The feet of Krishna found the road aright; Wherefore, in [[bliss]] which all high [[hearts]] inherit, Together taste they [[love]]'s [[divine]] [[delight]].

*[[Beautiful]] Radha, [[w:Jasmine|Jasmine]] bosomed Radha, All in the [[w:Spring (season)|Spring-time]] waited by the wood For Krishna fair, Krishna the all-forgetful, - Krishna with [[earth]]ly [[love]]'s [[false]] [[fire]] consuming – And some one of her maidens sang this [[song]]: --

*I know where Krishna tarries in these early days of Spring, When every [[wind]] from warm Malay brings [[fragrance]] on its wing; Brings fragrance stolen far away from thickets of the clove, In [[w:Jungle|Jungle]]s where the [[w:Bees|bees]] hum and the [[w:Koel|Koil]] flutes her [[love]]; He [[dances]] with the dancers, at the merry morrice one, All in the budding Spring-time, for ‘tis sad to be alone.

*I know how Krishna passes these hours of [[w:Blue|blue]] and gold, When parted [[lovers]] sigh to meet and greet and closely hold Hand fast in hand; and every branch upon the Valkul-tree Droops downward with a hundred [[w:Blooms|blooms]], in every bloom a bee; He is dancing with the dancers to a laughter-moving tone, In the soft awakenings Spring-time, when ‘tis hard to [[live]] alone.

*When Kroona-flowers, that open at a lover's lightest tread, Break, and, for shame at what they hear, from white [[blush]] and modest [[w:Red|red]]; And all the spears on all the boughs of all the Ketuk-glades Seem ready darts to pierce the [[hearts]] of wandering youths and maids; ‘Tis there thy Krishna dances till the merry [[w:Drum|drum]] is done, All in the sunny Spring-time, when who can live alone?

*Where the breaking forth of blossom on the yellow Keshra-sprays Dazzles like [[w:Kama|Kama]]’s [[w:Sceptre|sceptre]], whom all the [[world]] obeys; And Patal-buds fill drowsy bees from pink delicious bowls, As Kama’s [[nectar]]ed goblet steeps in languor human souls; There he dances with the dancers, and of Radha thinketh none, All in the warm new Spring-tide, when none will live alone.
[[File:Delhi-National Museum-Krishna dallying with cowherd maidens-20131006.jpg|right|thumb|...Yet the winds that sigh so As they stir the rose Wake a sigh from Krishna Wistfuller than those; All their faint breaths swinging The creepers to and fro Pass like rustling arrows Shot from Kama’s bow: Thus among the dancers What those [[w:Zephyrus|Zephyrs]] bring Strikes to Krishna's [[spirit]] Like a darted sting.]]
*Mark this song of [[w:Jayadeva|Jayadev]]! Deep as [[pearl]] in ocean-wave Lurketh in its lines a [[wonder]] Which the wise alone will ponder: Though it's seemeth of the [[Earth]], [[Heaven]]ly is the [[music]]'s birth; Telling darkly of delights In the wood, of wasted [[nights]], Of witless days, and fruitless [[love]], And false pleasures of the grove,And rash [[passions]] of the prime, And those dances of Spring-time; [[Time]], which seems so subtle-sweet, Time, which pipes to dancing-feet, Ah! So softly -- Ah! So sweetly -- That among those wood-maids featly Krishna cannot choose but [[dance]], Letting pass [[life]]'s greater chance.

*Yet the winds that sigh so As they stir the rose Wake a sigh from Krishna Wistfuller than those; All their faint breaths swinging The creepers to and fro Pass like rustling arrows Shot from Kama’s bow: Thus among the dancers What those [[w:Zephyrus|Zephyrs]] bring Strikes to Krishna's [[spirit]] Like a darted sting.

*And as if -- far wandered -- The traveller should hear The [[w:Bird|bird]] of home, the [[w:Koel|Koil]], With nest-notes rich and clear; And there should come one moment A [[blessed]] fleeting [[dream]] Of the bees among the [[w:Mangoes|mangoes]] Beside his native stream; So flash those sudden yearnings, That sense of a dearer thing, The [[love]] and lack of Radha Upon his [[soul]] in spring.

*Then she, the maid of Radha, spake again; And pointing far away between the leaves Guided her [[lovely]] Mistress where to look, And note how Krishna wantoned in the wood Now with this one, now that; his [[heart]], her prize; Panting with foolish [[passions]], and his [[eyes]] Beaming with too much [[love]] of those fair girls -- Fair, but not so as Radha; and she [[sang]]:
[[File:Westindischer_Maler_um_1550_001.jpg|right|thumb|...n the company of damsels, who [[dance]] and [[sing]] and play, Lies Krishna, [[laugh]]ing, toying, [[dreaming]] his [[w:Spring (season)|Spring]] away.]]
*See, Lady! How thy Krishna passes these idle hours Decked forth in fold of woven [[gold]], and crowded with [[forest]] [[flowers]]; And [[w:Scent|scented]] with [[w:Sandalwood|sandal]], and gay with [[w:Gems|gems]] of price -- [[w:Rubies|Rubies]] to mate his laughing [[lips]], and [[diamonds]] like his [[eyes]]; -- In the company of damsels, who [[dance]] and [[sing]] and play, Lies Krishna, [[laugh]]ing, toying, [[dreaming]] his [[w:Spring (season)|Spring]] away.

*One, with [[star]]-blossomed [[w:Magnolia champaca|champak]] [[w:Wreaths|wreaths]], woos him to rest his head On the dark pillow of her breast so tenderly outspread; And o’er his brow with [[roses]] blown she fans a [[fragrance]] rare, That falls on the enchanted [[sense]] like [[rain]] in thirsty [[air]], While the company of damsels wave many an odorous spray, And Krishna, laughing, toying, sighs the soft Spring away.

*Another, gazing in his [[face]], sits wistfully apart Searching it with those looks of [[love]] that leap from [[heart]] to heart; Her [[eyes]] -- afire with shy [[desire]], veiled by their lashes black -- Speak so that Krishna cannot choose but send the message back, In the company of damsels whose bright eyes in a ring Shine round him with soft meanings in the merry light of Spring.

*The third one of that dazzling band of dwellers in the [[w:Wood|wood]] -- [[Body]] and bosom panting with the pulse of youthful [[blood]] -- Leans over him, as in his eyes lightsome thing to speak; And then with leaf-soft [[w:Lip|lip]] imprints a [[kiss]] below his [[w:Cheek|cheek]]; A kiss that thrills, and Krishna turns at the [[w:Silk|silk]]en touch To give it back -- Ah, Radha! forgetting thee too much.
[[File:M.V._Dhurandhar,_On_the_banks_of_the_Jamuna.jpg|right|thumb|And one with the arch [[smile]] beckons him away from [[w:Yamuna River|Jumna]]’s banks, Where the tall [[w:Bamboo|bamboos]] bristle like spears in battle ranks. And plucks his cloth to make him come into the mango-shade, Where the [[fruit]] is ripe and golden, and the [[milk]] and cakes are laid: Oh! golden-red the mangoes, and glad the feasts of Spring, And fair the [[flowers]] lie upon, and sweet the [[dancers]] sing.]]
*And one with the arch [[smile]] beckons him away from [[w:Yamuna River|Jumna]]’s banks, Where the tall [[w:Bamboo|bamboos]] bristle like spears in battle ranks. And plucks his cloth to make him come into the mango-shade, Where the [[fruit]] is ripe and golden, and the [[milk]] and cakes are laid: Oh! golden-red the mangoes, and glad the feasts of Spring, And fair the [[flowers]] lie upon, and sweet the [[dancers]] sing.
[[File:Delhi-National Museum-Confidante with Radha-20131006.jpg|right|thumb|...So that wholly [[passion]]-laden-[[eye]], [[ear]], [[sense]], [[soul]] o'er come -- Krishna is there as in the [[w:Forest|forest]]; his [[heart]] forgets its home.]]
*Sweetest of all that Temptress who [[dances]] for him now With subtle feet which part and meet in the Rasa measures slow, To the chime of silver [[w:Bangles|bangles]] and the beat of rose-leaf hands, And pipe and lute and [[w:Cymbal|cymbal]] played by the woodland bands; So that wholly [[passion]]-laden-[[eye]], [[ear]], [[sense]], [[soul]] o'er come -- Krishna is there as in the [[w:Forest|forest]]; his [[heart]] forgets its home.

*Krishna, made for [[heaven]]ly things, 'Mid those woodland singers [[sings]]; With those dancers [[dances]] featly, Gives back soft embraces sweetly; Smiles on that one, toys with this, Glance for glance, and [[kiss]] for kiss; Meets the merry damsels fairly, Plays the round of folly rarely, Lapped in milk-warm Spring-time [[weather]], He and those brown girls together.
[[File:Indischer Maler um 1770 001.jpg|right|thumb|And this shadowed [[earthly]] love In the [[twilight]] of the grove, Dance and song and soft caresses, Meeting looks and tangled tresses,...]]
*And this shadowed [[earthly]] love In the [[twilight]] of the grove, Dance and song and soft caresses, Meeting looks and tangled tresses, [[w:Jayadeva|Jayadev]] the same hath writ, That ye might have gain of it, Sagely its deep [[sense]] conceiving And its inner light believing; How that Love -- the mighty Master, Lord of all the [[stars]] that cluster In the sky, swiftest and slowest, Lord of highest, Lord of lowest - Manifests Himself to mortals, Winning them towards the portals Of his secret house, the gates Of that bright [[paradise]] which waits The wise in love. Ah, human creatures! Even your fantasies are teachers. Mighty Love makes sweet in seeming Even Krishna's woodland dreaming; Mighty Love sways all alike From self to selfishness. Oh! Strike From your eyes the veil, and see What love willeth Him to be Who in error, but in grace, Sitteth with that Lotus-face, And those eyes whose rays of heaven Unto phantom-eyes are given; Holding fast of foolish mirth With these visions of the Earth; Leaving [[Love]], and Love imparting; Yet with sense of loss upstarting: --
[[File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_Kama_and_Rati_Witness_the_Reunion_of_Krishna_and_Radha_Page_from_a_Gita_Govinda_Series.jpg|right|thumb|But may he guide us all to [[glory]] high who laughed when the Radha glided, hidden, by, An all among those damsels free and bold Touch Krishna with a soft [[w:Mouth|mouth]], kind and cold; And like the others leaning upon his breast, Unlike the others, left their [[Love]]’s unrest; And like the others, joining in his [[song]], Or like the others, made him silent long.]]
*For the [[cloud]] that the veils of the [[fountains]] Underneath the sandal mountains, How -- as if the [[sunshine]] drew All its being to the blue -- It takes flight and seeks to rise High into the purer skies, High into the [[snow]] and [[w:Frost|frost]], On the shining summits lost! Ah! And how the [[w:Koel|Koil]]'s strained Smites the traveller with [[pain]], -- When the mango blooms in Spring, And "Kahoo", "Kahoo", they sing -- Pain of [[pleasure]] not yet won, Pain of journeys not yet done Pain of toiling without gaining, Pain ‘mid gladness of still paining.

*But may he guide us all to [[glory]] high who laughed when the Radha glided, hidden, by, An all among those damsels free and bold Touch Krishna with a soft [[w:Mouth|mouth]], kind and cold; And like the others leaning upon his breast, Unlike the others, left their [[Love]]’s unrest; And like the others, joining in his [[song]], Or like the others, made him silent long.

== See Also==
*[[Radha]]
*The [[The_Ageless_Wisdom_Teachings|Ageless Wisdom Teachings]]
*[[Agni Yoga]]
*[[Hinduism]]
*[[Kali Yuga]]
*[[Bhagavad Gita|The Bhagavad Gita]]
*[[Mahabharata]]
*[[Maitreya (Theosophy)|Maitreya]]
*[[Prophecies]]
*[[Puranas]]
*[[Alice_Bailey#The_Reappearance_of_the_Christ_(1948)|''The Reappearance of the Christ'', by Alice A Bailey]]
*[[Vedas]]

==External links==
{{Wikipedia|Krishna}}
*[https://archive.org/details/IllustratedBhagavadGita/page/n3 Bhagavad-Gita by Swami Prabhupada,]ISKCON (1995)
*[http://www.krishnapath.org/art-gallery-home/art-gallery-of-krishna-and-his-devotees-transcendental-pastimes/ Art Gallery of Krishna & His Devotees Transcendental Pastimes}
*[https://suvicharimages.com/radha-krishna-quotes-hindi/ Lord Krishna Quotes]
*[https://wisdomword.in/divine-quotes-and-teachings-by-lord-krishna/ Lord Krishna Quotes & Teachings]

[[Category:Hindu deities]]
[[Category:God]]
[[Category:Spiritual teachers]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Mahabharata]]
[[Category:Jainism]]
*[http://khabarlazmi.in/why-did-krishna-not-marry-radha-even-after-so-much-love-know-the-truth/ Why did Krishna not marry Radha even after so much love? Know the truth!]
*[https://quotesface.com/krishna-quotes/ Radha Krishna Love Quotes]

Elon Musk

2026-06-21T11:08:54Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: Revert spam

{{people-cleanup}}
[[File:Elon Musk in Mission Control at SpaceX.jpg|thumb|Everything works in PowerPoint; but if you have the physical item or some demonstration software, that's much more convincing to people than a PowerPoint presentation or a business plan.]]
'''[[w:Elon Musk|Elon Reeve Musk]]''' (born 28 June 1971) is an American (South African-born) entrepreneur and [[w:business magnate|business magnate]]. He is the founder, [[Chief executive officer|CEO]], and Chief Engineer at [[w:SpaceX|SpaceX]]; early-stage investor, CEO, and Product Architect of [[w:Tesla, Inc.|Tesla, Inc.]]; founder of [[w:The Boring Company|The Boring Company]]; co-founder of [[w:Neuralink|Neuralink]] and [[w:OpenAI|OpenAI]]; president of the [[w:Elon Musk#Musk Foundation|Musk Foundation]]; and owner of [[w:X Corp.|X Corp.]], formerly known as [[w:Twitter, Inc.|Twitter, Inc]]. With an [https://www.networthmama.com/category/business/executives/elon-musk-net-worth estimated net worth] of about US$487.3 billion as of October 2025, Musk is the wealthiest person in the world according to the [[w:Bloomberg Billionaires Index|Bloomberg billionaires index]] and the ''[[w:Forbes|Forbes]]'' real-time billionaires list.
[[File:SpaceX Demonstration Mission 2 Launch (49963556878).jpg|thumb|I have never been materially active in politics before, but this time I think civilization as we know it is on the line. If we want to preserve freedom and a meritocracy in America, then Trump must win.[https://nitter.poast.org/elonmusk/status/1831486742052159886#m]]]
[[File:SpaceX Crew-2 Crew Suit Up (KSC-20210423-PH-KLS01 0107).jpg|thumb|Trump supports a government efficiency commission to allow great things to be done, Kamala does not,We will never reach Mars if Kamala wins![https://www.politico.eu/article/elon-musk-spacex-republican-debate-us-president-kamala-harris-will-never-reach-mars-donald-trump/]]]

==Quotes==
===1998===
* I think the [[Internet]] is the super-set of all media. It is the be-all and the end-all of all media. One will see print, broadcast, arguably, radio, essentially all media folding into the Internet.
** Quoted in [https://www.news18.com/buzz/elon-musk-explains-internet-in-1998-old-interview-goes-viral-7104589.html "Elon Musk Explains Internet in 1998, Old Interview Goes Viral"], ''News 18'' (February 17, 2023)

===2005===
* If things aren't not failing you are not innovating enough.
** [https://www.fastcompany.com/52065/hondas-space Fast Company, article "Hondas in Space"] (1 February 2005)

===2007===
====''Unsourced''====
* Life is too short for long-term grudges.
====''From articles on Evan Carmichael's website''====
'''From: [https://web.archive.org/web/20071214142021/http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/1610/The-Wired-Entrepreneur-The-Early-Years-of-Elon-Musk.html The Wired Entrepreneur: The Early Years of Elon Musk]', 2007.
* I didn’t really expect to make any money. If I could make enough to cover the rent and buy some food that would be fine. As it turns out, it turned out to be quite valuable in the end.
* I don’t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African army suppressing black people just didn’t seem like a really good way to spend time.
* I think South Africa is a great country.
* If you wanted to be close to the cutting edge, particularly in technology, you came to North America.
* Tuition costs are outrageous. Fortunately, they gave me a scholarship…so I only had to cover living expenses, books, etc., by working.
* One was the Internet, one was clean energy and one was space.
'''From: [https://web.archive.org/web/20071214142025/http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/1610/Zipping-Forward-Musk-Starts-His-First-Company.html Zipping Forward: Musk Starts His First Company]', 2007.
* I could either watch it happen, or be part of it.
'''From: [https://web.archive.org/web/20071221055051/http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/1610/Lesson-1-Keep-Your-Operations-Lean-And-Clean.html Lesson #1: Keep Your Operations Lean And Clean]', 2007.
* We could figure out ways with small aerospace companies to do a low-cost spacecraft and lander. But we could not find a way to do a low-cost launcher, unless we went to the Russians.
* The answer was we thought it could be done.
* There is nothing inherently expensive about rockets. It's just that those who have built and operated them in the past have done so with horrendously poor efficiency.
* Falcon One is going to be the lowest cost per flight to orbit of any production rocket.
* Which means we’re cheaper than the Chinese, cheaper than [the] Russians or anywhere else – and we’re doing it in the United States with American [[labour costs]].
* I think the reason it’s cheaper is, first of all, we are a private entity and we have a very lean system in here. What we have been able to do here at SpaceX is to cherry-pick, you know, the top one or two percent and give them, you know, capital to execute well and a clear mission, which is low cost, reliable access to space, and no other constraints.
'''From: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080117152716/http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/1610/Lesson-2-Commit-To-Failing-In-A-New-Way.html Lesson #2: Commit To Failing In A New Way]', 2007.
* Well, I have tried to learn as much as possible from prior attempts.
* If nothing else, we are committed to failing in a new way.
* There’s a graveyard of prior attempts, a big graveyard. There’s probably some freshly dug graves just waiting to be filled. Our aspiration is to avoid that destination.
* I think we’ve got the risks pretty well characterized. I think we are at least avoiding the mistakes that have been made in the past.
* I think the rocket business is quite cyclic. There are a great many peaks and troughs.
* Imagine creating a huge software program that can only be tested in little pieces on a computer that is slightly different from what it is supposed to run on. However, when you do run it as a whole on the actual computer for the first time, it must run almost flawlessly without a single significant bug. When is the last time you saw a software program do that?
* When thinking about starting a business, I think it’s actually better to start in a trough and come to market in a peak, than the other way around. Frankly, if anything does, and it’s almost cliché, space has a long-term future.
* I want to be able to make sure that we have enough capital to survive at least three consecutive failures. If you want to make a small fortune in the launch vehicle business, start with a large one.
'''From: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080116043429/http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/1610/Lesson-3-Make-Your-Mission-Your-Holy-Grail.html Lesson #3: Make Your Mission Your Holy Grail]', 2007.
* The long term ultimate objective – the holy grail – is we would like to help make life multi-planetary.
* We got to the moon, but have never done anything better since. I'm disappointed that we have not made more progress since Apollo. I don't even see a plan that says we're going to do better than Apollo to exceed that goal.
* I like to be involved in things that change the world. The Internet did, and space will probably be more responsible for changing the world than anything else. If humanity can expand beyond the Earth, obviously that's where the future is.
* If we can be one of the companies that makes it possible for humans to become a multi-planetary species, that would be the Holy Grail. It sounds a bit crazy but it's going to happen, and only if people build the means to do so. We're making progress toward a greater philosophical goal while building a sound business.
* When [[Henry Ford]] made cheap, reliable cars people said, "Nah, what's wrong with a horse?" That was a huge bet he made, and it worked.
* It doesn’t do a great deal to advance the goal of humanity. I would pay $20 million not to spend six months in Russia. And besides this, my interest is how do we enable many other people to go to space, not necessarily me, personally.
* If we can build something that is capable of taking people and equipment to Mars, such that it can service a transportation infrastructure for humanity becoming a multi- planet species - which I think is a very, very important objective - then I would consider the mission of SpaceX successful, at that point.
'''From: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080116110246/http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/1610/Lesson-4-Use-Innovation-To-Break-Through-Your-Limitations.html Lesson #4: Use Innovation To Break Through Your Limitations]', 2007.
* We are used to things improving every year; we are used to having a better cell phone next year than this year; a better lap top. We are even used to some basic things, like we expect more from your car in next year’s model than last year’s model. But this is not the case in space; reliability and cost - those are the fundamental parameters of transportation - have not improved.
* Starting and growing a business is as much about the innovation, drive and determination of the people who do it as it is about the product they sell.
* So even if a fire develops, it can't really attack the particularly vulnerable locations like the pneumatic system or the avionics or the engine bay. We want to be in the situation that even if a fire develops, the rocket just keeps going.
* A great deal of bargaining power with suppliers. We are never locked in to anyone.
'''From: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080115030617/http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/1610/Lesson-5-Tap-Into-Todays-Top-Talent.html Lesson #5: Tap Into Today’s Top Talent]', 2007.
* I think it is a mistake to hire huge numbers of people to get a complicated job done. Numbers will never compensate for talent in getting the right answer (two people who don't know something are no better than one), will tend to slow down progress, and will make the task incredibly expensive.
* My approach is simply to seek out very talented people, ensure that the environment at SpaceX is as motivating & enjoyable as possible and establish clear & measurable objectives.
* [[Systems engineering|Rocket engineering]] is not like ditch digging. With ditch digging you can get 100 people and dig a ditch, and you will dig it a hundred times as faster if you get 100 people versus one. With rockets, you have to solve the problem of a particular level of difficulty; one person who can solve the problem is worth an infinite number of people who can’t.
* I think that is a mistake and results in cloudy judgment on important technical issues. They can't tell if something is really good or not, so they just do what everyone else does, assuming it to be the safe bet.
* We're adding a triple sign-off for all work done on the launch pad, on flight components, and flight critical GSE. You have a technician, a responsible engineer, and then quality assurance will sign the final, record all information, and take photographs of all the work that was done, and then make sure that all information is put into our quality assurance database, which is reviewed prior to launch.
* Although I am new in the business, my team is not. I would say that, person for person, there has never been a better rocket company in existence, in history. I don’t think there has ever been a group this talented in one place, in one company, developing a rocket – ever.
'''From: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080117152711/http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/1610/From-PayPal-To-Planetary-Success-How-Musk-Is-Changing-The-World-One-Company-At-A-Time.html From PayPal To Planetary Success: How Musk Is Changing The World One Company At A Time]', 2007.
* If you have millions of dollars it changes your lifestyle, and anyone who says differently is talking bullshit. I don’t need to work, from a standard of living point of view, but I do, you know. I work every day and on weekends and I haven’t taken a vacation for years.
* This is the chance to fulfill a dream.
* I’m nauseatingly pro-American. It is where great things are possible.
* As life’s agents, it’s on our shoulders.

===2008===
* It was obviously a big disappointment not to reach orbit on this flight ... The most important message I’d like to send right now is that SpaceX will not skip a beat in execution going forward. We have flight four of Falcon 1 almost ready for flight and flight five right behind that. ... There should be absolutely zero question that SpaceX will prevail in reaching orbit and demonstrating reliable space transport. '''For my part, I will never give up and I mean never.'''
** 2 August 2008 [https://web.archive.org/web/20080915101342/http://spacex.com/updates.php#Update080208 in a message to SpaceX employees] after the failed third launch of the [[w:Falcon 1|Falcon 1]].
* Sooner or later, we must expand life beyond our little blue mud ball--or go extinct.
** 1 October 2008 [http://www.esquire.com/features/75-most-influential/elon-musk-1008 via Esquire]

===2009===
* The heroes of the books I read, ''The Lord of the Rings'' and the ''Foundation'' series, always felt a duty to save the world.
** 24 August 2009 {{cite web|url = http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/24/plugged-in|title = Plugged In: Can Elon Musk lead the way to an electric-car future? | publisher = New Yorker}}

===2012===
* When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.
** 18 March 2012 ''60 Minutes'', season 44, episode 26

* We need to figure out how to have the things we love, and not destroy the world.
** 26 March 2012 {{cite web|title=Driving With Elon Musk|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSNXhHTLLIk}}

* In terms of the Internet, it's like humanity acquiring a collective nervous system. Whereas previously we were more like a... collection of cells that communicated by diffusion. With the advent of the Internet, it was suddenly like we got a nervous system. It's a hugely impactful thing.
** 26 April 2012 {{cite news|last=Mann|first=Adam|title=Video: Wired’s Interview with SpaceX’s Elon Musk|url=http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/04/elon-musk-hangout/|accessdate=18 August|newspaper=Wired}}

* So, I think the best analogy for rocket engineers, if you want to create complicated software, you can't run as an integrated whole, or run on the computer it's intended to run on, but, first time you run it, it has to run with no bugs. That's the essence of it. So ... we missed the mark there.
** 15 June 2012 [https://web.archive.org/web/20140622185729/https://commencement.caltech.edu/archive/speakers/2012_address 15 June 2012 Caltech Commencement Address]

* I'd rather be optimistic and wrong; than pessimistic and right. .. We have planes, trains, automobiles and boats, ... What if there was a fifth mode?
** 13 July 2012 {{cite news|last=Garber|first=Megan|title=The Real iPod: Elon Musk's Wild Idea for a 'Jetson Tunnel' from S.F. to L.A.|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/the-real-ipod-elon-musks-wild-idea-for-a-jetson-tunnel-from-sf-to-la/259825/|accessdate=21 July 2012|newspaper=The Atlantic}} regarding [[Hyperloop]]

* One thing that is important is that, if you have a choice between a lower valuation with someone you really like, or higher valuation with someone you have a question mark about, take the lower valuation.
** 17 July 2012 during interview with PandoDaily - Fireside Chat With Elon Musk

* I would like to die on Mars; just not on impact.
** 12 September 2012 {{cite news|last=Vance|first=Ashley|title=Elon Musk, the 21st Century Industrialist|url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-09-13/elon-musk-the-21st-century-industrialist#p5|accessdate=14 September 2012|newspaper=Bloomberg}}

===2013===
* Since our primary competitors [in space launch] are national governments, the enforceability of patents is questionable.
** 19 March 2013 {{cite web|title=Elon Musk: The mind behind Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity ...|url=http://www.ted.com/talks/elon_musk_the_mind_behind_tesla_spacex_solarcity.html}}

* Even if there's a zombie apocalypse, you'll still be able to travel using the Tesla Supercharging system.
** 30 May 2013 {{cite web|url = http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/tesla-speeds-free-nationwide-charging-network-20-minute-183456360.html|title = Tesla speeds up free nationwide charging network, 20-minute quick repower | publisher = Yahoo!}}

===2014===
====Foreword to Marc Kaufman's ''Mars Up Close''====
:2014 source [https://books.google.com/books/about/Mars_Up_Close.html?id=o6XaCwAAQBAJ ''Mars Up Close: Inside the Curiosity Mission'']. [[w:National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]. ISBN 978-1-4262-1278-9.
* I plan to travel to [[w:Mars|Mars]] and make it my home. .. People should be traveling to Mars and doing it in our lifetime.
** p. 9

* Only by breaking through to new paradigms of space travel will more than a handful of us ever get to Mars and make it a potentially livable place... Getting to Mars is too big an accomplishment for us to feel proud by just by swinging by. We are a nation of enterprise as well as exploration, and we're not about to go there without making something of it.
** p. 10

* Sending large numbers of people to explore and settle Mars in the decades ahead isn't inevitable, but it is entirely possible. The biggest challenge isn't the engineering and spacecraft, however difficult they may be. Instead, it's making sure that a sustained Mars campaign proceeds as a national priority, and that will happen only if the American people are behind it. We have the opportunity now to make this happen. We might not be so fortunate in the future.
** p. 13

===2015===
* Everything works in PowerPoint; but if you have the physical item or some demonstration software, that's much more convincing to people than a PowerPoint presentation or a business plan.
** January 23, 2015 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUuJKC3miLc Colonizing Mars The Future Belongs to SpaceX and Elon Musk]

* First, you're going to have to live in transparent domes, but eventually, you can transform Mars into an Earth-like planet. You can warm it up.
** On ''[[w:The Late Show with Stephen Colbert|The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]]'' (September 9, 2015), as cited in [https://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/11/us/elon-musk-mars-nuclear-bomb-colbert-feat/index.html "Elon Musk’s new idea: Nuke Mars"], ''CNN'' (September 11, 2015)
** On the show, [[w:Stephen Colbert|Stephen Colbert]] said he had been trying to decide whether Musk was a superhero or a supervillain, the exchange led him to conclude the latter. [[w:University of Colorado Boulder|University of Colorado]] atmospheric and ocean sciences professor [[w:Owen Toon|Brian Toon]] told the [https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-elon-musk-mars-20150910-htmlstory.html ''Los Angeles Times'']: "It seems possible to make it Earthlike, but there's a lot of barriers to overcome [...] Blowing up bombs is not a good one."

* [The quick way to warm the planet] '''Drop thermonuclear weapons over the poles.'''
** On ''[[w:The Late Show with Stephen Colbert|The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]]'' (September 9, 2015), as cited in [https://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/11/us/elon-musk-mars-nuclear-bomb-colbert-feat/index.html "Elon Musk’s new idea: Nuke Mars"], ''CNN'' (September 11, 2015)
** On the show, [[w:Stephen Colbert|Stephen Colbert]] said he had been trying to decide whether Musk was a superhero or a supervillain, the exchange led him to conclude the latter. [[w:University of Colorado Boulder|University of Colorado]] atmospheric and ocean sciences professor [[w:Owen Toon|Brian Toon]] told the [https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-elon-musk-mars-20150910-htmlstory.html ''Los Angeles Times'']: "It seems possible to make it Earthlike, but there's a lot of barriers to overcome [...] Blowing up bombs is not a good one."

* I'm trying to do useful things.
** On ''[[w:The Late Show with Stephen Colbert|The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]]'' (September 9, 2015), as cited in [https://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/11/us/elon-musk-mars-nuclear-bomb-colbert-feat/index.html "Elon Musk’s new idea: Nuke Mars"], ''CNN'' (September 11, 2015)
** On the show, [[w:Stephen Colbert|Stephen Colbert]] said he had been trying to decide whether Musk was a superhero or a supervillain, the exchange led him to conclude the latter. [[w:University of Colorado Boulder|University of Colorado]] atmospheric and ocean sciences professor [[w:Owen Toon|Brian Toon]] told the [https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-elon-musk-mars-20150910-htmlstory.html ''Los Angeles Times'']: "It seems possible to make it Earthlike, but there's a lot of barriers to overcome [...] Blowing up bombs is not a good one."

* They [Apple] have hired people we've fired. We always jokingly call Apple the "Tesla Graveyard." If you don't make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I'm not kidding. ... cars are very complex compared to phones or smartwatches. You can't just go to a supplier like Foxconn and say: Build me a car. But for Apple, the car is the next logical thing to finally offer a significant innovation. A new pencil or a bigger iPad alone were not relevant enough.
** September 25, 2015 [http://global.handelsblatt.com/edition/271/ressort/companies-markets/article/all-charged-up-in-berlin All Charged Up in Berlin] in ''Handelsblatt''

* AI is much more advanced than people realize. ... Humanity's position on this planet depends on its intelligence so if our intelligence is exceeded, it's unlikely that we will remain in charge of the planet.
** 25 October 2015 [http://zdnet.com/article/artificial-intelligence-should-we-be-as-terrified-as-elon-musk-and-bill-gates Artificial intelligence: Should we be as terrified as Elon Musk and Bill Gates?] in ''ZDNet''

===2016===
* SpaceX's got 5,000 people. I get a lot of attention, but they are really doing the work.
** 8 April 2016 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz60GcmKOvc SpaceX Dragon Headed to the ISS] at NASA Post-Launch News Conference

* I think we have a duty to maintain the light of consciousness to make sure it continues into the future.
** 8 March 2016 {{cite web|title=50-innovation-quotes-from-spacex-founder-elon-musk |url=https://www.inc.com/larry-kim/50-innovation-amp;-success-quotes-from-spacex-founder-elon-musk.html}}

* The probability of death is quite high on the first [human] mission [to Mars].
** 27 September 2016 [https://www.popsci.com/elon-musks-master-plan-for-colonizing-mars-gives-us-sci-fi-future-we-crave "Elon Musk's Plan To Colonize Mars Gives Us The Sci-Fi Future We Crave: Now let's see if he can make it reality."] ''Popular Science'' magazine

* It would be an incredible adventure. And life needs to be more than just solving every day problems. You need to wake up and be excited about the future
** On "eyeing" for Mars, IAC 2016 meeting, presentation on sustainable Mars colonization.

* I can be on my own private island with naked super models, drinking mai tais, but I'm not. I'm in the factory working my ass off, so I don't want to hear about how hard everyone else in the factory works.
** Quoted in "Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century" (2021) by Tim Higgins

===2017===
* People are mistaken when they think that technology just automatically improves. It does not automatically improve. It only improves if a lot of people work very hard to make it better, and actually it will, I think, by itself degrade, actually. You look at great civilizations like Ancient Egypt, and they were able to make the pyramids, and they forgot how to do that. And then the Romans, they built these incredible aqueducts. They forgot how to do it.
** 9 May 2017 [http://www.businessinsider.com/brilliant-career-advice-from-elon-musk-2017-5 Career advice from Elon Musk's latest TED interview, in one sentence] at 2017 TED conference

* I think there is a strong humanitarian argument for making life multi-planetary in order to safeguard the existence of humanity in the event that something catastrophic were to happen.
** 3 October 2017 in DK Smithsonian, ''Journey: An Illustrated History of Travel'', ISBN 978-1-4654-6414-9 (Page 343).

* Every person in your company is a vector. Your progress is determined by the sum of all vectors.
** 16 October 2017 in [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-elon-musk-taught-me-growing-business-dharmesh-shah/ LinkedIn: What Elon Musk Taught Me About Growing A Business]

* Rocket tech applied to a car opens up revolutionary possibilities.
** 19 November 2017 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/932322853009080320 tweet]

* I love Twitter. How much is it?
** 22 December 2017 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/943902052542849024 tweet] & [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/943901463998169088 tweet]

===2018===
* Holy flying fuck, that thing took off!
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL4dnvBytLA 12 February 2018] reaction to Falcon Heavy Launch

* I don’t get the little ship thing. You can’t show up at Mars in something the size of a rowboat. What if there are Martians? It would be so embarrassing.
** [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/965769366422798337 19 February 2018]

* Never saw this British expat guy who lives in Thailand (sus) at any point when we were in the caves. Only people in sight were the Thai navy/army guys, who were great. Thai navy seals escorted us in — total opposite of wanting us to leave. Water level was actually very low & still (not flowing) — you could literally have swum to Cave 5 with no gear, which is obv how the kids got in. If not true, then I challenge this dude to show final rescue video. You know what, don’t bother showing the video. We will make one of the mini-sub/pod going all the way to Cave 5 no problemo. Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.
** 15 July 2018 referring to British diver Vern Unsworth, who participated in the [[w:Tham Luang cave rescue#Search and contact|Tham Luang cave rescue]]. As quoted in ''[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/thai-cave-rescue-elon-musk-british-diver-vern-unsworth-twitter-pedo-a8448366.html Elon Musk calls British diver who helped rescue Thai schoolboys 'pedo guy' in Twitter outburst]'' by Eleanor Busby, ''{{w|The Independent}}''.

* I suggest that you call people you know in Thailand, find out what’s actually going on and stop defending child rapists, you fucking asshole. He’s an old, single white guy from England who’s been traveling to or living in Thailand for 30 to 40 years, mostly Pattaya Beach, until moving to Chiang Rai for a child bride who was about 12 years old at the time. As for this alleged threat of a lawsuit, which magically appeared when I raised the issue (nothing was sent or raised beforehand), I fucking hope he sues me.
** 30 August 2018 e-mail to Ryan Mac of BuzzFeed with follow-up commentary about Unsworth, per [https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/elon-musk-thai-cave-rescuer-accusations-buzzfeed-email 4 September 2018 article]
*** [https://twitter.com/RMac18/status/1037411295224623104 this tweet] from Ryan Mac has Mac claim "I did not agree to go off the record, and he never asked." however the screenshot of the e-mail shows that Musk precedes this private e-mail to him with "Off the record"

* Off the record. We haven't had a conversation at all. I sent you an off the record email, which very clearly and unambiguously said "off the record". If you want to publish off the record comments and destroy your journalistic credibility, that's up to you. As for answering more questons, I would be happy to do so, but not with someone who just told me that they will not honor accepted rules of journalism.
** 4 September 2018 [https://twitter.com/RMac18/status/1037412604724039683 retort] to [[Ryan Mac]]

* People tend to think like, 'Why should electric vehicles have a subsidy,' but they're not taking into account that all fossil fuel-burning vehicles fundamentally are subsidized by the cost—the environmental cost—to Earth, but nobody's paying for it... We are going to pay for it, obviously—in the future we'll pay for it. It's just not paid for now.
** interview with [[Joe Rogan]] (September 6, 2018)

* if you assume any rate of improvement at all, then games will be indistinguishable from reality we could be in base reality this is just about [[probability]] there are many, many simulations you might as well call them reality, or [[multiverse]] they're running on the substrate ... that substrate is probably boring
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycPr5-27vSI discussing simulation theory on #1169] of ''[[Joe Rogan]] Experience'' (September 7, 2018)
** [https://www.space.com/41749-elon-musk-living-in-simulation-rogan-podcast.html "We're Probably Living in a Simulation, Elon Musk Says"], ''space.com''

* Guardian is the most insufferable newspaper on planet Earth.
** 7 September 2018 [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/sep/07/tesla-chief-elon-musk-smokes-marijuana-on-live-web-show e-mail to Guardian], possibly repeated later on a [[Joe Rogan]] podcast

* I don't think most people, even in the aerospace industry, like, know what question to ask. Like it took us a long time to even frame the question correctly. But once we could frame the question correctly, the answer was, I wouldn't say easy, but, '''the answer flowed once the question could be framed with precision'''. Framing that question with precision was very difficult.
** 17 September 2018 regarding the BFR, during announcement of first private passenger on lunar mission

* im actually cat girl here’s selfie rn
** 25 October 2018 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1055653541317042177 tweet]

* [Artificial intelligence] is just digital intelligence. And as the algorithms and the hardware improve, that digital intelligence will exceed biological intelligence by a substantial margin. It's obvious. Ensuring that the advent of AI is good, or at least we try to make it good, seems like a smart move. '''We're not paying attention. We worry more about what name somebody called someone else, than whether AI will destroy humanity. That's insane. We're like children in a playground.''' ... The way in which a regulation is put in place is slow and linear. If you have a linear response to an exponential threat, it's quite likely the exponential threat will win. That, in a nutshell, is the issue. .. Your probability of dying on Mars is much higher than earth. Really, the ad for going to Mars would be like [[Ernest Shackleton#Misattributed|Shackleton’s ad]] for going to the Antarctic: '''"It’s gonna be hard. There’s a good chance of death, going in a little can through deep space. You might land successfully. Once you land successfully, you’ll be working nonstop to build the base. So, you know, not much time for leisure. And even after doing all this, it’s a very harsh environment, so there’s a good chance you die there. We think you can come back, but we’re not sure."''' Now, does that sound like an escape hatch for rich people? .. No one should put this many hours into work. This is not good. People should not work this hard. They should not do this. This is very painful. ...it hurts my brain and my heart. ... This is not recommended for anyone. ... I just did it because if I didn't do it, then there was a good chance Tesla would die. .. I believe there’s some explanation for this universe, which you might call God.
** 25 November 2018 ''Axios'', season 1, episode 4

* When a species of primate, ''homo sapiens'', became much smarter than other primates, it pushed all the other ones into a very small habitat. So there are very few mountain gorillas and orangutans and chimpanzees — monkeys in general. They occupy small corners of the world - cages...zoos. Even the jungles that they're in are narrowly defined so they were sort of like big cages ... So, you know, that's one possible outcome for us.
** Quoted in [https://www.axios.com/2018/11/26/elon-musk-humans-must-merge-with-machines-1543240787 "Elon Musk: Humans must merge with machines"], ''Axios'' (Nov 26, 2018)

===2019===
* The fundamental message that consumers should be taking today is that it's financially insane to buy anything other than a Tesla. It would be like owning a horse in three years. I mean, fine if you want to own a horse. But you should go into it with that expectation. If you buy a car that does not have the hardware for full self-driving, it is like buying a horse. And the only car that has the hardware for full self-driving is a Tesla.
** 22 April 2019 during the Tesla Autonomy Investor Day, at Tesla Headquarters in Palo Alto, CA

* It’s so insane the way rockets work today. It would be like if you got a plane and the way you get to your destination is you bail out with a parachute over the city in question and your plane crash lands somewhere. That’s how rockets work today—with the exception of Falcon 9. This is completely bonkers. ..If it were to take longer to convince NASA and the authorities that we can do it versus just doing it, then [SpaceX] might just do it [ourselves]. It may literally be easier to just land Starship on the moon than try to convince NASA that we can.
** 12 July 2019 in [https://time.com/5628572/elon-musk-moon-landing/ ''Time'' magazine article]

*'''Nuke Mars!''' T-shirt soon.
** 15 August 2019 tweets, as cited in [https://www.space.com/elon-musk-nuke-mars-terraforming.html "Elon Musk Floats 'Nuke Mars' Idea Again (He Has T-Shirts)"], ''Space.com'' (August 17, 2019)

* Nuke Mars refers to a continuous stream of very low fallout nuclear fusion explosions above the atmosphere to create artificial suns. Much like our sun, this would not cause Mars to become radioactive. Not risky imo & can be adjusted/improved real-time. Essentially need to figure out most effective way to convert mass to energy, as Mars is slightly too far from this solar system's fusion reactor (the sun).
** 20 August 2019 tweet as cited in [https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/nuke-mars-elon-musk-seems-serious-about-plan-terraform-red-ncna1045181 "Nuke Mars? Elon Musk seems serious about plan to terraform the red planet"], ''NBC News'' (August 22, 2019, reprinted from Space.com)

* No, just like [Unsworth] didn’t clarify he wanted to sodomize me with a submarine. I didn’t think it required clarification, I think that would have been worse. If you called someone a motherf’er I don’t think you would have to clarify you don’t actually commit incest. It would sound disingenuous.
** 3 December 2019 per [https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/03/media/elon-musk-testifies/index.html CNN article] exploring lawsuit from Vernon Unsworth

===="Starship Update" talk at the SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas on September 28, 2019====
* According to the geological records, earth has been around for around 4.5 billion years, although it was mostly molten magma for about half a billion years... The sun is gradually getting hotter and bigger, and over time, even in the absence of global warming — the man-made stuff — the sun will expand and it will overheat the earth. My guess is probably... there is only several hundred million years left.... '''Basically, if it took an extra 10% longer for conscious life to evolve on earth, it wouldn't evolve at all, because it would have been incinerated by the sun.''' ... '''It appears that consciousness is a very rare and precious thing, and we should take whatever steps we can to preserve the light of consciousness''', and the window has been open; only now after four and a half billion years is that window open, that's a long time to wait ... I'm pretty optimistic by nature, but there's some chance that window will not be open for long, I think we should become a multi-planet civilization while that window is open, and if we do the I think probable outcome for Earth is even better, because then you know Mars could help Earth one day. And so I think we should really do our very best to become a multi-planet species and to extend consciousness beyond Earth, and we should do it now. Thank you.
** https://youtube.com/watch?v=sOpMrVnjYeY&t=2303

* I have this mantra. It's called, '''"If a schedule is long, it's wrong. If it's tight, it's right."''' And I've just, basically just go recursive improvement on schedule, with feedback loop. "Did this make it go faster? OK. If it didn't, we're going to need to fix it." '''If the design takes a long time to build, it's the wrong design.''' This is the fundamental thing. Over and over, the tendency is to complicate things. And I have another thing which is, '''the best part is no part. The best process is no process. It weighs nothing, costs nothing, can't go wrong.''' So, as obvious as that sounds, the best part is no part. The thing I'm most impressed with, when I have the design meetings at SpaceX, is "What did you undesign?" '''Undesigning is the best thing. Just delete it. That's the best thing.'''
** During Q&A at the "Starship Update" presentation, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOpMrVnjYeY&t=4807

===2020===
* If somebody wants to stay in their house, that’s great. They should be allowed to stay in their house, and they should not be compelled to leave. But to say that they cannot leave their house, and they will be arrested if they do, this is fascist. This is not democratic. This is not freedom.
** 30 April 2020 quote by Susan Walsh, “Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg Aren’t on the Same Page,” ''New York Times''

* This notion though, that you can just sort of send checks out to everybody and things will be fine is not true, obviously. Some have this absurd view that the economy is like some magic horn of plenty… that just makes stuff. There’s a magic horn of plenty, and the goods and services, they just come from this magic horn of plenty. And then if somebody has more stuff than somebody else, it’s because they took more from this magic horn of plenty. Now let me just break it to the fools out there: If you don’t make stuff, there’s no stuff. If you don’t make the food, if you don’t process the food, if you don’t transport the food, medical treatment, getting your teeth fixed, there’s no stuff. We’ve become detached from reality. You can’t just legislate money and solve these things. If you don’t make stuff, there is no stuff.
** 7 May 2020 on [https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/joe-rogan-elon-musk-podcast-transcript-may-7-2020 podcast] with Joe Rogan

* We must pass the great filter!
** 21 June 2020 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1274614961151414273 tweet] and [https://techstartups.com/2020/06/21/elon-musk-we-must-pass-the-great-filter-social-media-is-a-limbic-amplifier-which-inherently-destabilizes-civilization TechFilter]

* We [the United States] will coup whoever we want! Deal with it.
** 24 July 2020 [https://web.archive.org/web/20200725105419/https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1286866843307737088 tweet (archived)]

* The extreme difficulty of scaling production of new technology is not well understood. It’s 1000% to 10,000% harder than making a few prototypes. The machine that makes the machine is vastly harder than the machine itself.
** 21 September 2020 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1308284091142266881 tweet]

===2021===
* All designs are wrong, it's just a matter of how wrong.
** Said while giving tour of Starbase to [[w:Tim Dodd|Tim Dodd]] (July 30, 2021), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t705r8ICkRw

*Possibly, the most common error of a smart engineer is to optimize something that should not exist.
**Said while giving tour of Starbase to Tim Dodd (July 30, 2021), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t705r8ICkRw

* If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it. But it must be open source accounting, so the public sees precisely how the money is spent.
** 31 October 2021 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1454808104256737289 9:50am reply by Elon] to [https://twitter.com/DrEliDavid/status/1454475769200185349 30 October 2021 tweet] by [[Eli David]] regarding the United Nations' World Food Program, reported [https://www.rebelnews.com/elon_musk_calls_out_un_director_bluff_that_his_wealth_could_solve_world_hunger 1 November 2021 by RebelNews]
*** Eli was responding to a 26 October 2021 in response article by Eoin McSweeney and Adam Pourahmadi of CNN Business. It was originally titled [https://archive.md/uOM6k "2% of Elon Musk's wealth could solve world hunger"] but the title was amended to [https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/26/economy/musk-world-hunger-wfp-intl/index.html "2% of Elon Musk's wealth could help solve world hunger"] (adding "help")
**** McSceeney and Pourahmadi are referencing David Beasley's interview on CNN's Connect the World with Becky Anderson

* What happened here?
** October 31, 2021 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1454930023966773249 9:55pm reply] to [[David Beasley]]
*** Musk included in this tweet a link to [https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/627783/Starving-children-as-young-as-NINE-forced-to-give-UN-officials-oral-sex-to-get-food/amp an 18 December 2015 article by Jonathan Bucks of Express]

* Bernie is a taker, not a maker
** November 14, 2021 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1460051518124699650 tweet] about [[Bernie Sanders]]

* For those wondering, I will pay over $11 billion in taxes this year.
** [https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/12/20/elon-musk-claims-he-will-pay-more-than-11-billion-in-taxes-this-year/?sh=25a1d7724675 “Elon Musk Claims He Will Pay More Than $11 Billion In Taxes This Year.”] Forbes, Siladitya, (December 20, 2021) [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1472754632325795843?lang=en tweet on Dec. 19, 2021]

* "I find history fascinating. There's a lot of incredible things that have been done, good and bad, that they help you understand the nature of civilization and individuals."
** [https://deepcast.fm/episode/1696/252-elon-musk-spacex-mars-tesla-autopilot-self-driving-robotics-and-ai#quotes/ "#252 - Elon Musk: SpaceX, Mars, Tesla Autopilot, Self-Driving, Robotics, and AI", on Lex Fridman Podcast, found on DeepCast] (28 December 2021)

* "We need to expand the scope and scale of consciousness so that we're better able to understand the nature of the universe and understand the meaning of life."
** [https://deepcast.fm/episode/1696/252-elon-musk-spacex-mars-tesla-autopilot-self-driving-robotics-and-ai#quotes/ "#252 - Elon Musk: SpaceX, Mars, Tesla Autopilot, Self-Driving, Robotics, and AI", on Lex Fridman Podcast, found on DeepCast] (28 December 2021)

===2022===
* If you scare people enough, they will demand removal of freedom. This is the path to tyranny.
** Tweet (January. 27, 2022), as cited in [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-joe-biden-covid-b2002867.html "Musk calls Biden a 'damp sock puppet' and rants about Covid-19 restrictions: 'This is the path to tyranny'"] ''The Independent'' (London, January 28, 2022)
** Response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]].

* I don't think we should try to have people live for a really long time. That it would cause asphyxiation of society because the truth is, most people don't change their mind. They just die. So if they don't die, we will be stuck with old ideas and society wouldn't advance.
** [https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-interview-axel-springer-tesla-war-in-ukraine-2022-3 "Musk Discusses War in Ukraine and Importance of Nuclear Power"], ''[[w:Business Insider]]'' (March 26, 2022)

* I'm talking about not having kids in the first place. That's the problem.
** Tweet (April 3, 2022), cited in [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/07/elon-musk-tries-to-populate-mars-himself.html "Is Elon Musk Trying to Populate Mars Himself?"] ''New York'' magazine (July 7, 2022).
** The total population of the world is now 8 billion.

* A good sign as to whether there is free speech is, "Is someone you don't like allowed to say something you don't like?"
** [https://www.ted.com/talks/elon_musk_elon_musk_talks_twitter_tesla_and_how_his_brain_works_live_at_ted2022 "Elon Musk talks Twitter, Tesla and how his brain works"], TED2022 (April 14, 2022; at 19:39)

* This is not a way to make money.... I don't care about the economics at all.
** [https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/elon-musk-twitter-free-speech-1.6419523 "Elon Musk launches hostile bid for [[Twitter]] claiming free-speech concerns"], ''CBC'' (April 14, 2022)

* This is just my strong, intuitive sense ... that having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization
** [https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/elon-musk-twitter-free-speech-1.6419523 "Elon Musk launches hostile bid for [[Twitter]] claiming free-speech concerns"], ''CBC'' (April 14, 2022)

* Do you still have a half billion dollar short position against Tesla? Sorry, but I cannot take your philanthropy on climate change seriously when you have a massive short position against Tesla, the company doing the most to solve climate change.
** April 22, 2022 reply to [[Bill Gates]] per [https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-turned-down-bill-gates-philanthropy-over-tesla-short-2022-4 Business Insider article]

* NBC basically saying Republicans are Nazis … Same org that covered up Hunter Biden laptop story, had Harvey Weinstein story early & killed it & built Matt Lauer his rape office. Lovely people.
** May 2, 2022 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1521181798067224578 tweet]

* Apple's store is like having a 30% tax on the Internet. Definitely not ok. Literally 10 times higher than it should be.
** [http://macrumors.com/2022/05/03/elon-musk-criticizes-app-store-fees Elon Musk Says Apple's 30% App Store Fee is 'Literally 10 Times Higher Than It Should Be'] in ''MacRumors'' (3 May 2022).

* A collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far. Doing my best to help the underpopulation crisis.
** Tweet (July 7, 2022), as cited in [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/07/07/elon-musk-reportedly-welcomed-twins-secret-last-year-one-top/ "Elon Musk says he is 'doing his bit to help underpopulation' after fathering twins with executive"] ''The Telegraph'' (July 7, 2022)
** Tweet followed the birth of twins taking his reported number of children to 9.

* Population of Mars is still zero people!
** Tweet (July 7, 2022), cited in [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/07/elon-musk-tries-to-populate-mars-himself.html "Is Elon Musk Trying to Populate Mars Himself?"] ''New York'' magazine (July 7, 2022)

* I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset. Dems should also call off the attack – don’t make it so that Trump’s only way to survive is to regain the Presidency.
** [https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/12/elon-musk-says-its-time-for-trump-to-sail-into-the-sunset.html "Elon Musk says it’s time for Trump to ‘sail into the sunset’"], ''CNBC'' (July 12, 2024)

* Let’s try this then: the will of the people who live in the Donbas & Crimea should decide whether they’re part of Russia or Ukraine
** October 3, 2022 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1576994262226702336 poll on Twitter] - the voting options were 'yes' and 'no'

* You are assuming that I wish to be popular. I don't care. I do care that millions of people may die needlessly for an essentially identical outcome. Russia is doing partial mobilization. They go to full war mobilization if Crimea is at risk. Death on both sides will be devastating. Russia has >3 times population of Ukraine, so victory for Ukraine is unlikely in total war. If you care about the people of Ukraine, seek peace.
** October 3, 2022 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1576998577758666752 tweet]

* I still very much support Ukraine, but am convinced that massive escalation of the war will cause great harm to Ukraine and possibly the world.
** (October 3, 2022; 7:47pm) [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1577083012914651142 tweet]

* I play the fool on Twitter and often shoot myself in the foot and cause myself all sorts of trouble . . . I don't know, I find it vaguely therapeutic to express myself on Twitter. It's a way to get messages out to the public.
** Predicted dangerous changes in [https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2013GL058376 the Sun], as opposed to [[w:Climate change|climate change]] caused by humans, are not considered likely to happen for 1 to 1.5 billion years.

* Something will happen to Earth eventually, it’s just a question of time. Eventually the sun will expand and destroy all life on Earth, so we do need to move at some point, or at least be a multi-planet species. [...] You have to ask the question: do we want to be a space-flying civilisation and a multi-planet species or not? [...] It's a question of what percentage of resources should we devote to such an endeavour? I think if you say 1 per cent of resources, that's probably a reasonable amount.
** Interview comments cited in the [https://www.ft.com/content/5ef14997-982e-4f03-8548-b5d67202623a "Elon Musk: 'Aren’t you entertained?'"], ''Financial Times'' (October 7, 2022)
** Predicted dangerous changes in [https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2013GL058376 the Sun], as opposed to [[w:Climate change|climate change]] caused by humans, are not considered likely to happen for 1 to 1.5 billion years.

* I'm subject to literally a million laws and regulations and I obey almost 99.99 per cent of them. It's only when I think the law is contrary to the interest of the people that I have an issue.
** Interview comments cited in the [https://www.ft.com/content/5ef14997-982e-4f03-8548-b5d67202623a "Elon Musk: 'Aren’t you entertained?'"], ''Financial Times'' (October 7, 2022)
** Predicted dangerous changes in [https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2013GL058376 the Sun], as opposed to [[w:Climate change|climate change]] caused by humans, are not considered likely to happen for 1 to 1.5 billion years.

* I have spoken to [[Vladimir Putin|Putin]] only once and that was about 18 months ago. The subject matter was space.
** [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1579879154463690752 Tweet] (October 11, 2022), as cited in [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/11/elon-musk-denies-report-he-spoke-to-putin-about-use-of-nuclear-weapons "Elon Musk denies report he spoke to Putin about use of nuclear weapons"], ''The Guardian'' (October 11, 2022)
** [https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/11/business/elon-musk-ian-bremmer-putin-ukraine-intl-hnk/index.html It had been claimed Musk had spoken to Putin recently about Musk's peace plan] which would have meant Ukraine accepting neutrality and Crimea being part of Russia, also stated objectives of the Russian government.

* To be frank, we’re very pedal to the metal come rain or shine. We are not reducing our production in any meaningful way, recession or not recession.
** Quoted speaking about Tesla in [https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/19/elon-musk-says-tesla-is-pedal-to-the-metal-even-in-recession.html?msockid=2ed1dc5b67bb6e781f29ca7f669c6fb2 "Elon Musk says Tesla is ‘pedal to the metal’ even with potential recession looming"], ''CNBC'' (Oct 19 2022)

* I see a path for Tesla to be worth more than Apple and Saudi Aramco combined.
** [http://appleinsider.com/articles/22/10/19/elon-musk-again-claims-one-day-tesla-will-get-bigger-than-apple-is-today Elon Musk again claims one day Tesla will get bigger than Apple is today] in ''AppleInsider'' (20 October 2022).

* The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence. There is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right-wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society... That is why I bought Twitter. I didn't do it because it would be easy. I didn't do it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love ... That said, Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape where anything can be said with no consequences!
** October 27, 2022 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1585619322239561728 tweet]

* There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye,
** 29 October 2022 response to [[Hilary Clinton]] regarding the [[Paul Pelosi]] attack, attested to [https://www.axios.com/2022/10/30/elon-musk-paul-pelosi-tweet-rumor October 30th by Axios], Elon linked to [https://www.smobserved.com/story/2022/10/29/news/the-awful-truth-paul-pelosi-was-drunk-again-and-in-a-dispute-with-a-male-prostitute-early-friday-morning/7191.html this October 29th story] by the Santa Monica Observer. Elon deleted the tweet later that day, after news coverage like [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/elon-musk-paul-pelosi-attack-hillary-clinton-b2213757.html Rachel Sharp of The Independent], and apologized on January 28, 2023, after video of the incident was released to the public. [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1619415871902056449?cxt=HHwWgoDQxfmJqfksAAAA tweet]

* Regarding Twitter’s reduction in force, unfortunately there is no choice when the company is losing over $4M/day.
** [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1588671155766194176 tweet] via[[Twitter]] (November 4, 2022)

* We do
** November 7, 2022 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1589613451839942657 tweet] in response to [[Tom Fitton]] saying "I wonder if @ElonMusk's @Twitter has tortious interference claims against the Left activist groups which are causing damaging advertiser boycotts of the platform?"

* To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic.
** November 7, 2022 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1589639376186724354 tweet]

* And lead us not into temptation …
** November 20, 2022 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1594500655724609536 tweet] accompanying an image of a praying man captioned [[Donald Trump]] ignoring a woman censored by a Twitter logo

* I wonder what Earth will be like 88 million years from now
** November 26, 2022 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1596439328338890752 tweet]

* So city of [[SF]] attacks [[companies]] providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure [[kids]] are safe from {{w|fentanyl}}. Where are your priorities?
** Quoted in [https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-07/san-francisco-investigating-allegation-that-twitter-converted-office-space-to-beds-for-workers San Francisco investigating allegation that Twitter converted office space to bedrooms for workers] by Noah Goldberg (December 7, 2022)

* The Twitter Files on free speech suppression soon to be published on Twitter itself. The public deserves to know what really happened.
** December 8, 2022 [https://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-wikipedia-twitter-twitter-files-1849869127 "Wikipedia Founder Indirectly Tells Elon Musk the Site 'Is Not for Sale'"] by Nikki Main

* Forcing your pronouns upon others when they didn’t ask, and implicitly ostracizing those who don’t, is neither good nor kind to anyone. As for Fauci, he lied to Congress and funded gain-of-function research that killed millions of people. Not awesome imo.
** December 11, 2022 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1602113254360162304 tweet]

* Is there a conspiracy theory about Twitter that didn’t turn out to be true? So far they’ve all turned out to be true — if not more true than people thought.
** [https://rumble.com/v22cxba-elon-musk-on-how-much-more-twitter-files-there-will-be.html “All-In” podcast], theme of show, “all things” with Chamath Palihapitiva, co-host (December 27, 2022)

===2023===
* The media is racist. For a *very* long time, US media was racist against non-white people, now they're racist against whites & Asians. Same thing happened with elite colleges & high schools in America. Maybe they can try not being racist.
** February 26, 2023 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1629764614870167552 tweet] about comments by cartoonist [[Scott Adams]] (26 February 2023), cited in [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64790657 article] ''BBC News'' (February 27, 2023)

* Better to talk to people than communicate via tweet.
** March 8, 2023 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1633240643727138824 tweet]

* Best way to fight misinformation is to respond with accurate information, not censorship
** March 16, 2023 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1636453969491836930 tweet]

* Blooper reel must be amazing.
** March 26, 2023 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1640170427271069699 tweet] referencing [[King Kong]]

* Any parent or doctor who sterilizes a child before they are a consenting adult should go to prison for life
** April 14, 2023 [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1646824088940232704 tweet]

* Now you can still satisfy the [[w:Limbic system|limbic]] instinct but not procreate. So we haven't yet evolved to deal with that because this is all fairly recent in the last 50 years or so before birth control.
* I'm sort of worried that hey, civilization, if we don't make enough people to at least sustain our numbers, perhaps increase a little bit, then civilization's going to crumble.
** On ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' (April 18, 2023), cited in [https://www.salon.com/2023/04/19/elon-musk-tucker-carlson-twitter-birth-control-democracy/ "Elon Musk and "Tucker Carlson Tonight": A distracting match made in misinformation paradise"] ''Salon'' (April 19, 2023)

* You assume they are good intentions. They are not. He wants to erode the very fabric of civilization. [[George Soros|Soros]] hates humanity.
** Tweet (15 May 2023), as cited in [https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/16/business/elon-musk-george-soros/index.html "Elon Musk claims George Soros 'hates humanity.' The ADL says Musk's attacks 'will embolden extremists'"] ''CNN'' (May 16, 2023)
** In an earlier tweet, Musk had compared [[George Soros]], a Jewish Holocaust survivor, to [[w:X-Men|X-Men]] criminal [[w:Magneto (Marvel Comics)|Magneto]], a Marvel comic book survivor of the Holocaust.

* I'll say what I want to say, and if the consequence of that is losing money, so be it.
** Interview on CNBC (May 16, 2023) as cited in [https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-misquotes-princess-bride-tweets-conspiracy-theories-lose-money-2023-5 "Elon Musk misquoted 'The Princess Bride' when asked why he keeps tweeting political opinions and antisemitic conspiracy theories: 'If we lose money, so be it'"] ''Insider'' (17 May 2023)
** In response to criticism over his tweets about George Soros

* I think that the whole notion of work from home is a bit like the fake Marie Antoinette quote, "Let them eat cake". It's not just a productivity thing, I think it’s morally wrong. [...] People should get off the goddamn moral high horse with the work-from-home bullshit.
**Interview on CNBC (May 16, 2023) as cited in [https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/16/elon-musk-work-from-home-morally-wrong-when-some-have-to-show-up.html "Elon Musk: Working from home is ‘morally wrong’ when service workers still have to show up"], ''CNBC'' (Englewood Cliffs, May 16, 2023)

* If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill. No limit.
** https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1688022163574439937

* I support Russell Brand. That man is not evil.
** Tweets/posts on 'X', as cited in [https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russell-brand-supporters-elon-musk-andrew-tate-nqd2hk6nq "The backers of Russell Brand claim ‘agenda’ lies behind allegations"], ''The Times'' (London, September 18, 2023)

* [the media] don’t like the competition.
** Tweets/posts on 'X', as cited in [https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russell-brand-supporters-elon-musk-andrew-tate-nqd2hk6nq "The backers of Russell Brand claim ‘agenda’ lies behind allegations"], ''The Times'' (London, September 18, 2023)

* History is written by the victors. Well, yes, but not if your enemies are still alive and have a lot of time on their hands to edit [[Wikipedia]].
** Tweets/posts on 'X', as cited in [https://twitter.com/KanekoaTheGreat/status/1703911656156430785] (September 19, 2023)

* Have you ever wondered why the [[Wikimedia Foundation]] wants so much money? It certainly isn’t needed to operate Wikipedia. You can literally fit a copy of the entire text on your phone! So, what’s the money for? Inquiring minds want to know…
** [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1716093692698566927 ''X''], (October 22, 2023); as quoted by Matthew Gault, [https://www.vice.com/en/article/elon-musk-still-doesnt-understand-how-wikipedia-works/ “Elon Musk Still Doesn’t Understand How Wikipedia Works”], ''Vice'', (October 23, 2023)

* Instead of knowledge, schools pour poison into the ears of our children
** [https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1711956787081969934?s=46]

* It is not clear who has authority for ground links in [[Gaza]], but do we know that no [[terminal]] has requested a connection in that area
** [https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/28/musk-says-starlink-will-support-connectivity-to-aid-organizations-in-gaza-00124090 Musk says Starlink will support connectivity to aid organizations in Gaza] (28 October, 2023)

* We will have something that is, for the first time smarter than the smartest human. It's hard to say exactly what that moment is, but there will come a point where no job is needed. You can have a job if you wanted to have a job for personal satisfaction. But the AI would be able to do everything. I don't know if that makes people comfortable or uncomfortable. If you wish for a magic genie, that gives you any wish you want, and there's no limit. You don't have those three wish limits nonsense, it's both good and bad. One of the challenges in the future will be how do we find meaning in life.
** [https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/02/tesla-boss-elon-musk-says-ai-will-create-situation-where-no-job-is-needed.html ''Elon Musk says AI will eventually create a situation where 'no job is needed'''] (November 2, 2023)

* You can have a job if you want to have it for personal pleasure. But AI could do everything.
**[https://archive.vn/rEURg Bill Gates teases the possibility of a 3-day work week where ‘machines can make all the food and stuff’] (November 23, 2023)

* What this advertising boycott is going to do is, it is going to kill the company [...] And the whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company
** From an interview with [[w:Andrew Ross Sorkin|Andrew Ross Sorkin]] at ''The New York Times'' Dealbook Summit (29 November 2023), as cited in [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/elon-musk-talks-x-advertiser-exodus-dealbook-summit-1235698937/ "Elon Musk to Advertisers Who Left X: 'Go F*** Yourself'"], ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (29 November 2023)
** [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/bob-iger-dealbook-summit-disney-1235698528/ At the same event], earlier in the day, Disney CEO [[Bob Iger]] had explained his reasons for ceasing to advertise on X (formerly known as Twitter).

* Don't advertise. If someone is going to try and blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go fuck yourself [...] Go fuck yourself, is that clear? Hey Bob, if you're in the audience. That's how I feel, don't advertise.
** From an interview with [[w:Andrew Ross Sorkin|Andrew Ross Sorkin]] at ''The New York Times'' Dealbook Summit (29 November 2023), as cited in [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/elon-musk-talks-x-advertiser-exodus-dealbook-summit-1235698937/ "Elon Musk to Advertisers Who Left X: 'Go F*** Yourself'"], ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (29 November 2023)
** [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/bob-iger-dealbook-summit-disney-1235698528/ At the same event], earlier in the day, Disney CEO [[Bob Iger]] had explained his reasons for ceasing to advertise on X (formerly known as Twitter).

* Offer me money, offer me strength, I don't care.
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFB2Kx0DtJM] (May 17, 2023)

* The woke mind virus consists of creating very, very divisive identity politics…[that] amplifies racism; amplifies, frankly, sexism; and all of the -isms while claiming to do the opposite...It actually divides people and makes them hate each other and hate themselves.
** Quoted in [https://www.wsj.com/tech/elon-musk-woke-mind-virus-41576aa6 "Why Elon Musk Won’t Stop Talking About a ‘Woke Mind Virus’"], ''WSJ'' (Dec. 23, 2023)

===2024===
* Just don't invade Russia. It's never a good idea.
** January 4, 2024 [https://thepressunited.com/updates/musk-warns-against-invading-russia/ Musk warns against invading Russia], The Press United.

* Most humans have very limited firewalls, so are easily programmed.
** [https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1766544406532780200 Tweet] (March 9, 2024)

* SpaceX has roughly 6000 satellites and not once have we had to maneuver around a UFO.
** [https://twitter.com/MilkenInstitute/status/1787635180121084044 Tweet] (May 6, 2024)

* Civilization is rare. We should do everything possible to save it.
** [https://twitter.com/MilkenInstitute/status/1787635180121084044 Tweet] (May 6, 2024)

* I would urge parents to limit the amount of social media that children can see because they're being programmed by a dopamine-maximizing AI.
** [https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1793685157364543814 Tweet] (May 23, 2024)

* Great damage was done today to the public’s faith in the American legal system.
** [https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1796440638617244012 Tweet] (May 31, 2024)

* If a former President can be criminally convicted over such a trivial matter – motivated by politics, rather than justice – then anyone is at risk of a similar fate.
** [https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1796440638617244012 Tweet] (May 31, 2024)

* DEI kills art.
** [https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1794019942167191602 Tweet] (May 24, 2024)

* The CEO of an aircraft company should know how to design aircraft, not spreadsheets.
** [https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-beefing-with-boeing-again-over-ceos-accountancy-degree-2024-6 "Elon Musk is beefing with Boeing again, calling out its CEO and saying he should be able to 'design aircraft, not spreadsheets'"], ''Business Insider'' (June 26, 2024)

* Support [[freedom of speech]] in the UK!
** Post on X (9 August 2024), quoted in [https://www.ft.com/content/d026a8d1-26d1-494d-83dc-5ff0204388e8 "UK considers forcing tech firms to remove 'legal but harmful' content after riots"], ''Financial Times'' (9 August 2024)
** The source mentions the UK's [[w:Online Safety Act 2023|Online Safety Act 2023]].

* Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life
** Post on X (September 10, 2024), as cited in [https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/elon-musk-father-child-taylor-swift-disgust-creepy-1236140915/ "Elon Musk’s Offer to Father a Child With Taylor Swift Elicits Disgust: 'You’re Creepy. Full Stop'"], ''Variety'' (September 11, 2024)

* The Dems want to take your kids
** [https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1834898659697098926] (September 14, 2024)

* And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala 🤔
** Post on Twitter (15 September 2024), as cited in [https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2024/09/16/musk-posts-then-deletes-no-one-is-even-trying-to-assassinate-bidenkamala/ "Musk Posts Then Deletes 'No One Is Even Trying To Assassinate Biden/Kamala'"], ''Forbes'' (September 16, 2024)
** Followed what the FBI described as an assassination attempt against Donald Trump at his International Golf Club in Florida.

===2025===
* [[Video games]] are meant for you to be immersed in an exciting and creative alternative reality and have [[fun]] with friends. Adding present-day political bullshit kills the vibe.
** {{cite tweet|user=elonmusk|author=Elon Musk|number=1879534816913502214|date=2025-01-15|title=Elon Musk on X}}

* I am become meme.
** Quoted from [[w:Conservative Political Action Conference|CPAC]] event in [https://dailydot.com/i-am-become-meme-elon-musk "Elon Musk’s ‘I am become meme’ quote, explained—what it means and where it started"], ''Daily Dot'' (Feb. 20, 2025)

* The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is [[empathy]], the empathy exploit. There it’s they’re exploiting a bug in Western civilization, which is the empathy response.
** Quoted in [https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/05/politics/elon-musk-rogan-interview-empathy-doge/index.html "Elon Musk wants to save Western civilization from empathy"], ''CNN'' (Mar 5, 2025)

* Be quiet, small man. You pay a tiny fraction of the cost. And there is no substitute for Starlink.
** Post on X (9 March 2025), a response to Polish Foreign Minister {{w|Radoslaw Sikorski}} after he implied any threats to shut down Starlink would result in a search for other suppliers. [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy87vg38dnpo Musk and Rubio spar with Polish minister over Starlink in Ukraine], ''BBC News'' (March 9, 2025)

* I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.
** Written about the "Big, Beatiful Bill" from the Trump administration, quoted in [https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/musk-attacks-trumps-funding-bill-disgusting-abomination/story "Elon Musk attacks Trump's funding bill: 'Disgusting abomination'"], ''ABC News'' (June 3, 2025)

* This immense level of overspending will drive America into debt slavery!
** [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/elon-musk-warns-excessive-spending-plunge-us-into-debt-slavery "Elon Musk warns excessive spending will plunge US 'into debt slavery'"], ''FOX News'' (June 4, 2025)

* Progress is measured by the timeline to establishing a self-sustaining civilization on Mars.
** [https://transpocket.com/share/oUKhep6cUl3s/ "Starship Update with Elon Musk 2025"], ''TransPocket'' (June 24, 2025)

* Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!
**Musk in a deleted post on X in June 5, 2025. Reported in [https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/musk-appears-delete-posts-claiming-trump-epstein-files/story?id=122609304 "Musk appears to delete X posts claiming Trump was in Epstein files"], ''ABC News'' (June 7, 2025)

* The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country. Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past, while severely damaging industries of the future.
** [https://time.com/7298552/trump-big-beautiful-bill-senate-advance-musk-criticism-opposition/ "Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Faces Opposition From Musk and Some Republicans as the Senate Narrowly Votes to Advance It"] ''Time Magazine'' (June 29, 2025)

* This bill raises the debt ceiling by $5 TRILLION, the biggest increase in history.
** [https://www.yahoo.com/news/elon-back-blasting-trump-big-233525897.html "Elon Is Back to Blasting Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill: ‘Utterly Insane’"] ''Daily Beast / Yahoo News'' (June 29, 2025)

* White people are a rapidly diminishing minority of global population.
** [https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1964582769302045121 Musk tweet] (September 7, 2025)

* It’s good to have talented people in the administration, but at the end of the day, if you look at our national debt, which is insanely high, the interest payments exceed the [Pentagon] budget and they keep rising...If AI and robots don’t solve our national debt, we’re toast.
** Quoted in [https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5495867-elon-musk-federal-government-broken/ "Musk on his Washington tenure: ‘The government is basically unfixable’"], ''The Hill'' (Sep 10, 2025)

* Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die.
* Quote from Musk's address to a [[Tommy Robinson]] rally in [[London]] in [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0m4rz0pvmno "Musk's language was abhorrent, says home secretary"], ''BBC News'' (September 15, 2025)

* '''AI and robots will replace all jobs.'''
* '''Working will be optional, like growing your own vegetables, instead of buying them from the store.'''
** From a [https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1980765809338147193 post] on X official Facebook profile, 22 October 2025

* (About Amazon's plan to automate 75% of its operations) It’s insane to think that a human will pack and ship boxes in ten years — it’s game over folks.
** From a [https://x.com/Jason/status/1980750123513835912 post] in the official X profile, 3 November 2025

===2026===
* Not just a few astronauts, I mean literally you. Whoever you are watching this, [[SpaceX]] wants to be able to take you to the moon, take you to [[Mars]] and ultimately beyond.
** Quoted in [https://apnews.com/article/musk-spacex-tesla-ipo-trillionaire-billionaire-worth-rockets-7723f82b6063a9a17c194e25982cd66d "SpaceX soars 23% in Wall Street debut and makes Elon Musk the first trillionaire"], ''AP News'' (June 12, 2026)

==Quotes about Musk==
:'''In alphabetical order by author or source.'''

* Musk is a parasitic illegal immigrant. He wants to impose his freak experiments and play-act as God without any respect for the country’s history, values, or traditions.
** [[Steve Bannon]] in [https://unherd.com/2025/02/steve-bannon-is-ready-for-war/ "Steve Bannon is ready for war"] ''UnHerd'' (February 18, 2024)

* [L]ots of luck on his trip to the moon.
** [[Joe Biden]], [https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-wishes-elon-musk-luck-trip-moon-after-job-cut-remark-2022-06-03/ "Biden wishes Elon Musk 'luck' on moon trip after job cut plans"], ''Reuters'' (June 3, 2023)

* [the [[w:Digital Services Act|DSA]]] sets very precise obligations regarding content moderation [and that X needs] to be very transparent and clear on what content is permitted under your terms and consistently and diligently enforce your own policies.
** [[w:Thierry Breton|Thierry Breton]] [https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/10/elon-musk-warned-about-misinformation-violent-content-on-x-by-eu.html Europe gives Elon Musk 24 hours to respond about Israel-Hamas war misinformation and violence on X, formerly Twitter] (October 11, 2023)

* [T]hat laminated-faced hair plug cunt on Twitter.
** [[Bill Burr]], as quoted in Keegan Kelly, [https://www.cracked.com/article_44030_bill-burr-says-elon-musk-is-the-new-steve-jobs-in-terms-of-burr-hating-him.html?newsletter-cat=comedy "Bill Burr Says Elon Musk Is the New Steve Jobs in Terms of Burr Hating Him"], [[w:Cracked (magazine)|''Cracked'']] (October 18, 2024)

* You don't have to be an [[w:Extraversion and introversion|extrovert]] to succeed as an entrepreneur. That's because business success is about making smart decisions and solving problems. Just ask [[Bill Gates]], Elon Musk and [[Warren Buffett]], who are all self-proclaimed introverts.
** Caroline Castrillon, '[https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2022/01/02/why-introverts-make-successful-entrepreneurs/ Why Introverts Make Successful Entrepreneurs]', ''Forbes'' (28 June 2022)

* Lies can indeed kill and, though there are of course many others, one of the world's most prolific enemies of truth is Elon Musk. He is surely the global far right’s most significant figure, and he holds the world’s largest megaphone.
** [[Jonathan Freedland]] [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/09/uk-far-right-riots-elon-musk-x "You know who else should be on trial for the UK’s far-right riots? Elon Musk"], ''The Guardian'' (9 August 2024)
** Musk had posted on 'X' about the [[w:2024 United Kingdom riots|2024 United Kingdom riots]] ("Civil war is inevitable"), reposted fake news sources and clashed with UK prime minister [[Keir Starmer]].

* Musk isn’t promoting liberty; he’s using his power to privilege many of the worst voices in American life.
** [[w:David French (political commentator)|David French]] [https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/10/opinion/musk-free-speech.html "Elon Musk’s Antisemitism Problem Isn’t About Free Speech"], ''The New York Times'' (September 10, 2023)

* It's ironic that Elon Musk, the man who has been talking about [[w:Colonization of Mars|getting us to Mars]] should be [[Vladimir Putin|Putin]]'s messenger for [[w:Russian invasion of Ukraine|the war in Ukraine]], when we're having a really hard time getting our act together on this planet.
** [[w:Fiona Hill (presidential advisor)|Fiona Hill]] [https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/10/17/fiona-hill-putin-war-00061894 "Fiona Hill: 'Elon Musk Is Transmitting a Message for Putin'"], ''Politico'' (October 17, 2022)

* "I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary," as Musk famously said in 2008. In the 15 years since, he has revolutionised electric transport, broken world records in space travel, become the wealthiest person in the world, and made more headlines in a week than most tech CEOs make in their careers.
** Charlie King, [https://evmagazine.com/articles/lifetime-of-achievement-elon-musk "Lifetime of Achievement: Elon Musk"], ''EV Magazine'' (4 January 2024)

* Wow, interesting. I didn't think it was possible to look uncool while wearing a leather jacket and telling people to go fuck themselves, but he pulled it off somehow.
** Michael Kosta, ''[[The Daily Show]]'', [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEQp7tOQs5U Biden's Post-Dropout Interview, Trump’s Crowd Size Insecurity & Elon’s Legal Fit] (2024)

* Russia's slant on the world appears to have penetrated Musk's mind and he is by far [[w:Bellingcat|Bellingcat]]'s most famous detractor. Bellingcat's Twitter account has periodically disappeared from site searches and Musk himself often retweets conspiracy theories about the group.
* [Comments from [[w:Christo Grozev|Christo Grozev]] of Bellingcat cited by Luce] "Musk is extremely influential. He has a cult following and he's purveying falsehoods. Because of his image among his followers as someone who knows the truth that others can’t see, he is more dangerous than a [[Donald Trump|Trump]]."
** [[Edward Luce]] [https://www.ft.com/content/03f220e1-6a7e-4850-bf4e-4b0f521d8f8c "Bellingcat's Christo Grozev: 'Prigozhin will either be dead or there will be a second coup'"], ''Financial Times'' (August 11, 2023)

* Elon has always been an introvert thinker. So where a lot of people would go to a great party and have a great time and drink and talk about all sorts of things like rugby or sport, you would find Elon had found the person's library and was going through their books.
** [[w:Family of Elon Musk#Errol Musk|Errol Musk]] [https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2015/07/02/how-to-raise-a-billionaire-an-interview-with-elon-musks-father-errol-musk/ "How To Raise A Billionaire: An Interview With Elon Musk's Father, Errol Musk"], ''Forbes'' (July 2, 2015)

* He would go through two books in one day.
** [[w:Kimbal Musk|Kimbal Musk]], quoted in Ashlee Vance, '[https://web.archive.org/web/20160414055240/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-09-13/elon-musk-the-21st-century-industrialist Elon Musk, the 21st Century Industrialist]', ''Bloomberg'' (September 14, 2012)

* Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that 'free speech' is actually a $8/mo subscription plan.
** [[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]] Tweets quoted [https://newrepublic.com/post/168479/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-suddenly-problems-twitter-after-fighting-elon here] (Novemeber 2022)

* We need to also assert who we are as a country, because Musk, again, has been interfering in our politics in the last few days, trying to whip up division – that is not who we are in [[Britain]].
** British PM [[Keir Starmer]] quoted in [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1e2ww900zno "Starmer accuses Musk of trying to whip up division over Henry Nowak murder"] ''BBC News'' (June 4, 2026)

* Leon’s, I’ll tell you what, Elon, Elon, is not going to buy Twitter. … He’s got himself a mess. He said the other day, ‘Oh, I’ve never voted for a Republican.’ I said, ‘I didn’t know that. He told me he voted for me.’ So, he’s another bullshit artist. But he’s not going to be buying it.
** Claimed by [[Donald Trump]] about Elon Musk, who later [[w:Acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk | bought Twitter]]. Quoted in [https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-alaska-rally-elon-musk-1380402/ "Trump Bashes Elon Musk as ‘Bullshit Artist’ at Alaska Rally"], ''Rolling Stone'' (July 9, 2022)

* Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV mandate that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!
** US President [[Donald Trump]], quoted in [https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cyvm2181lqvt?post=asset%3A8fa45b10-d302-45a2-b1de-d244090ccab5#post "Trump threatens to terminate Musk's government contracts"], ''BBC News'' (June 5, 2025)

==See also==
* [[Electric vehicles]]
* [[Noblesse oblige]]
* [[Philanthropy]]
* [[SpaceX]]

==External links==
* {{Wikipedia-inline}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Musk, Elon}}
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from the United States]]
[[Category:Company founders]]
[[Category:Software engineers from the United States]]
[[Category:Programmers from the United States]]
[[Category:Designers]]
[[Category:People from Pretoria]]
[[Category:Philanthropists from the United States]]
[[Category:Immigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:NASA people]]
[[Category:Space advocates]]
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Mahatma Gandhi

2026-06-21T11:08:20Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: Revert spam

[[File:Gandhi smiling 1942.jpg|thumb|[[Truth]] [[alone]] will [[endure]], all the rest will be swept away before the [[tide]] of [[time]]. I must continue to bear testimony to truth even if I am forsaken by [[all]]. Mine may [[today]] be a [[voice]] in the [[wilderness]], but it will be [[heard]] when all other voices are [[silenced]], if it is the voice of Truth.]]
'''[[wikipedia:Mahatma Gandhi|Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi]]''' ([[2 October]] [[1869]] – [[30 January]] [[1948]]) was an Indian lawyer, [[w:Nationalism#Anti-colonial_nationalism|anti-colonial nationalist]] and [[w:political ethics|political ethicist]] who employed [[nonviolent resistance]] to lead the successful [[Indian independence movement|campaign for India's independence]] from [[British Raj|British rule]], and to later inspire movements for [[civil rights]] and freedom across the world. The honorific '''[[Mahātmā]]''' ([[Sanskrit]]: "great-souled", "venerable"), first applied to him in 1914 in [[South Africa]], is now used throughout the world.
:'''''See also [[The Story of My Experiments with Truth]]'''''

== Quotes ==

=== 1890s ===

* The [[Indian]]s do not regret that capable natives can exercise the franchise. They would [[regret]] if it were otherwise. They, however, assert that they too, if capable, should have the right. You, in your [[wisdom]], would not allow the Indian or the native the precious privilege under any circumstances, because they have a [[dark]] [[skin]].

** ''Times of Natal'', October 26, 1894, in [https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj-CWMG-001/page/166/mode/2up ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi''], vol. 1, pp. 166-67.

* Ours is one continual [[struggle]] against a degradation sought to be inflicted upon us by the [[Europe|Europeans]], who desire to degrade us to the level of the raw [[w:Kaffir (racial term)|Kaffir]] whose occupation is hunting, and whose sole ambition is to collect a certain number of cattle to buy a wife with and, then, pass his life in [[indolence]] and nakedness.
** Address given in [[wikipedia:Mumbai|Bombay]] (26 September 1896), ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 1, p. 410 (Electronic Book), New Delhi, Publications Division Government of India, 1999, 98 volumes.

=== 1900s ===

* '''One thing we have endeavoured to observe most scrupulously, namely, never to depart from the strictest facts and, in dealing with the difficult [[question]]s that have arisen during the [[year]], we hope that we have used the utmost moderation possible under the circumstances.''' Our duty is very simple and plain. We want to serve the community, and in our own humble way to serve the Empire. We believe in the righteousness of the cause, which it is our privilege to espouse. We have an abiding faith in the mercy of the Almighty God, and we have firm faith in the British Constitution. That being so, we should fail in our duty if we wrote anything with a view to hurt. '''Facts we would always place before our readers, whether they are palatable or not, and it is by placing them constantly before the public in their nakedness that the misunderstanding between the two communities in South Africa can be removed.'''
** ''[[wikipedia:Indian Opinion|Indian Opinion]]'' (1 October 1903)

* Why, of all places in [[Johannesburg]], the Indian location should be chosen for dumping down all [[wikipedia:Kaffir (racial term)|kaffirs]] of the town, passes my comprehension. Of course, under my suggestion, the Town Council must withdraw the Kaffirs from the Location. About this mixing of the Kaffirs with the Indians I must confess I feel most strongly. I think it is very unfair to the Indian population, and it is an undue tax on even the proverbial patience of my countrymen.
** Letter to Dr. Porter, Medical Officer of Health for Johannesburg (15 February 1905); later published in ''The Indian Opinion''.

* In this instance of the fire-arms, the [[Asian people|Asiatic]] has been most improperly bracketed with the native. The British Indian does not need any such restrictions as are imposed by the Bill on the natives regarding the carrying of fire-arms. The prominent race can remain so by preventing the native from arming himself. Is there a slightest vestige of justification for so preventing the British Indian?
** Comments on a court case in ''The Indian Opinion'' (25 March 1905)

* You say that the magistrate's decision is unsatisfactory because it would enable a [[person]], however unclean, to [[travel]] by a tram, and that even the [[Kaffir]]s would be able to do so. But the magistrate's decision is quite different. The [[Court]] declared that the Kaffirs have no legal right to travel by tram. And according to tram regulations, those in an unclean dress or in a drunken state are prohibited from boarding a tram. Thanks to the Court's decision, only clean Indians or coloured people other than Kaffirs, can now travel in the trams.
** Comments on a court case in ''The Indian Opinion'' (2 June 1906)

* A general [[belief]] seems to prevail in [[South Africa|the colony]] that the Indians are little better, if at all, than the savages or natives of [[Africa]]. Even the children are taught to believe in that manner, with the result that the Indian is being dragged down to the position of a raw Kafir.
** During his time in South Africa from ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Government of India (CWMG), Vol I, p. 150 

* Kaffirs are as a rule uncivilised—the [[conviction|convicts]] even more so. They are troublesome, very dirty and live almost like [[animals]].
** "My Experience in Gaol", ''Indian Opinion'' (7 March 1908). Also: ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', op cit., Vol. 8, p. 199.

* '''[[Leo Tolstoy]]'s life has been devoted to replacing the method of violence for removing tyranny or securing reform by the method of nonresistance to evil. He would meet hatred expressed in violence by love expressed in selfsuffering.''' He admits of no exception to whittle down this great and divine law of love. He applies it to all the problems that trouble mankind.
** Introduction to the publication of Tolstoy's ''A Letter to a Hindu'', ''Indian opinion'', 25 December, (1909)

* We are our own slaves, not of the British. This should be engraved on our minds. The whites cannot remain if we do not want them. If the idea is to drive them out with firearms, let every Indian consider what precious little profit Europe has found in these.
** Introduction to the publication of Tolstoy's ''A Letter to a Hindu'', ''Indian opinion'', 25 December, (1909)

==== ''Hind Swaraj'' (1909) ====
([https://archive.org/details/hindswaraj00moha Full text online, multiple formats)]

[[File:Devlok the great gods of the Hindu pantheon bless the leaders of the Independence movement.jpg|thumb|The English have taught us that we were not one nation before and that it will require centuries before we become one nation. This is without foundation. We were one nation before they came to India. One thought inspired us. Our mode of life was the same. It was because we were one nation that they were able to establish one kingdom. Subsequently they divided us.]]
[[File:Gandhi suit crop.jpg|thumb|One of the objects of a newspaper is to understand popular feeling and to give expression to it; another is to arouse among the [[people]] certain desirable sentiments; and the third is fearlessly to expose popular defects.]]

* '''In reality there are as many [[religion]]s as there are individuals....''' Religions are different roads converging to the same point. What does it matter that we take different roads, so long as we reach the same goal. Wherein is the cause for quarreling?

* '''The English have taught us that we were not one nation before and that it will require centuries before we become one [[nation]]. This is without foundation. We were one nation before they came to India. One thought inspired us. Our mode of life was the same. It was because we were one nation that they were able to establish one kingdom. Subsequently they divided us'''.

*I do not wish to suggest that because we were one nation we had no differences, but it is submitted that our leading men travelled throughout [[India]] . . . They learned one another's [[languages]] . . . they saw that India was one undivided land so made by nature. They, therefore, argued that it must be one nation. Arguing thus, they established holy places in various parts of India, and fired the people with an idea of nationality in a manner unknown in other parts of the world. Any two Indians are one as no two Englishmen are.

* One of the objects of a [[newspaper]] is to understand popular feeling and to give expression to it; another is to arouse among the people certain desirable sentiments; and the third is fearlessly to expose popular defects.
** Sect. 1

*We who seek justice will have to do [[justice]] to others.
**Sect. 1

* I believe that the civilization India evolved is not to be beaten in the world. Nothing can equal the seeds sown by our ancestors, [[Roman Civilization|Rome]] went, [[Ancient Greece|Greece]] shared the same fate; the [[Ancient Egypt|might of the Pharaohs]] was broken; [[Japan]] has become Westernized; of [[China]] nothing can be said; but India is still, somehow or other, sound at the foundation. The people of [[Europe]] learn their lessons from the writings of the men of Greece or Rome, which exist no longer in their former glory. In trying to learn from them, the Europeans imagine that they will avoid the mistakes of Greece and Rome. Such is their pitiable condition. In the midst of all this India remains immovable and that is her glory. It is a charge against India that her people are so uncivilized, ignorant and stolid, that it is not possible to induce them to adopt any changes. It is a charge really against our merit. What we have tested and found true on the anvil of experience, we dare not change. Many thrust their advice upon India, and she remains steady. This is her beauty: it is the sheet-anchor of our hope. '''Civilization is that mode of conduct which points out to man the path of duty.''' Performance of duty and observance of morality are convertible terms. To observe morality is to attain mastery over our mind and our passions. So doing, we know ourselves. The Gujarati equivalent for civilization means “good conduct”.
** Sect. 13
** Variant translations: I believe that the civilization into which India has evolved is not to be beaten in the world. Nothing can equal the seeds sown by our ancestry. Rome went; Greece shared the same fate; the might of the Pharaohs was broken; Japan has become westernised; of China nothing can be said; but India is still, somehow or other, sound at the foundation. Greece, Egypt, Rome — all have been erased from this world, yet we continue to exist. There is something in us, that our character never ceases from the face of this world, defying global hostility for centuries.

*It is [[wrong]] to consider that courts are established for the benefit of the [[people]]. Those who want to perpetuate their power do so through the [[courts]]. If people were to settle their own quarrels, a third party would not be able to exercise any authority over them. Truly, men were less unmanly when they settled their disputes either by fighting or by asking their relatives to decide for them. They became more unmanly and cowardly when they resorted to the courts of law. It was certainly a sign of savagery when they settled their disputes by fighting. Is it any less so, if I ask a third party to decide between you and me? Surely, the decision of a third party is not always right. The parties alone know who is right. We, in our simplicity and ignorance, imagine that a stranger, by taking our money, gives us justice. (p. 48)

* "The only real, dignified, human doctrine is the greatest good of all, and this can only be achieved by uttermost self-sacrifice."
**Adapted from ''Hind Swaraj'', 1909, Chapter 17: Summary, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 10, pp. 83–84.

=== 1910s ===

* We but [[mirror]] the [[world]]. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our [[body]]. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change.
** From an article on dealing with snake bites, published in [[w:Indian Opinion|''Indian Opinion'']] dated [https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj.IndianOpinion.1.vol11/page/n517/mode/1up?view=theater August 9th, 1913], in the Gujarti language edition, English translation available in the [https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj-CWMG-012/page/158/mode/1up ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', vol. 12, April 1913 - December 1914, p. 158].
** A [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/opinion/falser-words-were-never-spoken.html?_r=0 ''New York Times'' article] as well as various other sources (e.g. [https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/10/23/be-change/ Quote Investigator], [https://jenniferlphillips.com/blog/2021/2/24/origin-story-be-the-change Jennifer L. Phillips, Ph.D.]) see this passage as similar to, [[#WeNeedToBeTheChangeWeWishToSeeInTheWorld|"We need to be the change we wish to see in the world" even if Gandhi did not say those exact words]].

* And yet deeper thought will show that English can never and ought not to become the national language of India. What is the test of national language? (1) For the official class it should be easy to learn. (2) The religious, commercial and political activity throughout India should be possible in that language. (3) It should be the speech of the majority of the inhabitants of India. (4) For the whole of the country it should be easy to learn. (5) In considering the question, weight ought not to be put upon momentary of short-lived conditions. The English language does not fulfill any of the conditions above-named. […] English cannot become the national language of India. To give it that place is like an attempt to introduce Esperanto. In my opinion, it is unmanly even to think that English can become our national language. The attempt to introduce Esperanto merely betrays ignorance. Then which is the language that satisfies all the five conditions? We shall be obliged to admit that Hindi satisfies all those conditions.
** ''Speeches and Writings of Mahatma Gandhi'', pp.395-99; 20-10-17, attributed in [https://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/towards-new-education.pdf ''Towards New Education'', 1953], pp. 56-57, as well as in an online french translation[http://vortareto.free.fr/argumentaire/citations.htm].

[[File:Gandhi_London_1906.jpg|thumb|[[Victory]] attained by [[violence]] is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.]]

* '''Victory attained by [[violence]] is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.'''
** ''Satyagraha Leaflet No. 13'' (3 May 1919)

* [I]t is not true that we shall necessarily progress if our political conditions undergo a change, irrespectively of the [[manner]] in which it is brought about. If the means employed are impure, the change will not be in the direction of progress but very likely in the opposite.
** As quoted in ''Gandhi’s Experiments With Truth: Essential Writings by and about Mahatma Gandhi'', Richard L. Johnson (edit), Lexington Books (2006) p. 118. Original source: Forward to volume of Gokhale's speeches, ''Gopal Krishna Gokahalenan Vyakhyanao'', 1, 1916

=== 1920s ===

* In matters of conscience, the law of majority has no place.
** ''Young India'' (4 August 1920)

* "When there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence… I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honour than to remain a helpless witness to her own dishonour."
** Young India, 11 August 1920, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 21, p. 133.

* "Cowardice is impotence worse than violence. The coward desires revenge but being afraid to die, he looks to others… to do the work of defense for him."
** Young India, 11 August 1920, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 21, p. 133.

* For me the only training in Swaraj we need is the ability to defend ourselves against the whole world and to live our natural life in perfect freedom, even though it may be full of defects. '''Good government is no substitute for self-government.'''
** ''Young India'' (2 September 1920) p. 1

*Complete civil disobedience is a state of peaceful revolution, a refusal to obey every single state-made law.
**As quoted in ''Mahatma: Life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi'' (1920-1929), D.G. Tendulkar, Vol. 2, (1920-1929), 2nd edition, Publications Division (1960), p 52

* I have learnt through bitter experience the one supreme lesson to conserve my [[anger]], and as heat conserved is transmuted into [[energy]], even so our anger controlled can be transmuted into a power which can move the world.
** ''Young India'' (15 September 1920), reprinted in ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 21 (electronic edition), p. 252.

* "There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for."
** Young India, 15 November 1920, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 22, p. 169.

* I came in contact with every known Indian [[Anarchism|anarchist]] in [[London]]. Their bravery impressed me, but I felt that their zeal was misguided. I felt that [[violence]] was no remedy for India's ills, and that her civilisation required the use of a different and higher weapon for self-protection.
** "A Word of Explanation" on his work ''[[wikipedia:Swaraj|Hind Swaraj]]'' (1908) in ''Young India'' (January 1921)

[[File:Ashoka_Chakra.svg|thumb|If [[India]] adopted the doctrine of [[love]] as an active part of her [[religion]] and introduced it in her [[politics]], [[wikipedia:Swaraj|Swaraj]] would descend upon India from [[heaven]]. But I am painfully aware that that event is far off as yet.]]

* '''If India adopted the doctrine of love as an active part of her religion and introduced it in her politics. [[wikipedia:Swaraj|Swaraj]] would descend upon India from heaven. But I am painfully aware that that event is far off as yet.'''
** "A Word of Explanation" in ''Young India'' (January 1921)

* I have even seen the writings suggesting that I am playing a deep game, that I am using the present turmoil to foist my fads on India, and am making religious experiments at India's expense. I can only answer that [[wikipedia:Satyagraha|Satyagraha]] is made of sterner stuff. There is nothing reserved and nothing secret in it.
** "A Word of Explanation" in ''Young India'' (January 1921)

* The [[Muslim|Muslims]] claim [[Palestine]] as an integral part of Jazirat-ul-Arab. They are bound to retain its custody, as an injunction of [[Muhammad|the Prophet]]. But that does not mean that the [[Jews]] and the [[Christianity|Christians]] cannot freely go to Palestine, or even reside there and own [[property]]. What non-Muslims cannot do is to acquire [[Sovereignty|sovereign]] jurisdiction. The Jews cannot receive sovereign rights in a place which has been held for centuries by Muslim powers by right of religious conquest. The Muslim soldiers did not shed their blood in the late War for the purpose of surrendering Palestine out of Muslim control. I would like my Jewish friends to impartially consider the position of the seventy million Muslims of India. As a free nation, can they tolerate what they must regard as a treacherous disposal of their sacred possession?
** In [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/notes-in-young-india-by-gandhi-april-1921 Gandhi, the Jews & Zionism: Notes in Young India (April 6, 1921)], Jewish Virtual Library.

* The pre-British period was not a period of [[slavery]]. We had some sort of swaraj under [[Mughal Empire|Mogul]] rule. In [[Akbar]]’s time the birth of a [[Maharana Pratap|Pratap]] was possible, and in [[Aurangzeb]]’s time a [[Shivaji|Sivaji]] could flourish. Has 150 years of [[British Raj|British rule]] produced any Pratap and Sivaji?
** ''Young India'', April 13, 1921, in [https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj-CWMG-019/page/476/mode/2up ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi''], vol 19, p. 477. Quoted in [https://theleaflet.in/gandhi-predicted-communal-discord-would-poison-education-distort-history/ "Gandhi predicted communal discord would poison education, distort history"], ''The Leaflet '', September 5, 2021.

*I would, in a sense, certainly assist the Amir of [[Afghanistan]] if he waged war against the [[Government of the United Kingdom|British Government]]. That is to say, I would openly tell my countrymen that it would be a crime to help a government which had lost the confidence of the nation to remain in power.
**May 4, 1921. Gandhi commenting on the appeal to the Amir of Afghanistan to invade British India proposed by some Muslim leaders. Quoted from B.R. Ambedkar, Pakistan or The Partition of India (1946)

* It is no part of the duty of a non-violent non-co-operator to assist the [[Government of the United Kingdom|Government]] against war made upon it by others. A non-violent non-co-operator may not secretly or openly encourage or assist any such war. But it is no part of his duty to help the Government to end the war. On the contrary his prayer could be, as it must be, for the defeat of a power which he seeks to destroy. I, therefore, so far as my creed of non-violence is concerned, can contemplate an [[Afghanistan|Afghan]] invasion with perfect equanimity, and equally so far as India’s safety is concerned.
** Young India, 18-5-1921 quoted in https://archive.org/stream/the-tragic-story-of-partition-hv-sheshasdri/The%20Tragic%20Story%20of%20Partition%20-%20HV%20Sheshasdri_djvu.txt

* "It has always been easier to destroy than to create."
** Young India, 8 September 1921, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 25, p. 224.

* There is nothing in the [[Koran]] to warrant the [[Forced conversion|use of force for conversion]]. The holy book says in the clearest language possible, “There is no compulsion in [[religion]].” The Prophet’s whole life is a repudiation of compulsion in religion. No Mussulman, to my knowledge, has ever approved of compulsion. [[Islam]] would cease to be a world religion if it were to rely upon force for its propagation.
** ''Young India'', 29-9-1921, in [https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj-CWMG-021/page/216/mode/2up ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi''], vol. 21, p. 217.

*The [[Hindu|Hindus]] have written to me complaining that I was responsible for unifying and awakening the [[Islam in India|Mussalmans]] and giving prestige to the Moulvis which they never had before. Now that the [[Khilafat Movement|Khilafat]] question was over, the awakened Mussalmans have proclaimed a kind of [[Jihad|jehad]] [[Anti-Hindu sentiment|against the Hindu]]... The tales that are reported. from [[Bengal]] of [[Violence against women|outrages upon Hindu women]] are the most disquieting if they are even half-true.
**Young India, 1924, quoted in M.A. Karandikar, Islam, 126 quoted in https://archive.org/stream/the-tragic-story-of-partition-hv-sheshasdri/The%20Tragic%20Story%20of%20Partition%20-%20HV%20Sheshasdri_djvu.txt

* I cannot understand why the Ali Brothers are going to be arrested as the rumours go, and why I am to remain free. They have done nothing which I would not do. If they had sent a message to the Amir, I also would send one to inform the Amir that if he came, no Indian so long as I can help it, would help the Government to drive him back.
** Quoted in ''The Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi'' (1969), {{w|K. L. Gauba}}, p. 390.

* [[Cow protection movement|Cow protection]] to me is one of the most wonderful phenomena in human [[evolution]]. It takes the human being beyond his species. The cow to me means the entire sub-human world. Man through the cow is enjoined to realize his identity with all that lives. Why the cow was selected for [[apotheosis]] is obvious to me. The cow was in India the best companion. She was the giver of plenty. Not only did she give [[milk]], but she also made [[agriculture]] possible. The cow is a [[Poetry|poem]] of [[pity]]. One reads pity in the gentle animal. She is the mother to millions of Indian mankind. Protection of the [[Cattle|cow]] means protection of the whole dumb creation of God. The ancient seer, whoever he was, began with the cow. The appeal of the lower order of creation is all the more forcible because it is speechless. Cow protection is the gift of [[Hinduism]] to the world, And Hinduism will live so along as there are Hindus to protect the cow.
** ''Young India'', 6-10-1921, p. 317

* I claim that in losing the spinning wheel we lost our left lung. We are, therefore, suffering from galloping consumption. The restoration of the wheel arrests the progress of the fell disease.
** ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=6XRDAAAAYAAJ&q=galloping The Great Sentinel]'' in ''[[wikipedia:Young India|Young India]]'' 13 October 1921

* There is no such thing as slow freedom. Freedom is like a birth. Till we are fully free we are slaves.
** ''Young India'' (15 December 1921)

* There is a higher court than courts of [[justice]] and that is the court of [[conscience]]. It supersedes all other courts.
** ''Young India'' (15 December 1921)

*I hold the opinion firmly that [[Civil disobedience|Civil Disobedience]] is the purest type of constitutional agitation. Of course, it becomes degrading and despicable if its civil, i.e. non-violent character is a mere camouflage.
**''Young India'' (15 December 1921)

* Gandhi spoke of the Moplas as the " brave God-fearing Moplas who were fighting for what they consider as religion and in a manner which they consider as religious ". Speaking of the Muslim silence over the Mopla atrocities Mr. Gandhi told the Hindus: "The Hindus must have the courage and the faith to feel that they can protect their religion in spite of such fanatical eruptions. A verbal disapproval by the Mussalmans of Mopla madness is no test of Mussalman friendship. The Mussalmans must naturally feel the shame and humiliation of the Mopla conduct about forcible conversions and looting, and they must work away so silently and effectively that such a thing might become impossible even on the part of the most fanatical among them. My belief is that the Hindus as a body have received the Mopla madness with equanimity and that the cultured Mussalmans are sincerely sorry of the Mopla's perversion of the teaching of the Prophet."
**Mahatma Gandhi quoted from B. R. Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Bhimrao. Pakistan or the Partition of India. Chapter 7

*Disobedience without civility, discipline, discrimination, non-violence, is certain destruction. Disobedience combined with love is the living water of life. Civil disobedience is a beautiful variant to signify growth, it is not discordance which spells death.
**''Young India'' (1 May 1922)

* '''A man is but the product of his [[Thought|thoughts]]. What he thinks, he becomes.'''
** In ''Ethical Religion'', (Madras: S. Ganesan, 1922), [http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015002732066?urlappend=%3Bseq=66 p. 62], [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044018862300&q1=%22A+man+is+but+the+product+of%22&seq=128 Scan from Harvard University Library] (both only work with an U.S. source IP address)

* Any action that is dictated by fear or by coercion of any kind ceases to be moral.
** ''Ethical Religion'', S. Ganesan, Madras (1922) p. 8

* No action which is not voluntary can be called moral.
** ''Ethical Religion'', S. Ganesan, Madras (1922) p. 8

* '''[[Satan]]'s successes are the greatest when he appears with the name of God on his lips.'''
** "The Inwardness of Non-Co-operation". Quoted in ''Freedom's Battle: Being a Comprehensive Collection of Writings and Speeches'' (1922), [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZRXCAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA144 p. 144].

* The only tyrant I accept in this world is the "still small voice" within me. And even though I have to face the prospect of being a minority of one, I humbly believe I have the courage to be in such a hopeless minority.
** In ''[[wikipedia:Young India|Young India]]'' (2 March 1922). Quoted in ''The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and Ideas'' edited by Louis Fischer (2002), [http://books.google.com/books?id=gz6l-vCVgxQC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA160#v=onepage&q&f=false p. 160].

* Under democracy individual liberty of opinion and action is jealously guarded.
** ''Young India'' (2 March 1922)

* '''If one has no affection for a person or a system, one should feel free to give the fullest expression to his disaffection so long as he does not contemplate, promote, or incite violence.'''
** Statement during his trial for "exciting disaffection toward His Majesty's Government as established by law in India" (18 March 1922) {{fix cite}}

* '''Nonviolence is the first article of my faith. It is also the last article of my creed.'''
** Opening words of his defense speech at his trial ''Young India'' (23 March 1922)

* '''Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good.'''
** [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015027778375;view=1up;seq=43 Written statement] in trial for sedition, March 1922

* Though the majority of the Mussalmans of India and the Hindus belong to the same 'stock', the religious environment has made them different. I believe and I have noticed too that thought transforms man’s features as well as character. The Sikhs are the most recent illustration of the fact. The Mussalman being generally in a minority has as a class developed into a bully. Moreover being heir to fresh traditions he exhibits the virility of a comparatively new system of life. Though in my opinion non-violence has a predominant place in the Koran, the thirteen hundred years of imperialistic expansion has made the Mussalmans fighters as a body. They are therefore, aggressive. Bullying is the natural excrescence of an aggressive spirit. The Hindu has an age old civilisation. He is essentially non-violent. His civilisation has passed through the experiences that the two recent ones are still passing through. If Hinduism was ever imperialistic in the modern sense of the term, it has outlived its imperialism and has either deliberately or as a matter of course given it up. Predominance of the non-violent spirit has restricted the use of arms to a small minority, which must always be subordinate to a civil power highly spiritual, learned and selfless.
* The Hindus as a body are therefore not equipped for fighting. But not having retained their spiritual training, they have forgotten the use of an effective substitute for arms and not knowing their use nor having an aptitude for them, they have become docile to the point of timidity or cowardice. This vice is therefore a natural excrescence of gentleness. Holding this view, I do not think that the Hindu exclusiveness, bad as it undoubtedly is, has much to do with the Hindu timidity. Hence also my disbelief in Akhadas as a means of self-defence. I prize them for physical culture but, for self-defence I would restore the spiritual culture. The best and most lasting self-defence is self-purification. I refuse to be lifted off my feet because of the scares that haunt us today. If Hindus would but believe in themselves and work in accordance with their traditions, they will have no reason to fear bullying. The moment they recommence the real spiritual training the Mussalman will respond. He cannot help it. If I can get together a band of young Hindus with faith in themselves and therefore faith in the Mussalmans, the band will become a shield for the vneaker ones. They (the young Hindus) will teach how to die without killing. I know no other way. When our ancestors saw affliction surrounding them, they went in for tapasya purification. They realised the helplessness of the flesh and in their helplessnes they prayed till they compelled the Maker to obey their call. 'Oh yes,' says my Hindu friend,‘but then God sent some one to wield arms. I am not concerned with denying the truth of the retort. All I say to the friend is that as a Hindu he may not ignore the cause and secure the result. It will be time to fight, when we have done enough lapasya. Are we purified enough I ask? Have we even done willing penance for the sin of untouchability, let alone the personal purity of individuals? Are our religious preceptors all that they should be? We are beating the air whilst we simply concentrate our attention upon picking holes in the Mussalmam conduct. As with the English-man, so with the Mussalman. If our professions are true, we should find it infinitely less difficult to conquer the Mussalman than the English. But Hindus whisper to me that they have hope of the Englishman hut none of the Mussalman. I say to them,'if you have no hope of the Mussalman, your hope of the [[Englishman]] is foredoomed to failure.'
* The Goondas came on the scene because the leaders wanted them. The leaders distrusted one another. Distrust never comes from well-defined causes. A variety of causes, more felt than realised, breeds distrust. We have not yet visualised the fact that our interests are identical. Each party seems vaguely to believe that it can displace the other by some kind of manoeuvermg. But I freely confess as suggested by Babu Bhagwandas that our not knowing the kind of Swaraj we want has also a great deal to do with the distrust. I used not to think so, but he had almost converted me before I became Sir George Lloyd's guest at the Yeravada Central Prison. I am a confirmed convert. The 'points of contact' referred to by me is a phrase intended to cover all social, religious and political relations alike as between individuals and masses. Thus, for instance instead of accentuating the differences in religion, I should set about discovering the good points common to both. I would bridge the social distance wherever I can do so consistently with my religious belief, I would go out of my way to seek common ground on the political field. As for the referee, I have named Hakim Saheb’s name undoubtedly for the universal respect that it carries with it. But I would not hesitate to put the pen even in the hands of a Mussalman who maybe known for his [[Prejudice|prejudices]] and [[fanaticism]]. For as a Hindu, I should know that I have nothing to lose even if the referee gave the Mussalmans a majority of seats in every province. There is no principle at stake in giving or having seats in elective bodies. Moreover experience has taught me to know that undivided responsibility immediately puts a man on his mettle and his pride or God-fearingness sobers him.
** Mahatma Gandhi, replying to {{w|Babu Bhagwan Dasin}} in ''Young India'' of June 19th 1924. {{cite book |title=Young India, 1924-1926 |date=1927 |publisher=S. Ganesan |url=https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj.yi.10973.33432/page/n75/mode/1up |pages=33-35}}

* '''Always believe in your dreams, because if you don't, you'll still have hope.'''
** ''Young India'' (23 March 1924)

[[File:Diwali_A_Different_Perspective_(51095520).jpeg|thumb|right|Hinduism is a relentless pursuit after truth and if today it has become moribund, inactive, irresponsive to growth, it is because we are fatigued. As soon as the fatigue is over, Hinduism will burst forth upon the world with a brilliance perhaps never known before.]]

* Hinduism is a relentless pursuit after truth and if today it has become moribund, inactive, irresponsive to growth, it is because we are fatigued. As soon as the fatigue is over, Hinduism will burst forth upon the world with a brilliance perhaps never known before.
** ''Young India'' (24 April 1924)

* The indirect influence of [[Christianity]] has been to quicken Hinduism to life. The cultured Hindu society has admitted its grievous sin against the untouchables. But the [[Christianity in India|effect of Christianity upon India]] in general must be judged by the life lived in our midst by the average Christian and its effect upon us. I am sorry to have to re record my opinion that it has been disastrous. It pains me to have to say that the Christian missionaries as a body, with honourable exceptions, have actively supported a system which has impoverished, enervated and demoralised a people considered to be among the gentlest and most civilized on earth...
** ''Young India'' (13 July 1924), reprinted in ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Volume 24, New Delhi, 1967, p. 476.

* I wanted to know the best of the life of one ([[Muhammad]]) who holds today an undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind. I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle.
** ''Young India'' (23 September 1924) ''[http://www.gandhiserve.org/cwmg/VOL029.PDF Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi]'', vol.29, "My Jail experiences", p. 133

* I believe in absolute oneness of God and therefore also of humanity. What though we have many bodies? We have but one soul. The rays of the sun are many through refraction. But they have the same source. I cannot therefore detach myself from the wickedest soul (nor may I be denied identity with the most virtuous).
** ''Young India'' (25 September 1924)

* My error! Why, I may be charged with having committed a breach of faith with the Hindus. I asked them to befriend Muslims. I asked them to lay their lives and their property at the disposal of the Mussulmans for the protection of their Holy Places. Even today I am asking them to practise [[Ahimsa]], to settle quarrels by dying, but not by killing. And what do I find to be the result? How many temples have been desecrated? How many sisters come to me with complaints? As I was saying to Hakimji yesterday, Hindu women are in mortal fear of Mussulman goondas. In many places they fear to go out alone. I had a letter from... ...How can I bear the way in which his little children were molested? How can I ask Hindus to put up with everything patiently? I gave the assurance that the friendship of Mussulmans was bound to bear good fruit. I asked them to befriend them, regardless of the result. It is not in my power today to make good that assurance, neither it is in the power of [[Mohammad Ali Jauhar|Mohammad Ali]] or Shaukat Ali. Who listens to me? And yet I must ask the Hindus even today to die and not to kill. I can only do so by laying down my own life. I can teach them the way to die my own example. There is no other way... I launched non-co-operation. Today I find that the people are non-co-operating against one another, without any regard for non-violence. What is the reason? Only this, that I am not completely non-violent. If I were practising non-violence to perfection, I should not have seen the violence I see around me today. My fast is therefore a penance. I blame no one. I blame only myself. I have lost the power wherewith to appeal to people. Defeated and helpless I must submit my petition in His Court. Only He will listen, no one else.
** September 1924. Mahadev Desai, Day to Day with Gandhi, Volume 4, p. 165.

* Some of my corresponents seem to think that I can work wonders. Let me say as a devotee of truth that I have no such gift. All the power I may have comes from [[God]]. But He does not work directly. He works through His numberless agencies. In this case it is the [[Indian National Congress|Congress]].
** ''Young India'' (8 October 1924). Quoted in ''Teachings of Mahatma Gandhi'' (1945), edited by Jag Parvesh Chander, Indian Printing Works, [http://archive.org/stream/teachingsofmahat029222mbp#page/n247 page 242].

* I do not believe as the friend seems to do that an individual may gain spiritually and those who surround him suffer. I believe in advaita [nonduality], '''I believe in the essential unity of man and for that matter of all that lives.''' Therefore I believe that if one man gains spiritually, the whole world gains with him and if one man falls, the whole world falls to that extent.
** ''Young India'' (4 December 1924)

* [R]eal Swaraj will come, not by the acquisition of [[authority]] by a few, but by the acquisition of the capacity by all to [[Resistance movement|resist]] authority when it is abused. In other words, Swaraj is to be attained by educating the masses to a sense of their capacity to regulate and control authority.
** ''Young India'' (29 January 1925) p. 41

* "Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men. The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
** Young India, 5 March 1925, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 31, p. 105.

* There is no principle worth the name if it is not wholly good. I swear by non-violence because I know that it alone conduces to the highest good of mankind, not merely in the next world, but in this also. '''I object to violence because, when it appears to do good, the [[Goodness|good]] is only temporary, the [[evil]] it does is permanent.'''
** ''Young India'' (21 May 1925)

* "One of the objects of a newspaper is to understand popular feeling and to give expression to it; another is to arouse among the people certain desirable sentiments; and the third is fearlessly to expose popular defects."
** Young India, 2 July 1925, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 27, p. 326.

* Today my position is that though I admire much in Christianity, I am unable to identify myself with orthodox Christianity. I must tell you in all humility that Hinduism as I know it, entirely satisfies my soul, fills my whole being and I find a solace in the [[Bhagavad Gita]] and [[Upanishads]] that I miss even in the [[Sermon on the Mount]].
**Vol.27 p.2 04-06.28 July, 1925 Speech at a Meeting of missionaries (Y.M C.A. Calcutta) Mahatma Gandhi, The Collected Works, Volume 27, New Delhi, 1968, p. 435, (also quoted in Goel, S.R. History of Hindu-Christian Encounters (1996))

* Self-government means continuous effort to be independent of government control, whether it is foreign government or whether it is national. Swaraj government will be a sorry affair if people look up for the regulation of every detail of life.
** ''Young India'' (6 August 1925) p. 276

* What [[Vyasa|the divine author]] of the [[Mahabharata]] said of his great creation is equally true of Hinduism. Whatever of substance is contained in any other religion is always to be found in Hinduism, and what is not contained in it is insubstantial or unnecessary.
** ''Young India'' (27 September 1925)

* '''Seven social sins: [[politics]] without [[Principles|principles]], [[wealth]] without [[work]], [[pleasure]] without [[conscience]], [[knowledge]] without [[character]], [[Trade|commerce]] without [[morality]], [[science]] without [[humanity]], and [[worship]] without [[sacrifice]].'''
** A list closing an article in ''Young India'' (22 October 1925); ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'' [http://www.gandhiserve.org/cwmg/VOL033.PDF Vol. 33 (PDF) p. 135]
** Variant: The seven blunders that human society commits and cause all the violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, and politics without principles.
*** A written list given to his departing grandson [[wikipedia:Arun Gandhi|Arun Gandhi]] (October 1947), as quoted in [http://marriottschool.uberflip.com/h/i/16655510-spring-1998-exchange ''Marriot'' (Spring 1998; p.5)]. Some alternative or erroneous translations exist that use intros "There are seven sins in the world:", "Seven Blunders of the world:", "The things that will destroy us are", and items "politics without principle", "education without character", or "business without morality".
*** The list was originally written by a Socialist clergyman in England in March 1925 and was passed along to Gandhi, who published it later that year, as detailed in [http://quezi.com/21020 ''this article''].

* "Politics without principle, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice — are the seven social sins."
** Originally published in ''Young India'', 22 October 1925, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 33, p. 135.

* If you hold dear the memory of [[Swami Shraddhanand|Swami Shraddhanandji]], you would help in purging the atmosphere of mutual hatred and calumny, you would help in boycotting papers which foment hatred and spread misrepresentation. I am sure that India would lose nothing if 90 per cent of the papers were to cease today. ... Now you will, perhaps, understand why I have called Abdul Rashid a brother, and I repeat it, I do not even regard him as guilty of Swamiji's murder. Guilty, indeed, are all those who excited feelings of hatred against one another. For us Hindus, the ''Gita'' enjoins on us the lesson of equality; we are to cherish the same feelings towards a learned [[Brahmin]] as towards a ''Chandala'', a dog, a cow or an elephant.
** Congress session in Guwahati, 1926. In [https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/OdkmAQAAMAAJ?hl=en Collected Works, Volume 32], pp. 461-62.

*Disobedience is a right that belongs to every human being, and it becomes a sacred duty when it springs from civility.
**''Young India'' (4 January 1926)

* Hinduism is like the [[Ganges in Hinduism|Ganga]],, pure and unsullied at its source but taking in its course the impurities in the way. Even like the [[Ganga]] it is beneficent in its total effect. It takes a provincial form in every provinvce, but the inner substance is retained everywhere.
** ''Young India'' (8 April 1926)

* Our sages have taught us to learn one thing; `As in the Self, so in the Universe.' It is not possible to scan the universe as it is to scan the self. Know the self and you know the universe.
** ''Young India'' (8 April 1926)

* '''The cry for [[peace]] will be a cry in the wilderness, so long as the spirit of nonviolence does not dominate millions of men and women.''' An armed conflict between nations horrifies us. But the economic war is no better than an armed conflict. This is like a surgical operation. An economic war is prolonged torture. And its ravages are no less terrible than those depicted in the literature on war properly so called. We think nothing of the other because we are used to its deadly effects. … The movement against war is sound. I pray for its success. But I cannot help the gnawing fear that the movement will fail if it does not touch the root of all evil — man's greed.
** "Non-Violence — The Greatest Force" in ''The World Tomorrow'' (5 October 1926)

* Now when we talk of brotherhood of men, we stop there and feel that all other life is there for man to exploit for his own purposes. But Hinduism excludes all exploitation.
** ''Young India'' (26 December 1926)

* I do regard [[Islam]] to be a religion of peace in the same sense as [[Christianity]], [[Buddhism]] and [[Hinduism]] are.
** ''Young India'', January 20, 1927, in [https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj-CWMG-032/page/588/mode/2up ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi''], vol. 32, p. 588.

* It is my deliberate opinion that the essential part of the teachings of the [[Buddha]] now forms an integral part of Hinduism. It is impossible for Hindu India today to retrace her steps and go behind the great reformation that Gautama effected in Hinduism. ... What Hinduism did not assimilate of what passes as [[Buddhism]] today was not an essential part of the Buddha's life and his teachings. It is my fixed opinion that the teaching of Buddha found its full fruition in India, and it could not be otherwise, for Gautama was himself a Hindu of Hindus. He was saturated with the best that was in Hinduism, and he gave life to some of the teachings that were buried in the [[Vedas]] and which were overgrown with weeds. ... Buddha never rejected Hinduism, but he broadened its base. He gave it a new life and a new interpretation.
** ''Young India'', November 24, 1927, as quoted in ''[https://archive.org/details/asurveyofhinduismkluasklostermaierk.sunny_789_k/mode/2up A Survey of Hinduism]'' by {{w|Klaus Klostermaier}}, p. 376.

* '''An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it. Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self sustained.'''
** ''Young India 1924-1926'' (1927), p. 1285

* A nation of three hundred million people should be ashamed to have to resort to force to bring to book one hundred thousand Englishmen. To convert them, or, if you will, even to drive them out of the country, we need, not force of arms, but force of will. If we have not the latter, we shall never get the former. If we develop the force of will, we shall find that we do not need the force of arms. Acceptance of non-violence, therefore, for the purposes mentioned by me, is the most natural and the most necessary condition of our national existence. It will teach us to husband our corporate physical strength for a better purpose, instead of dissipating it, as now, in a useless fratricidal strife, in which each party is exhausted after the effort. And every armed rebellion must be an insane act unless it is backed by the nation. But almost any item of non-cooperation fully backed by the nation can achieve the aim without shedding a single drop of blood. I do not say 'eschew violence in your dealing with [[robbers]] or [[Theft|thieves]] or with nations that may invade India.' But in order that we are better able to do so, we must learn to restrain ourselves. It is a sign not of strength but of weakness to take up the pistol on the slightest pretext. Mutual fisticuffs are a training not in violence but in emasculation. My method of non-violence can never lead to loss of strength, but it alone will make it possible, if the nation wills it, to offer disciplined and concerted violence in time of danger.
** {{cite book |title=Young India, 1924-1926 |date=1927 |publisher=S. Ganesan |url=https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj.yi.10973.33432/page/n73/mode/1up |page=31}}

* If those who believe that we were becoming supine and insert because of the training in non-violence, will but reflect a little, they will discover that we have never been non-violent in the only sense in which the word must be understood. Whilst we have refrained from causing actual physical hurt, we have harboured violence in our breast. If we had honestly regulated our thought and speech in the strictest harmony with our outward act, we would never have experienced the fatigue we are doing. Had we been true to ourselves we would have by this time evolved matchless strength of purpose and will. I have dwelt at length upon the mistaken view of non-violence, because I am sure that if we can but revert to our faith, if we ever had any, in non-violence limited only to the two purposes above referred to, the present tension between the two communities will largely subside. For, in my opinion, an attitude of non-violence in our mutual relations is an indispensable condition prior to a discussion of the remedies for the removal of the tension. It must be common cause between the two communities that neither party shall take the law into its own hands, but that all points in dispute, wherever and whenever they arise, shall be decided by reference either to private arbitration, or to the law courts if they wish. This is the whole meaning of non-violence, so far as communal matters are concerned. To put it another way, just as we do not break one another's heads in respect of civil matters, so many we not do even in respect of religious matters. This is the only pact that is immediately necessary between the parties, and I am sure that everything else will follow.
** {{cite book |title=Young India, 1924-1926 |date=1927 |publisher=S. Ganesan |url=https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj.yi.10973.33432/page/n73/mode/1up |pages=31-32}}

* Unless this elementary condition is recognised, we have no atmosphere for considering the ways and means of removing misunderstanding and arriving at an honourable, lasting settlement. But, assuming that the acceptance of the elementary condition will be common cause between the two communities, let us consider the constant disturbing factors. There is no doubt in my mind that in the majority of quarrels the Hindus come out second best. But my own experience confirms the opinion that the Mussalman as a rule is a bully, and the Hindu as a rule is a coward. I have noticed this in railway trains, on public roads, and in the quarrels which I had the privilege of settling. Need the Hindu blame the Mussalman for his cowardice? Where there are cowards, there will always be bullies. They say that in Saharanpur the Mussalmans looted houses, broke open safes and, in one case, a Hindu woman's modesty was outraged. Whose fault was this? Mussalmans can offer no defence for the execrable conduct, it is true. But I, as a Hindu, am more ashamed of Hindu cowardice than I am angry at the Mussalman bullying. Why did not the owners of the houses looted die in the attempt to defend their possessions? Where were the relatives of the outraged sister at the time of the outrage? Have they no account to render of themselves? My non-violence does not admit of running away from danger and leaving dear ones unprotected. Between violence and cowardly flight, I can only prefer violence to cowardice. I can no more preach non-violence to a coward than I can tempt a blind man to enjoy healthy scenes.
** {{cite book |title=Young India, 1924-1926 |date=1927 |publisher=S. Ganesan |url=https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj.yi.10973.33432/page/n73/mode/1up |pages=32-36}}

* Non-violence is the summit of bravery. And in my own experience, I have had no difficulty in demonstrating to men trained in the school of violence the superiority of non-violence. As a coward, which I was for years, I harboured violence. I began to prize non-violence only when I began to shed cowardice. Those Hindus who ran away from the post of duty when it was attended with danger did so not because they were non-violent, or because they were afraid to strike, but because they were unwilling to die or even suffer any injury. A [[Rabbits|rabbit]] that runs away from the bull terrier is no particularly non-violent. The poor thing trembles at the sight of the terrier and runs for very life. Those Hindus who ran away to save their lives would have been truly non-violent and would have covered themselves with glory and added lustre to their faith and won the friendship of their Mussalman assailants, if they had stood bare breast with smiles on their lips, and died at their post. They would have done less well though still well, if they had stood at their post and returned blow. If the Hindus wish to convert the Mussalman bully into a respecting friend, they have to learn to die in the face of the heaviest odds.
** {{cite book |title=Young India, 1924-1926 |date=1927 |publisher=S. Ganesan |url=https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj.yi.10973.33432/page/n73/mode/1up |pages=36-37}}

* '''I'm a lover of my own liberty, and so I would do nothing to restrict yours. I simply want to please my own conscience, which is God.'''
** ''Young India'' (21 January 1927)

* For one man cannot do right in one department of life whilst he is occupied in doing wrong in any other department. Life is one indivisible whole.
** ''Young India'' (27 January 1927)

*On examination, I have found [Hinduism] to be the most [[Religious tolerance|tolerant]] of all religions known to me. Its freedom from [[dogma]] makes a forcible appeal to me in as much as it gives the votary the largest scope for self-expression. Not being an exclusive religion, it enables the followers of the faith not merely to respect all the other religions, but it also enables them to admire and assimilate whatever may be good in the other faiths. Non-violence is common to all religions, but it has found the highest expression and application in Hinduism. (I do not regard [[Jainism]] or Buddhism as separate from Hinduism.) Hinduism believes in the oneness not of merely all human life but in the oneness of all that lives.
**October 1927. The Collected Works, Volume 35, New Delhi, 1968, pp. 166-67. As quoted in Goel, S.R. History of Hindu-Christian Encounters (1996)

[[File:English imperialism octopus.jpg|thumb|God forbid that India should ever take to [[industrialism]] after the manner of the West. The economic [[imperialism]] of a single tiny island kingdom is today keeping the world in chains. If an entire nation of 300 million took to similar economic exploitation, it would strip the world bare.]]

* God forbid that India should ever take to [[industrialism]] after the manner of the West. The economic [[imperialism]] of [[United Kingdom|a single tiny island kingdom]] is today keeping the world in chains. If an entire nation of 300 million took to similar economic exploitation, it would strip the world bare.
** 1928, as reported in ''Development Without Destruction: Economics of the Spinning Wheel'', p. 97

* My ambition is much higher than independence. Through the deliverance of India, I seek to deliver the so-called weaker races of the [[Earth]] from the crushing heels of Western exploitation in which [[England]] is the greatest partner.
** ''Young India'' (12 January 1928). Quoted in ''The Essential Writings of Gandhi'', edited by Judith Brown. Oxford University Press, 2008, (p. 153).

* I came to the conclusion long ago ... that all religions were true and also that all had some error in them, and whilst I hold by my own, I should hold others as dear as Hinduism. So we can only pray, if we are Hindus, not that a Christian should become a Hindu ... But our innermost prayer should be a Hindu should be a better Hindu, a Muslim a better Muslim, a Christian a better Christian.
** ''Young India'' (19 January 1928)

* Remember that there is always a limit to self-indulgence but none to self-restraint, and let us daily progress in that direction.
** [http://books.google.com/books?id=lHnjAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Remember+that+there+is+always+a+limit+to+self-indulgence+but+none+to+self-restraint+and+let+us+daily+progress+in+that+direction%22 Article] in [[wikipedia:Young India|Young India]] (2 February 1928, Volume 10, Page 35)

* It is not possible to make a person or society non-violent by compulsion.
** ''Young India'' (13 September 1928). ''All Men Are Brothers: Autobiographical Reflections'', compiled and edited by Krishna Kripalani, The Continuum, (2011) p. 34

*A volunteer from [[Ahmedabad]], who had been to [[Godhra]], writes: You say that you must be silent over these quarrels. Why were you not silent over the Khilafat, and why did you exhort us to join the Muslims? Why are you not silent about your principles of [[Ahimsa]]? How can you justify your silence when the two communities are running at each other’s throats and Hindus are being crushed to atoms? How does Ahimsa come there? I invite your attention to two cases: A Hindu shopkeeper, thus, complained to me: Musalmans purchase bags of rice from my shop, often never paying for them. I cannot insist on payment, for fear of their looting my godowns. I have, therefore, to make an involuntary gift of about 50 to 70 maunds of rice every month? Others complained: Musalmans invade our quarters and insult our women in our presence, and we have to sit still. If we dare to protest, we are done for. We dare not even lodge a complaint against them. What would you advise in such cases? How would you bring your Ahimsa into play? Or, even here you would prefer to remain silent! “These and similar other questions have been answered in these pages over and over again, but as they are still being raised, I had better explained my views once more at the risk of repetition. “Ahimsa is not the way of the timid or the cowardly. It is the way of the brave ready to face death. He who perishes sword in hand is, no doubt, brave, but he who faces death without raising his little finger, is braver. But he who surrenders his rice bags for fear of being beaten, '''is a coward and no votary of Ahimsa. He is innocent of Ahimsa.''' He, who for fear of being beaten, suffers the women of his household to be insulted, is not manly, but just the reverse. '''He is fit neither to be a husband nor a father, nor a brother.''' Such people have no right to complain…”
**Mahatma Gandhi, What are we to Do?” in Young India (11th October, 1928) and Collected Works, Volume 43, pages 81-82. (extract from To the Hindus and Muslims, a collection of articles by Gandhiji from Young India ).”

* "If an entire nation of 300 millions took to similar economic exploitation, it would strip the world bare like locusts."
** Young India, 29 November 1928, Also found in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 38, p. 243.

* Islam’s distinctive contribution to [[Culture of India|India’s national culture]] is [[Monotheism|its unadulterated belief in the oneness of God]] and a practical application of the truth of the brotherhood of man for those who are nominally within its fold. I call these two distinctive contributions. For in Hinduism the spirit of [[brotherhood]] has become too much [[Indian philosophy|philosophized]]. Similarly though philosophical Hinduism has no other god but God, it cannot be denied that practical Hinduism is not so emphatically uncompromising as Islam.
** ''Young India'', 21-3-1929, in [https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj-CWMG-040/page/58/mode/2up ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi''], vol. 40, p. 58.

* I have been known as a crank, faddist, madman. Evidently the reputation is well deserved. For wherever I go, I draw to myself cranks, faddists, and madmen.
** ''Young India'' (13 June 1929); also in ''All Men Are Brothers: Autobiographical Reflections'' (2005) edited by Krishna Kripalani, p. 163

* I am uncompromising in the matter of woman's rights. In my opinion she should labour under no legal disability not suffered by man, I should treat the daughters and sons on a footing of perfect [[equality]].
**Mohandas Gandhi, 17th October 1929. Quoted in ''Gandhi: The Essential Writings''. Judith M. Brown, [[w:Oxford University Press|Oxford University Press]], 1998 (pp. 228-9). Also quoted in Kumari Jayawardena, ''Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries'', Institute of Social Studies, 1982.

==== The Doctrine Of The Sword (1920) ====
[[File:1921_India_flag.svg|thumb|I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honor than that she should in a cowardly manner become or remain a helpless witness to her own dishonor. 
But I believe that nonviolence is infinitely superior to violence, forgiveness is more manly than punishment, forgiveness adorns a soldier.]]
[[File:1931_Flag_of_India.svg|thumb|I am not pleading for India to practice nonviolence because it is weak. I want her to practice nonviolence being conscious of her strength and power.]]

: [http://www.mkgandhi.org/nonviolence/D_sword.htm "The Doctrine Of The Sword", in ''Young India'' (11 August 1920)]

* '''In this age of the rule of brute force, it is almost impossible for anyone to believe that anyone else could possibly reject the law of final supremacy of brute force.''' And so I receive anonymous letters advising me that I must not interfere with the progress of non-co-operation even though popular violence may break out. Others come to me and assuming that secretly I must be plotting violence, inquire when the happy moment for declaring open violence to arrive. They assure me that English never yield to anything but violence secret or open. Yet others I am informed, believe that I am the most rascally person living in India because I never give out my real intention and that they have not a shadow of a doubt that I believe in violence just as much as most people do. '''Such being the hold that the doctrine of the sword has on the majority of mankind, and as success of non-co-operation depends principally on absence of violence during its pendency and as my views in this matter affect the conduct of large number of people. I am anxious to state them as clearly as possible. I do believe that where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence I would advise violence.'''

* I advocate training in arms for those who believe in the method of violence. '''I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honor than that she should in a cowardly manner become or remain a helpless witness to her own dishonor. But I believe that nonviolence is infinitely superior to violence, [[forgiveness]] is more manly than [[punishment]], forgiveness adorns a soldier.''' But abstinence is forgiveness only when there is the power to punish, it is meaningless when it pretends to proceed from a helpless creature. A mouse hardly forgives cat when it allows itself to be torn to pieces by her. ... '''I do not believe myself to be a helpless creature. Only I want to use India's and my strength for better purpose.''' Let me not be misunderstood. Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

* We in India may in moment realize that one hundred thousand Englishmen need not frighten three hundred million human beings. A definite forgiveness would therefore mean a definite recognition of our strength. ... '''I must not refrain from a saying that India can gain more by waiving the right of punishment. We have better work to do, a better mission to deliver to the world.''' I am not a visionary. I claim to be a practical idealist. The religion of nonviolence is not meant merely for the [[wikipedia:Rishi|Rishis]] and [[saints]]. It is meant for the common people as well. Nonviolence is the law of our species as violence is the law of the brute. The spirit lies dormant in the brute and he knows no law but that of physical might. The dignity of man requires obedience to a higher law — to the strength of the spirit.

* '''Nonviolence in its dynamic condition means conscious suffering. It does not means meek submission to the will of the evil-doer, but it means the putting of one's whole soul against the will of the tyrant.''' Working under this law of being , it is possible for a single individual to defy the whole might of an unjust empire to save his honor, his religion, his soul and lay the foundation for the empire's fall or its regeneration. And so '''I am not pleading for India to practice nonviolence because it is weak. I want her to practice nonviolence being conscious of her strength and power.''' No training in arms is required for realization of her strength. We seem to need it because we seem to think that we are but a lump of flesh. I want India to recognize that she has a soul that cannot perish and that can rise triumphant above every physical weakness and defy the physical combination of a whole world.

* I invite even the school of violence to give this peaceful non-co-operation a trial. It will not fail through its inherent weakness. It may fail because of poverty of response. Then will be one time for real danger. The high-souled men, who are unable to suffer national humiliation any longer, will want to vent their wrath. They will take to violence.

* I am wedded to India because I owe my all to her. I believe absolutely that she has a mission for the world. She is not to copy Europe blindly, India's acceptance of the doctrine of the sword will be the hour of my trial. I hope I shall not be found wanting. My religion has no geographical limits. If I have a living faith in it, it will transcend my love for India herself. '''My life is dedicated to service of India through the religion of nonviolence which I believed to be the root of [[Hinduism]].''' Meanwhile I urge those who distrust me, not to disturb the even working of the struggle that has just commenced, by inciting to violence in the belief that I want violence I detest secrecy as a sin. Let them give nonviolence non co-operation a trial and they will find that I had no mental reservation whatsoever.

==== ''A Guide to Health'' (1921) ====
: Translated from the Hindi by A. Rama Iyer, M.A. ([https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/40373 full text multiple formats])
* It is far easier and safer to prevent illness by the observance of the laws of health than to set about curing the illness which has been brought on by our own ignorance and carelessness. Hence it is the duty of all thoughtful men to understand aright the laws of health (Introduction)

* As [[John Milton|Milton]] says, the mind can make a [[hell]] of [[heaven]] or a heaven of hell. So heaven is not somewhere above the clouds, and hell somewhere underneath the earth!... Whether a man is healthy or unhealthy depends on himself. Illness is the result not only of our actions but also of our thoughts. ... Ignorance is one of the root-causes of disease. (Introduction)

* [[Illness]] or [[disease]] is only [[Nature]]’s warning that filth has accumulated in some portion or other of the body; and it would surely be the part of wisdom to allow Nature to remove the filth, instead of covering it up by the help of medicines. Those who take medicines are really rendering the task of Nature doubly difficult. It is, on the other hand, quite easy for us to help Nature in her task by remembering certain elementary principles, by fasting, for instance, so that the filth may not accumulate all the more, and by vigorous exercise in the open air, so that some of the filth may escape in the form of perspiration. And the one thing that is supremely necessary is to keep our minds strictly under control. (Introduction)

* As far as possible, possess your [[Soul|souls]] in [[patience]], and do not trouble the [[Physician|doctors]]. In case you are forced at length to call in the aid of a doctor, be sure to get a good man; then, follow his directions strictly, and do not call in another doctor, unless by his own advice. But remember, above all, that the curing of your disease does not rest ultimately in the hands of any doctor. (Introduction)

* Man alone is perfectly healthy whose body is well formed, whose teeth as well as eyes and ears are in good condition, whose nose is free from dirty matter, whose skin exudes perspiration freely and without any bad smell, whose mouth is also free from bad smells, whose hands and legs perform their duty properly, who is neither too fat nor too thin, and whose mind and senses are constantly under his control. (Chapter I, The Meaning of Health)

* The chief agency for keeping the [[blood]] pure is the [[air]]. When the blood returns to the lungs after one complete round over the body, it is impure and contains [[Poison|poisonous]] elements. The [[oxygen]] of the air which we inhale purifies this blood and is assimilated into it, while the nitrogen absorbs the poisonous matter and is breathed out. ... The air which we inhale is taken into the lungs through the windpipe, and the blood is purified by it. It is of the utmost importance to [[Breathing|breathe]] through the nose, instead of through the mouth. (Chapter II, The Human Body)

* Of the three things that are indispensable for the subsistence of man, — namely, air, [[water]], and [[food]] — the first is the most important. We should all be as much against the breathing of impure air as we are against the drinking of dirty water and the eating of dirty food; but the air we breathe is, as a rule, far more impure than the water we drink or the food we eat. ... In fact, every [[Children|child]] should be taught the value of fresh air, as soon as it is able to understand anything. ... All men should learn to breathe through the nose alone. And this is not at all difficult, if we remember to keep our mouth firmly shut at all times, except when we are talking. After learning how to inhale the air, we should cultivate the habit of breathing fresh air, day in and day out. (Chapter III, Air)

* If we cultivate the habit of keeping the air pure and of breathing only fresh air, we can save ourselves from many a terrible disease. ... Sleeping with the face uncovered is as essential as sleeping in fresh air. Many of our people are in the habit of sleeping with the face covered, which means that they have to inhale the poisonous air which has been exhaled by themselves.

* [[Light]] is as indispensable to life as air itself. Hence it is that Hell is represented as completely dark. Where light cannot penetrate, the air can never be pure. ... Those who thus deprive themselves of air and light are always weak and haggard. ... Now-a-days, there are many doctors in Europe who cure their patients by means of air-bath and sun-bath alone. Thousands of diseased persons have been cured by mere exposure to the air and to the [[sunlight]]. ... Dwellers in towns are, as a rule, more delicate than those in the country, for they get less air and light than the latter. (Chapter III, Air)

* Man cannot live for more than a few minutes without air, but he can live for a few days without water. And in the absence of other food, he can subsist on water alone for many days. There is more than 70% of water in the composition of our food-stuffs, as in that of the human body. ... Even though water is so indispensable, we take hardly any pains to keep it pure. ... Perfectly pure water has a most beneficial effect on the system; hence doctors administer distilled water to their patients. ... One should drink water only when one feels thirsty, and even then only just enough to quench the thirst. There is no harm in drinking water during the meals or immediately afterwards. Of course, we should not wash the food down with water. If the food refuses to go down of itself, it means that either it has not been well prepared or the stomach is not in need of it. ... Our blood has in itself the power of destroying many of the poisonous elements that enter into it, but it has to be renewed and purified (Chapter IV, Water)

* The ways of men are so diverse, that the very same food shows different effects on different individuals. ... Man is not born to [[Eating|eat]], nor should he live to eat. His true function is to know and serve his Maker; but, since the body is essential to this service, we have perforce to eat. Even atheists will admit that we should eat merely to preserve our health, and not more than is needed for this purpose. ... We have sedulously cultivated such false notions in the matter of eating that we never realise our slavishness and our beastliness. (Chapter V, Food)

* An examination of the structure of the human body leads to the conclusion that man is intended by Nature to live on [[Vegetarianism|a vegetable diet]]. There is the closest affinity between the organs of the human body and those of the fruit-eating animals. The [[monkey]], for instance, is so similar to man in shape and structure, and it is a fruit-eating animal. Its [[teeth]] and stomach are just like the teeth and stomach of man. From this we may infer that man is intended to live on roots and fruits, and not on meat. (Chapter V, Food)

* An experienced doctor by name Deway has written an excellent book on Fasting, in which he has shown the benefits of dispensing with the breakfast. I can also say from my experience that there is absolutely no need to eat more than twice, for a man who has passed the period of youth, and whose body has attained its fullest growth. (Chapter V, Food)

* [[Exercise]] is as much of a vital necessity for man as air, water and food, in the sense that no man who does not take exercise regularly, can be perfectly healthy. By “exercise” we do not mean merely [[walking]], or [[Game|games]] like [[Ice hockey|hockey]], [[Association football|football]], and [[cricket]]; we include under the term all physical and mental activity. Exercise, even as food, is as essential to the mind as to the body. The mind is much weakened by want of exercise as the body, and a feeble mind is, indeed, a form of disease. An [[athlete]], for instance, who is an expert in [[wrestling]], cannot be regarded as a really healthy man, unless his mind is equally efficient. As already explained, “a sound mind in a sound body” alone constitutes true health. (Chapter VII, Exercise)

* Walking gives movement to every portion of the body, and ensures vigorous circulation of the blood; for, when we walk fast, fresh air is inhaled into the lungs. Then there is the inestimable joy that natural objects give us, the joy that comes from a contemplation of the beauties of nature. ... Let those who are suffering from indigestion and kindred diseases try for themselves, and they will at once realise the value of walking as an exercise. (Chapter VII, Exercise)

* What do we mean by [[W:Brahmacharya|Brahmacharya]]? We mean by it that [[Man|men]] and [[women]] should refrain from enjoying each other. That is to say, they should not touch each other with a carnal thought, they should not think of it even in their dreams. Their mutual glances should be free from all suggestion of carnality. The hidden strength that God has given us should be conserved by rigid self-discipline, and transmitted into energy and power,—not merely of body, but also of mind and soul. But what is the spectacle that we actually see around us? Men and women, old and young, without exception, are seen entangled in the coils of sensuality. Blinded by [[lust]], they lose all sense of [[right and wrong]]. ... For the sake of a momentary pleasure, we sacrifice in an instant all the stock of vitality that we have accumulated. The infatuation over, we find ourselves in a miserable condition. The next morning, we feel hopelessly weak and tired, and the mind refuses to do its work. (Part I, Chapter IX, Sexual Relations)

* The days pass and the years, until at length old age comes upon us, and finds us utterly emasculated in body and in mind. But the [[Natural law|law of Nature]] is just the reverse of this. The older we grow, the keener should grow our intellect also; the longer we live, the greater should be our capacity to transmit the fruits of our accumulated experience to our fellowmen. And such is indeed the case with those who have been true [[w:Brahmachari|Brahmacharies]]. They know no fear of death, and they do not forget good even in the hour of death; nor do they indulge in vain complaints. ... We hardly realise the fact that incontinence is the root-cause of all the vanity, anger, fear and jealousy in the world. If our mind is not under our control, if we behave once or more every day more foolishly than even little children, what sins may we not commit consciously or unconsciously? (Part I, Chapter IX, Sexual Relations)

* The process of vaccination consists in injecting into the skin the liquid that is obtained by applying the discharge from the body of a small-pox patient to the udder of a cow… Vaccination is a barbarous practice, and it is one of the most fatal of all the delusions current in our time, not to be found even among the so-called savage races of the world. Its supporters are not content with its adoption by those who have no objection to it, but seek to impose it with the aid of penal laws and rigorous punishments on all people alike. ... (Part II, Chapter VI Contageous Diseases: Small-Pox)

* I cannot also help feeling that [[Vaccines|vaccination]] is a violation of the dictates of religion and morality. [Pg 108]The drinking of the blood of even dead [[animals]] is looked upon with horror even by habitual meat-eaters. Yet, what is vaccination but the taking in of the poisoned blood of an innocent living animal? Better far were it for God-fearing men that they should a thousand times become the victims of small-pox and even die a terrible death than that they should be guilty of such an act of sacrilege. (Part II, Chapter VI Contageous Diseases: Small-Pox)

* In the lower orders of the animal creation, the pangs of child-birth are altogether unknown. The same should really be the case with perfectly healthy women. In fact, most women in the country regard child-birth as quite an ordinary matter; they continue to do their normal work till almost the last moment, and experience hardly any pain at the time of delivery. Women employed in labour have also been known to be able very often to return to work almost immediately after child-birth. How comes it, then, that women in towns and cities have to endure so much pain and suffering at the time of child-birth? (Part II, Chapter VIII Maternity & Child-Birth)

* Why is it that they have to receive special treatment before and after the delivery? The answer is simple and obvious. The [[Women in India|women]] in towns have to lead an unnatural life. Their food, their costume, their mode of life, in general, offend against the natural laws of healthy living. ... besides becoming [[Teenage pregnancy|pregnant at a premature age]], they are the sad victims of men’s [[lust]] even after [[pregnancy]], as well as immediately after [[Childbirth|child-birth]], so that conception again takes place at too short an interval. This is the state of utter [[misery]] and wretchedness ... Let all [[Marriage|married]] people realise, once for all, that, so long as [[Human sexual activity|sexual enjoyment]] at a premature age, as well as during pregnancy and soon after child-birth, does not cease to exist in our land, an easy and painless child-birth must remain a wild dream. ... their own ignorance and weakness of will make their children grow weaker and droop from day to day. ... If even a single man and woman should do their duty in this matter, to that extent it would mean the elevation of the world.

* If the child is unwell, attention must be turned to the state of the mother’s [[health]]. Administering [[drugs]] to the child is as good as murdering it, for the child with its delicate constitution, easily succumbs to their poisonous effects. Hence the medicine should be administered to the mother, so that its beneficial properties may be transmitted to the child through her milk. If the child suffers, as it often does, from cough or loose bowels, there is no cause for alarm; we should wait for a day or so, and try to get at the root of the trouble, and then remove it. Making fuss over it and falling into a panic only makes matters worse. ... The use of shoes prevents the free circulation of blood and the development of hardy feet and legs. Dressing the child in silk or lace cloths, with cap and coat, and ornaments, is a barbarous practice. Our attempt to enhance by such ridiculous means the beauty that Nature has given, only bespeaks our vanity and ignorance. (Part II, Chapter IX, Care of the Child)

* We should always remember that the education of the child really begins from its very birth, and is best given by the parents themselves. The use of threats and punishments, and the practice of gorging the children with food, are an outrage on the principles of true education. ... The example and practice of the parents necessarily shape the conduct and character of the children.... The very first duty of a man is to give such education to his children as will make them honest and truthful, and an ornament to the society in which they live. ... It is the solemn duty of all virtuous parents to train their children in noble ways. (Part II, Chapter IX, Care of the Child)

* To conclude, then our attempt in these pages has been to teach the great truth that perfect health can be attained only by living in obedience to the [[Divine law|laws of God]], and defying the power of Satan. True happiness is impossible without true health, and true health is impossible without a rigid control of the palate. All the other senses will automatically come under our control when the palate has been brought under control. And he who has conquered his senses has really conquered the whole world, and he becomes a part of God. We cannot realise [[Rama]] by reading the [[Ramayana]], or [[Krishna]] by reading the Gita, or God by reading the Koran, or [[Christ]] by reading [[the Bible]]; the only means of realising them is by developing a pure and noble character. Character is based on virtuous action, and virtuous action is grounded on Truth. [[Truth]], then, is the source and foundation of all things that are good and great. Hence, a fearless and unflinching pursuit of the ideal of Truth and Righteousness is the key-note of true health as of all else. (Part II, Chapter XIV, Conclusion)

==== ''[[wikipedia:The Story of My Experiments with Truth|An Autobiography]]'' (1927) ====
{{main|The Story of My Experiments with Truth}}
* It is not my purpose to attempt a real autobiography. I simply want to tell the story of my experiments with truth...as my life consists of nothing but those experiments.
** Introduction, vol. I, p. 3

=== 1930s ===

[[File:The cow pock.jpg|thumb|I have no doubt in my mind that vaccination is a filthy process, that it is harmful in the end and that it is little short of taking [[beef]].]]

* I have no doubt in my mind that vaccination is a filthy process, that it is harmful in the end and that it is little short of taking [[beef]].
**[https://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/Mahatma_Vol3.pdf chapter 01. Independence Pledge ( 1930 )], [https://www.gandhi-manibhavan.org/quotations/quotations-v.html#vaccination]

* '''To call woman the weaker sex is a [[libel]]; it is man's injustice to woman.''' If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, man could not be. If nonviolence is the law of our being, the future is with woman. Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart than woman?
** ''Young India'' (10 April 1930)

[[File:21st_anniversary_candlelight_vigil_6.jpg|thumb|An unjust [[law]] is itself a species of [[violence]]. Arrest for its breach is more so.]]

* "An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so."
** From a letter to the Viceroy, 1930, published in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 49, p. 180.

* All faiths are a gift of God, but partake of human imperfection, as they pass through the medium of humanity. God-given religion is beyond all speech. Imperfect men put it into such language as they can command, and their words are interpreted by other men equally imperfect. Whose interpretation must be held to be the right one ? Every one is right from his own standpoint, but it is not impossible that every one is wrong. Hence the necessity for tolerance, which does not mean indifference towards one's own faith, but a more intelligent and purer love for it. '''Tolerance gives us spiritual insight, which is as far from fanaticism as the north pole is from the south. True knowledge of religion breaks down the barriers between faith and faith and gives rise to tolerance. Cultivation of tolerance for other faiths will impart to us a truer understanding of our own.'''
** Young India, (Bulletin), 2-10-1930, p. 2 In: ''My God'' (1962), [http://www.mkgandhi.org/god/mygod/pathwaystogod.html Chapter 13. Pathways of God], Printed and Published by: Jitendra T. Desai, Navajivan Mudranalaya, Ahemadabad-380014 India

* By its very nature, non-violence cannot ‘seize’ power, nor can that be its goal. But non-violence can do more; it can effectively control and guide power without capturing the machinery of government. That is its beauty.
** ''Young India'' (Feb. 7, 1931) p. 162

* "Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the State becomes lawless or corrupt.
And a citizen who barters with such a State shares in its corruption and lawlessness."
** Young India, 5 March 1931, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 45, p. 343.

* '''[[Freedom]] is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err.''' It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right.
** ''Young India'' (12 March 1931), [http://books.google.com/books?id=1HZDAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Freedom+is+not+worth+having+if+it+does+not+connote+freedom+to+err%22&pg=PA31#v=onepage p. 31]

* It would be a great things, a brave thing, for the Hindus to achieve act of self-denial.
** ''Young India'' (12 March 1931), [https://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/SelectionsFromGandhi.pdf Selections from Gandhi] (1950), Nirmal Kumar Bose, p. 161.

* My implicit faith in non-violence does mean yielding to minorities when they are really weak. The best way to weaken [[Communalism (South Asia)|communalists]] is to yield to them. Resistance will only rouse their suspicion and strengthen their opposition. A satyagrahi resists when there is threat of force behind obstruction. I know that I do not carry the Congressmen in general with me in this to me appears as very sensible and practical point of view. But if we are to come to Swaraj through non-violent means, I know that this point of view will be accepted.
** ''Young India'' (2 July 1931), [https://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/SelectionsFromGandhi.pdf Selections from Gandhi] (1950), Nirmal Kumar Bose, p. 161.

[[File:Siete_chakras.jpg|thumb|The [[weak]] can never forgive. [[Forgiveness]] is the attribute of the [[strong]].]]

* '''The weak can never forgive. [[Forgiveness]] is the attribute of the strong.'''
** "Interview to the Press" in Karachi about the execution of [[Bhagat Singh]] (23 March 1931); published in ''Young India'' (2 April 1931), reprinted in [[iarchive:HindSwaraj-CWMG-051|''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi Online'' Vol. 51]]. Gandhi begins by making a statement on his failure "to bring about the commutation of the death sentence of Bhagat Singh and his friends." He is asked two questions. First: "Do you not think it impolitic to forgive a government which has been guilty of a thousand murders?" Gandhi replies: "I do not know a single instance where forgiveness has been found so wanting as to be impolitic." In a follow-up question, Gandhi is asked: "But no country has ever shown such forgiveness as India is showing to Britain?" Gandhi replies: "That does not affect my reply. What is true of individuals is true of nations. One cannot forgive too much. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

* On all occasions of trial He has saved me. I know that the phrase 'God saved me' has a deeper meaning for me today, and still I feel that I have not yet grasped its entire meaning. Only richer experience can help me to a fuller understanding. But in all my trials — of a spiritual nature, as a lawyer, in conducting institutions, and in politics — I can say that God saved me. When every hope is gone, 'when helpers fail and comforts flee', I experience that help arrives somehow, from I know not where.
** ''Young India'' (24 April 1931), p. 274

* '''It is beyond my power to induce in you a belief in God. There are certain things which are self proved and certain which are not proved at all.''' The existence of God is like a geometrical axiom. It may be beyond our heart grasp. I shall not talk of an intellectual grasp. Intellectual attempts are more or less failures, as a rational explanation cannot give you the faith in a living God. For it is a thing beyond the grasp of [[reason]]. It transcends reason. There are numerous phenomena from which you can reason out the existence of God, but I shall not insult your intelligence by offering you a rational explanation of that type. I would have you brush aside all rational explanations and begin with a simple childlike faith in God. If I exist, God exists. With me it is a necessity of my being as it is with millions. They may not be able to talk about it, but from their life you can see that it is a part of their life. I am only asking you to restore the belief that has been undermined. In order to do so, you have to unlearn a lot of literature that dazzles your intelligence and throws you off your feet. Start with the faith which is also a token of humility and an admission that we know nothing, that we are less than atoms in this universe. '''We are less than atoms, I say, because the atom obeys the law of its being, whereas we in the insolence of our ignorance deny the law of nature. But I have no argument to address to those who have no faith.'''
** ''Young India'' (24 September 1931); also in ''Teachings Of Mahatma Gandhi'' (1945), edited by Jag Parvesh Chander, [https://archive.org/stream/teachingsofmahat029222mbp#page/n463/mode/2up p. 458 archive.org]

* [[Zionism]] in its spiritual sense is a lofty aspiration. By spiritual sense I mean they should want to realise the [[Jerusalem]] that is within. Zionism meaning reoccupation of [[Palestine]] has no attraction for me. I can understand the longing of a Jew to return to Palestine, and he can do so if he can without the help of bayonets, whether his own or [[British Army|those of Britain]]. In that event he would go to Palestine peacefully and in perfect friendliness with the Arabs. The real Zionism of which I have given you my meaning is the thing to strive for, long for and die for. Zion lies in one’s heart. It is the abode of God. The real Jerusalem is the spiritual Jerusalem. Thus he can realise this Zionism in any part of the world.
** Interview for ''[[w:The Jewish Chronicle|The Jewish Chronicle]]'' (London, October 2, 1931), in [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/interview-to-the-jewish-chronicle-london-by-gandhi-october-1931 "Gandhi, the Jews & Zionism"], Jewish Virtual Library.

* "The only tyrant I accept in this world is the 'still small voice' within me. And even though I have to face the prospect of being a minority of one, I humbly believe I have the courage to be in such a hopeless minority."
** Speech at the Kingsley Hall, London, 4 October 1931, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 48, p. 340.

* I say without fear of my figures being successfully challenged that India today is more [[Literacy|illiterate]] than it was before a fifty or hundred years ago, and so is [[Myanmar|Burma]], because the British administrators when they came to India, instead of taking hold of things as they were, began to root them out. They scratched the soil and began to look at the root and left the root like that and the beautiful tree perished.
** Mahatma Gandhi, Speech at Chatham House, London, on October 20, 1931. Quoted in Essential Writings of Dharampal by Dharampal, and quoted in S.R. Goel, Hindu Society under siege [http://web.archive.org/web/20170202032436/http://bharatvani.org/books/hsus/ch4.htm]

* England has got successful competitors in [[United States|America]], Japan, [[France]], [[Germany]]. It has competitors in the handful of mills in India, and as there has been an awakening in India, even so there will be an awakening in South Africa with its vastly richer resources — natural, mineral, and human. '''The mighty English look quite pigmies before the [[Black people|mighty races of Africa]]. They are noble savages, after all, you will say. They are certainly noble, but no savages and in the course of a few years the Western nations may cease to find in [[Africa]] a dumping ground for their wares.'''
** Statement at Oxford (24 October 1931), published in ''Young India'' Vol. 13 (1931), p. 355
* '''If we are to reach real peace in this world''' and if we are to carry on a real war against war, '''we shall have to begin with children'''; and if they will grow up in their natural innocence, we won't have to struggle, we won't have to pass fruitless idle resolutions. But we shall go from love to love and peace to peace, until at last all the corners of the world are covered with that peace and love for which, consciously or unconsciously, the whole world is hungering.
** ''Young India'' (19 November 1931, p. 361)

* [[Vegetarianism|Vegetarians]] should have that moral basis—that a man was not born a carnivorous animal, but born to live on the fruits and herbs that the earth grows.
** Speech at Meeting of London Vegetarian Society (20 November 1931), in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'' (New Delhi: Publications Division Government of India, 1999 electronic edition), [http://www.gandhiashramsevagram.org/gandhi-literature/mahatma-gandhi-collected-works-volume-54.pdf Volume 54], p. 189.

* “I favor a unified calendar for the whole world, just as I am in favor of one currency for all coun- tries and a world auxiliary language such as Esperanto for all peoples.” or sometimes “I am for the same calendar for the whole world, as I am for the same currency for all the people and a world auxiliary language like the Esperanto for all the people.”[https://bulteno.esperanto-usa.org/a/1949/16/00-pdf/][https://danlmillereducationauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Foreign-Language-Best-Quotes-on.pdf][https://steemit.com/science/@rojind95/international-language-esperanto][https://personal.community/?post=rojind95/international-language-esperanto][https://www.freexenon.com/esperanto/esperanto-quotes-recognition/][https://zamenhof.info/en/citajxoj]{{source}} (only one source is not esperantist, and the only source that gives a date is esperantist and doesn’t name the involved recipient of the said letter)
** “A letter”, 1931, attributed in American Esperanto Magazine, november-december 1949

* I do feel that spiritual progress does demand at some stage—an inexorable demand—that we should cease to kill our fellow-creatures for satisfaction of our bodily wants.
** Speech at Meeting in Lausanne (8 December 1931), in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'' (New Delhi: Publications Division Government of India, 1999 electronic edition), [http://www.gandhiashramsevagram.org/gandhi-literature/mahatma-gandhi-collected-works-volume-54.pdf Volume 54], p. 272.

* '''I regard myself as a [[Soldiers|soldier]], though a soldier of peace.'''
** [http://www.gandhiserve.org/information/listen_to_gandhi/lec_11_france_genevawtrans/augven_geneva_01.html Speech at Victoria Hall, Geneva (10 December 1931)]

* I do not believe in the doctrine of the greatest number. It means in its nakedness that in order to achieve the supposed good of 51 per cent the interests of 49 per cent may be, or rather, should be sacrificed. It is a heartless doctrine and has done harm to humanity.
** ''The Dairy of Mahadev Desai'', (June 4, 1932) p. 149

* I have nothing of the [[communalist]] in me, because my [[Hinduism]] is all-inclusive.
** ''The Bombay Chronicle'', 29-11-1932, in [https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj-CWMG-052/page/70/mode/2up ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi''], Vol. 52, p. 71.

* "To deprive a man of his natural liberty and to deny to him the ordinary amenities of life is worse than starving the body.
It is starvation of the soul, the dweller in the body."
** Harijan, 15 April 1933,also in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 52, p. 77.

* '''For me the voice of God, of Conscience, of Truth or the Inner Voice or ‘the still small Voice’ mean one and the same thing. I saw no form. I have never tried, for I have always believed God to be without form. One who realizes God is freed from sin for ever.... But what I did hear was like a Voice from afar and yet quite near. It was as unmistakable as some human voice definitely speaking to me, and irresistible. I was not dreaming at the time I heard the Voice. The hearing of the Voice was preceded by a terrific struggle within me. Suddenly the Voice came upon me. I listened, made certain that it was the Voice, and the struggle ceased. I was calm. The determination was made accordingly, the date and the hour of the fast were fixed.... Could I give any further evidence that it was truly the Voice that I heard and that it was not an echo of my own heated imagination? I have no further evidence to convince the sceptic. He is free to say that it was all self-delusion or hallucination. It may well have been so. I can offer no proof to the contrary. But I can say this — that not the unanimous verdict of the whole world against me could shake me from the belief that what I heard was the true voice of God.'''
** ''Harijan'' (1933, July 8); also in ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'' (Vol. 61), and in ''The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi'' (Prabhu and Rao, eds., 1967, pp. 33-34)

*But religion is not like a house or a cloak which can be changed at will. It is more an integral part of one's self than of one's body. Religion is the tie that binds one to one's Creator, and while the body perishes as it has to, religion persists even after that.
**Gandhi (1935) in response to a call by Dr. [[Ambedkar]] for mass conversions among the depressed classes. Quoted from [[Sri Aurobindo]], ., Nahar, S., Aurobindo, ., & Institut de recherches évolutives (Paris). ''India's rebirth: A selection from Sri Aurobindo's writing, talks and speeches.'' Paris: Institut de Recherches Evolutives. 3rd Edition (2000). [https://web.archive.org/web/20170826004028/http://bharatvani.org/books/ir/IR_frontpage.htm]

* I look upon an increase in the power of the State with the greatest fear because, although while apparently doing good by minimizing exploitation, it does the greatest harm to mankind by destroying individuality, which lies at the root of the progress. We know of so many cases where men have adopted trusteeship, but none where the State has really lived for the poor.
** ''Modern Review'' (October, 1935) p. 412. Interview with [[wikipedia: Nirmal Kumar Bose|Nirmal Kumar Bose]] (9/10 November 1934)

* It is my firm conviction that if the State suppressed capitalism by violence, it will be caught in the coils of violence itself, and fail to develop non-violence at any time. '''The state represents violence in a concentrated and organized form. The Individual has a soul, but as the state is a soulless machine, it can never be weaned from violence to which it owes its very existence.'''
** ''Modern Review'' (October, 1935) p. 412. Interview with [[wikipedia: Nirmal Kumar Bose|Nirmal Kumar Bose]] (9/10 November 1934)

*“Only the other day, a missionary descended on a famine area with money in his pocket, distributed it among the famine-stricken, converted them to his fold, took charge of their temple and demolished it. This is outrageous. The temple could not belong to the converted Hindus, and it could not belong to the Christian missionary. But this friend goes and gets it demolished at the hands of the very men who, only a little while ago, believed that God was there.”
** ‘Harijan’, English weekly (founded by M.K. Gandhi), Poona, May 11, 1935

*This [Christian] proselytization will mean no peace in the world. Conversions are harmful to India. If I had power and could legislate, I should certainly stop all proselytizing. For Hindu households, the advent of a [[Missionaries|missionary]] has meant the disruption of the family, coming in the wake of change of dress, manners, language, food and drink.
** ‘Harijan’, English weekly, Poona, founded by M.K. Gandhi, dated May 11, 1935 

* Man's excellence lies in his readiness to let others live and lay down his own life. As he progresses, his food also changes for the better. He has the capacity to grow still further. There have been many more discoveries after [[Darwin]]'s. The book which you have been reading seems to be an old one. Whether it is old or new, the "Principle of the greatest good of the greatest number," or "survival of the fittest" is false.
** In his ''Letter to Premabehn Kantak'', in ''Collected Works'', , Delhi. Ministry of Information (1969-94)., 50:309-10

*A certain degree of physical harmony and comfort is necessary, but above a certain level it becomes a hindrance instead of help. Therefore the ideal of creating an unlimited number of wants and satisfying them seems to be a delusion and a snare. The satisfaction of one's physical needs, even the intellectual needs of one's narrow self, must meet at a certain point a dead stop, before it degenerates into physical and intellectual voluptuousness. A man must arrange his physical and cultural circumstances so that they do not hinder him in his service of humanity, on which all his energies should be concentrated.
**''Harijan'', (29 August 1936), p. 226

* Hinduism insists on the brotherhood of not only all mankind but of all that lives.
** Harijan, 28-3-1936

* Today, I rebel against orthodox Christianity, as I am convinced it has distorted the message of [[Jesus]]. He was an [[Asian people|Asiatic]] whose message was delivered through many [[Mass media|media]], and when it had the backing of [[Constantine the Great|a Roman emperor]], it became an [[Imperialism|imperialist]] faith as it remains to this day.
**Harijan, 30-5-1936

* That is why a thinker like [[Henry David Thoreau|Thoreau]] said that ‘that government is the best which governs the least.’ This means that when people come into possession of [[Politics|political]] [[power]], the interference with the freedom of people is reduced to a minimum. In other words, a nation that runs its affairs smoothly and effectively without much State interference is truly democratic. Where such a condition is absent, the form of government is [[Democracy|democratic]] in name.
** ''Harijan'', (Nov. 1. 1936). M.K. Gandhi, ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol-62, New Delhi: Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India (1975) p. 92

* '''It is impossible for me to reconcile myself to the idea of conversion after the style that goes on in India and elsewhere today.''' It is an error which is perhaps the greatest impediment to the world's progress toward peace ... Why should a Christian want to convert a Hindu to Christianity? Why should he not be satisfied if the Hindu is a good or godly man?
** ''Harijan'' (30 January 1937) ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi''

* For me the '''different religions are beautiful flowers from the same garden''', or '''they are branches of the same majestic tree. Therefore they are equally true, though being received and interpreted through human instruments equally imperfect.'''
** Harijan, 30-1-1937, p. 407; In: ''My God'' (1962), [http://www.mkgandhi.org/god/mygod/pathwaystogod.html Chapter 13. Pathways of God], Printed and Published by: Jitendra T. Desai, Navajivan Mudranalaya, Ahemadabad-380014 India

* '''The [[Allah]] of Islam is the same as the God of Christians and the Ishwara of Hindus.''' Even as there are numerous names of [[God in Hinduism]], there are as many names of God in Islam. The names do not indicate [[individuality]] but attributes, and '''little man has tried in his humble way to describe mighty God by giving Him attributes, though He is above all attributes, Indescribable, Inconceivable, Immeasurable. Living faith in this God means acceptance of the brotherhood of mankind. It also means equal respect for all religions.'''
** ''Harijan'', 14-5-1938, pp. 110-11; and ''The Hindustan Times'', 5-5-1938, in [https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj-CWMG-067/page/64/mode/2up ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi''], vol. 67, p. 64. Also in: ''My God'' (1962), [http://www.mkgandhi.org/god/mygod/pathwaystogod.html Chapter 13. Pathways of God], Printed and Published by: Jitendra T. Desai, Navajivan Mudranalaya, Ahemadabad-380014 India

* Let me give a chapter from my own experience. Up to the age of 12 all the knowledge I gained was through Gujarati, my mother tongue. I knew then something of Arithmetic, History and Geography. Then I entered a High School. For the first three years the mother tongue was still the medium. But the schoolmaster's business was to drive English into the pupil's head. Therefore more than half of our time was given to learning English and mastering its arbitrary spelling and pronunciation. It was a painful discovery to have to learn a language that was not pronounced as it was written. It was a strange experience to learn the spelling by heart. But that is by the way, and irrelevant to my argument. However, for the first three years, it was comparatively plain sailing. The pillory began with the fourth year. Everything had to be learnt through English—Geometry, Algebra, Chemistry, Astronomy, History, Geography. The tyranny of English was so great that even Sanskrit or Persian had to be learnt through English, not through the mother tongue. It any boy spoke in the class in Gujarati which he understood, he was punished. It did not matter to the teacher if a boy spoke bad English which he could neither pronounce correctly nor understand fully. Why should the teacher worry? His own English was by no means without blemish. It could not be otherwise. English was as much a foreign language to him as to his pupils. The result was chaos. We the boys had to learn many things by heart, though we could not understand them fully and often not at all. My head used to reel as the teacher was struggling to make his exposition on Geometry understood by us. I could make neither head nor tail of Geometry till we reached the 13th theorem of the first book of Euclid. And let me confess to the reader that in spite of all my love for the mother tongue, I do not to this day know the Gujarati equivalents of the technical terms of Geometry, Algebra and the like. I know now that what I took four years to learn of Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra, Chemistry and Astronomy, I should have learnt easily in one year, if I had not to learn them through English but Gujarati. My grasp of the subjects would have been easier and clearer. My Gujarati vocabulary would have been richer. I would have made use of such knowledge in my own home. This English medium created an impassable barrier between me and the members of my family, who had not gone through English schools. My father knew nothing of what I was doing. I could not, even if I had wished it, interest my father in what I was learning. For though he had ample intelligence, he knew not a word of English. I was fast becoming a stranger in my own home. I certainly became a superior person. Even my dress began to undergo imperceptible changes. What happened to me was not an uncommon experience. It was common to the majority.
** ''Harijan'' (30-7-1938), ''My Own Experience'', attributed in [https://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/towards-new-education.pdf ''Towards New Education'', 1953], pp. 50-51, a french translation mentioned elsewhere[http://vortareto.free.fr/argumentaire/citations.htm]

* I must not be understood to decry English or its noble literature. The columns of the Harijan are sufficient evidence of my love of English. But the nobility of its literature cannot avail the Indian nation any more than the temperate climate or the scenery of English can avail her. India has to flourish in her own climate and scenery and her own literature, even though all the three may be inferior to the English climate, scenery and literature. We and our children must build on our own heritage. If we borrow another we impoverish our own. We can never grow on foreign victuals. I want the nation to have the treasures contained in that language, and for that matter the other languages of the world, through its own vernaculars. I do not need to learn Bengali in order to know the beauties of Rabindranath's matchless productions. I get them through good translations. Gujarati boys and girls do not need to learn Russian to appreciate Tolstoy's short stories. They learn them through good translations. It is the boast of Englishmen that the best of the world's literary output is in the hands of that nation in simple English inside of a week of its publication. Why need I learn English to get at the best of what Shakespeare and Milton thought and wrote? // It would be good economy to set apart a class of students whose business would be to learn the best of what is to be learnt in the different languages of the world and give the translation in the vernaculars. Our masters chose the wrong way for us, and habit has made the wrong appear as right.
** ''Harijan'' (30-7-1938), ''My Own Experience'', attributed in [https://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/towards-new-education.pdf ''Towards New Education'', 1953], pp. 50-51, a french translation mentioned elsewhere[http://vortareto.free.fr/argumentaire/citations.htm]

* my valued associates themselves flounder when they have to give expression to their innermost thoughts. They are strangers in their own homes. Their vocabulary in the mother tongue is so limited that they cannot always finish their speech without having recourse to English words and even sentences. Nor can they exist without English books. They often write to one another in English. I cite the case of my companions to show how deep the evil has gone. For we have made a conscious effort to mend ourselves.
** ''Harijan'' (30-7-1938), ''My Own Experience'', attributed in [https://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/towards-new-education.pdf ''Towards New Education'', 1953], pp. 50-51, a french translation mentioned elsewhere[http://vortareto.free.fr/argumentaire/citations.htm]

* The cry for the national home for the Jews does not make much appeal to me. The sanction for it is sought in the Bible and the tenacity with which the Jews have hankered after return to Palestine. Why should they not, like other peoples of the earth, make that country their home where they are born and where they earn their livelihood?
** ''Gandhi's Collected Works'', Vol 74 (1938)

* Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the [[French people|French]]. It is wrong and in-human to impose the Jews on the Arabs.
** ''Gandhi's Collected Works'', Vol 74 (1938)

* But my sympathy does not blind me to the requirements of justice. The cry for the national home for the Jews does not make much appeal to me. The sanction for it is sought in the [[The Bible|Bible]] and the tenacity with which the Jews have hankered after return to Palestine. Why should they not, like other peoples of the earth, make that country their home where they are born and where they earn their livelihood? '''Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that [[England]] belongs to the [[English people|English]] or [[France]] to the [[French people|French]]. It is wrong and inhuman to impose the Jews on the Arabs. What is going on in Palestine today cannot be justified by any moral code of conduct.''' The mandates have no sanction but that of the last war. Surely it would be a crime against humanity to reduce the proud [[Arabs]] so that Palestine can be restored to the Jews partly or wholly as their national home. The nobler course would be to insist on a just treatment of the Jews wherever they are born and bred. The Jews born in France are French. If the Jews have no home but Palestine, will they relish the idea of being forced to leave the other parts of the world in which they are settled? Or do they want a double home where they can remain at will? This cry for the national home affords a colourable justification for [[The Holocaust|the German expulsion of the Jews]].
** Mahatma Gandhi, Harijan, 26 November 1938, in [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/lsquo-the-jews-rsquo-by-gandhi Gandhi & Zionism: ‘The Jews’], Jewish Virtual Library.

* And now a word to the Jews in Palestine. I have no doubt that they are going about it in the wrong way. The Palestine of the Biblical conception is not a geographical tract. It is in their hearts. But if they must look to the Palestine of geography as their national home, it is wrong to enter it under the shadow of the British gun. A religious act cannot be performed with the aid of the bayonet or the bomb. They can settle in Palestine only by the goodwill of the Arabs. They should seek to convert the Arab heart. The same [[God]] rules the Arab heart who rules the Jewish heart. They can offer satyagraha in front of the Arabs and offer themselves to be shot or thrown into the [[w:Dead Sea|Dead Sea]] without raising a little finger against them. They will find the world opinion in their favour in their religious aspiration. There are hundreds of ways of reasoning with the Arabs, if they will only discard the help of the British bayonet. As it is, they are co-shares with the British in despoiling a people who have done no wrong to them. I am not defending the Arab excesses. I wish they had chosen the way of [[Nonviolence|non-violence]] in resisting what they rightly regarded as an unwarrantable encroachment upon their country. But according to the accepted canons of right and wrong, nothing can be said against the Arab resistance in the face of overwhelming odds.
** Mahatma Gandhi, Harijan, 26 November 1938, in [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/lsquo-the-jews-rsquo-by-gandhi "Gandhi & Zionism: ‘The Jews’"], Jewish Virtual Library.

* '''A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.'''
** ''Harijan'' (19 November 1938) p. 343

* If there ever could be a justifiable war in the name of and for humanity, a war against [[Nazi Germany|Germany]], to prevent the [[Genocide|wanton persecution of a whole race]], would be completely justified. But I do not believe in any war. A discussion of the pros and cons of such a war is therefore outside my horizon or province.
** ''Harijan'' (26 November 1938)

* My sympathies are all with the Jews. I have known them intimately in South Africa. Some of them became life-long companions. Through these friends I came to learn much of [[Antisemitism|their age-long persecution]]. They have been the [[Dalit|untouchables]] of Christianity. The parallel between their treatment by Christians and the treatment of untouchables by Hindus is very close. Religious sanction has been invoked in both cases for the justification of the inhuman treatment meted out to them. Apart from the friendships, therefore, there is the more common universal reason for my sympathy for the Jews.... If I were a Jew and were born in Germany and earned my livelihood there, I would claim Germany as my home even as the tallest gentile [[Germans|German]] may, and challenge him to shoot me or cast me in the dungeon; I would refuse to be expelled or to submit to discriminating treatment. And for doing this, I should not wait for the fellow Jews to join me in civil resistance but would have confidence that in the end the rest are bound to follow my example. If one Jew or all the Jews were to accept the prescription here offered, he or they cannot be worse off than now. And suffering voluntarily undergone will bring them an inner strength and joy which no number of resolutions of sympathy passed in the world outside Germany can. Indeed, even if Britain, France and America were to declare hostilities against Germany, they can bring no inner joy, no inner strength. The calculated [[violence]] of [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] may even result in a general massacre of the Jews by way of his first answer to the declaration of such hostilities. But if the Jewish mind could be prepared for voluntary suffering, even the massacre I have imagined could be turned into a day of thanksgiving and joy that Jehovah had wrought deliverance of the race even at the hands of the tyrant. For to the godfearing, death has no terror. It is a joyful sleep to be followed by a waking that would be all the more refreshing for the long sleep.
** ''Harijan'', (26 November 1938)

*If by abundance you mean everyone having plenty to eat and drink and to clothe himself with, enough to keep his mind trained and educated, I should be satisfied. But I should not like to pack more stuffs in my belly than I can digest and more things than I can ever usefully use. But neither do I want [[Poverty in India|poverty]], penury, [[misery]], dirt and dust in India.
**''Harijan'', (2 December 1938), p. 2

* Political power, in my opinion, cannot be our ultimate aim. It is one of the means used by men for their all-round advancement. The power to control national life through national representatives is called political power. Representatives will become unnecessary if the national life becomes so perfect as to be self-controlled. '''It will then be a state of enlightened anarchy in which each person will become his own ruler. He will conduct himself in such a way that his behaviour will not hamper the well-being of his neighbours.''' In an ideal State there will be no political institution and therefore no political power. That is why Thoreau has said in his classic statement that [[Henry David Thoreau#Civil Disobedience .281849.29|"that government is the best which governs the least"]]. [From Hindi] ''Sarvodaya'', January, 1939
** ''[[wikisource:The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi|The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi]]'' "Enlightened Anarchy - A Political Ideal" Volume 74 p. 380.

* "You may never be able to come back to the place you have left, nor can you undo the wrongs that you have done. But you can always begin again. You can cleanse the heart, you can remake your life, you can rebuild character."
** Harijan, 7 January 1939, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 68, p. 6.

* It is quite clear that you are today the one person in the world who can prevent a war which may reduce humanity to the savage state. Must you pay that price for an object however worthy it may appear to you to be? Will you listen to the appeal of one who has deliberately shunned the method of war not without considerable success?
**Letter addressed to Hitler. 23 July 1939 (Collected Works, vol. 70, pp. 20–21). Available online at ''{{w|TIME}}'' [https://time.com/5685122/gandhi-hitler-letter/].

* "Truth never damages a cause that is just."
** Harijan, 9 December 1939, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 70, p. 40.

* The very word Islam means peace, which is [[non-violence]].
** On Trial (1939), in {{w|Dinanath Gopal Tendulkar}}, [https://archive.org/details/mahatmalifeofmoh05tend/page/212/mode/2up ''Mahatma: Life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi''] (1952), vol. 5, p. 212.

=== 1940s ===
[[File:Mahatma_Gandhi_laughing.jpeg|thumb|It is unwise to be too sure of one's own [[wisdom]]. It is [[healthy]] to be reminded that the [[strongest]] might [[weaken]] and the [[wisest]] might [[err]].]]

* But, in my opinion, they have erred grievously in seeking to impose themselves on Palestine with the aid of [[United States|America]] and [[United Kingdom|Britain]] and now with the aid of naked terrorism. Their citizenship of the world should have and would have made them honoured guests of any country. Their thrift, their varied talent, their great industry should have made them welcome anywhere. It is a blot on the Christian world that they have been singled out, owing to a wrong reading of the [[New Testament]], for prejudice against them. "If an individual Jew does a wrong, the whole Jewish world is to blame for it." If an individual Jew like [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]] makes a great discovery or another composes unsurpassable [[music]], the merit goes to the authors and not to the community to which they belong. No wonder that my sympathy goes out to the Jews in their unenviably sad plight. But one would have thought adversity would teach them lessons of peace. Why should they depend upon American [[money]] or British arms for forcing themselves on an unwelcome land? Why should they resort to terrorism to make good their forcible landing in Palestine? If they were to adopt the matchless weapon of [[Nonviolence|non-violence]] whose use their best [[Prophet|Prophets]] have taught and which [[Jesus]] the Jew who gladly wore the crown of thorns bequeathed to a groaning world, their case would be the world’s and I have no doubt that among the many things that the Jews have given to the world, this would be the best and the brightest. It is twice blessed. It will make them happy and rich in the true sense of the word and it will be a soothing balm to the aching world
** Mahatma Gandhi, Harijan, 21 July 1946, in [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/gandhi-on-jews-and-palestine-july-1946 "Gandhi, the Jews & Zionism"], Jewish Virtual Library.

* '''It is unwise to be too sure of one's own [[wisdom]]. It is [[healthy]] to be reminded that the [[strongest]] might [[weaken]] and the [[wisest]] might [[err]].'''
** ''Harijan'' (17 February 1940)

* I do not share the [[Socialism|socialist]] belief that [[Nationalization|centralization of the necessaries of life]] will conduce to the common welfare, when the [[Centralisation|centralized]] [[Industry|industries]] are [[Planned economy|planned and owned by the State]]. The socialistic concept of the West was born in an environment reeking with violence.
** ''Harijan'' (27 January 1940) p. 428

* My whole soul rebels against the idea that [[Islam and Hinduism|Hinduism and Islam]] represent two antagonistic cultures and doctrines.
** ''Harijan'', April 13, 1940, in [https://archive.org/details/HindSwaraj-CWMG-071/page/412/mode/2up ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi''], vol 71, p. 412.

* I have always held that [[social justice]], even to the least and lowliest, is impossible of attainment by force.
** ''Harijan'' (20 April 1940) p. 97

* But my object in writing this letter is not to ventilate my grievances. It is to place before you my reaction to the war situation. The latest development seems to be most serious. Want of truthful news is tantalizing. I suppose it is inevitable. But assuming that things are as black as they appear to be for the Allied cause, is it not time to sue for peace for the sake of humanity? I do not believe Herr Hitler to be as bad as he is portrayed. He might even have been a friendly power as he may still be. It is due to suffering humanity that this mad slaughter should stop.
**Letter to [the viceroy of India] Lord Linlithgow, May 26, 1940 p. 253 (Mahatma Gandhi, The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (New Delhi: Publications Division Government of India, 1999), vol. 78, [https://www.gandhiservefoundation.org/about-mahatma-gandhi/collected-works-of-mahatma-gandhi/]

*But let the world know also the greater bravery of the French statesmen in suing for peace. I have assumed that the French statesmen have taken the step in a perfectly honourable manner as behoves true soldiers. Let me hope that Herr Hitler will impose no humiliating terms but show that, though he can fight without mercy, he can at least conclude peace not without mercy. [...] As against this [Hitler vision] imagine the state of Europe today if the Czechs, the [[Poland|Poles]], the [[Norway|Norwegians]], the French and the English has all said to Hitler :'You need not make your scientific preparation for [[destruction]]. We will meet your violence with non-violence. You will therefore be able to destroy our non-violent army without [[Tank|tanks]], battleships and airships'. It may be retorted that the only difference would be that Hitler would have got without fighting what he has gained after a bloody fight. Exactly. [...] I dare say that in that case Europe would have added several inches to its moral stature. And in the end I expect it is the moral worth that will count. All else is dross.
**HOW TO COMBAT HITLERISM June 18, 1940 p. 344; 345 (Mahatma Gandhi, The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (New Delhi: Publications Division Government of India, 1999), vol. 78, [https://www.gandhiservefoundation.org/about-mahatma-gandhi/collected-works-of-mahatma-gandhi/]

* We have to live and move and have our being in ahimsa, even as Hitler does in himsa. It is the faith and perseverance and single-mindedness with which he has perfected his weapons of destruction that commands my admiration. That he uses them as a monster is immaterial for our purpose. We have to bring to bear the same single-mindedness and perseverance in evolving our ahimsa. Hitler is awake all the 24 hours of the day in perfecting his sadhana. He wins because he pays the price. His inventions surprise his enemies. But it is his single-minded devotion to his purpose that should be the object of our admiration and emulation. Although he works all his waking hours, his intellect is unclouded and unerring. Are our intellects unclouded and unerring? A mere belief in [[ahimsa]] or the charkha will not do. It should be intelligent and creative. If intellect plays a large part in the field of violence, I hold that it plays a larger part in the field of non-violence.
**June 1940 speech. (Mahatma Gandhi, The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (New Delhi: Publications Division Government of India, 1999), vol. 78, p. 349. [https://www.gandhiservefoundation.org/about-mahatma-gandhi/collected-works-of-mahatma-gandhi/]

* I do not want to see the allies defeated. But I do not consider [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] to be as bad as he is depicted. He is showing an ability that is amazing and seems to be gaining his victories without much bloodshed. Englishmen are showing the strength that [[British Empire|Empire]] builders must have. I expect them to rise much higher than they seem to be doing.
** Letter to [[wikipedia:Rajkumari Amrit Kaur|Rajkumari Amrit Kaur]], regarding the military situation between England and Germany (May 1940), quoted in ''Collected Works'' (1958), p. 70.

* Whatever Hitler may ultimately prove to be, we know what Hitlerism has come to mean, It means naked, ruthless force reduced to an [[exact science]] and worked with scientific precision. In its effect it becomes almost irresistible. Hitlerism will never be defeated by [[Anti-fascism|counter-Hitlerism]]. It can only breed superior Hitlerism raised to nth degree. What is going on before our eyes is the demonstration of the futility of violence as also of Hitlerism. What will Hitler do with his victory? Can he digest so much power? Personally he will go as empty-handed as his not very remote predecessor [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]]. For the Germans he will have left not the pleasure of owning a mighty [[empire]] but the burden of sustaining its crushing weight. For they will not be able to hold all the conquered nations in perpetual subjection. And I doubt if the Germans of future generations will entertain unadulterated pride in the deeds for which Hitlerism will be deemed responsible. They will honour Herr Hitler as genius, as a brave man, a matchless organizer and much more. But I should hope that the Germans of the future will have learnt the art of discrimination even about their heroes. Anyway I think it will be allowed that all the blood that has been spilled by Hitler has added not a millionth part of an inch to the world's moral stature.
** ''Harijan'' (22 June 1940), after Nazi victories resulting in the occupation of France.

* A seeker after Truth cannot afford to indulge in generalisation. [[Darwin]] for the greater part of his book ''Origin of the Species'' [sic] has simply massed fact upon fact without any theorising, and only towards the end has formulated his conclusion which, because of the sheer weight of testimony behind it, becomes almost irresistible. Yes I have criticised even Darwin's generalisation as being unwarranted. Science tells us that a proposition may hold good in nine hundred ninety-nine cases and yet fail in the thousandth case and thus be rendered untenable as a universal statement.
** "Generalisation", from ''Harijan'' (6 July 1940). Quoted in ''Teachings of Mahatma Gandhi'' (1945), edited by Jag Parvesh Chander, Indian Printing Works, [http://archive.org/stream/teachingsofmahat029222mbp#page/n247 pages 243-244].

* A society organized and run on the basis of complete nonviolence would be the purest anarchy... That State is perfect and non-violent where the people are governed the least.
** ''Harijan'' (21 July 1940)

*That I address you as a friend is no formality. I own no foes. My business in life has been for the past 33 years to enlist the friendship of the whole of humanity by befriending mankind, irrespective of race, colour or creed. ... We have no doubt about your bravery or devotion to your fatherland, nor do we believe that you are the monster described by your opponents... But your own writings and pronouncements and those of your friends and admirers leave no room for doubt that many of your acts are monstrous and unbecoming of human dignity, especially in the estimation of men like me who believe in human friendliness. Such are your humiliation of Czechoslovakia, the rape of Poland and the swallowing of [[Denmark]]. I am aware that your view of life regards such spoliations as virtuous acts. But we have been taught from childhood to regard them as acts degrading humanity...Hence we cannot possibly wish success to your arms....But ours is a unique position. We resist British imperialism no less than Nazism... If there is a difference, it is in degree. One-fifth of the human race has been brought under the British heel by means that will not bear scrutiny... Our resistance to it does not mean harm to the [[British people]]. We seek to convert them, not to defeat them on the battle-field... No spoliator can compass his end without a certain degree of co-operation, willing or unwilling, of the victim.... The rulers may have our land and bodies but not our souls.... We know what the British heel means for us and the non-European races of the world. But we would never wish to end the British rule with German aid... We have found in non-violence a force which, if organized, can without doubt match itself against a combination of all the most violent forces in the world... If not the British, some other power will certainly improve upon your method and beat you with your own weapon. You are leaving no legacy to your people of which they would feel proud.
**Letter addressed to Hitler. 24 December 1940. Available online at ''{{w|TIME}}'' [https://time.com/5685122/gandhi-hitler-letter/].

*But to me both the parties [Axis and Allies] seem to be tarred with the same brush.
** Speech at Bardoli on 8 January 1942, which was printed in Harijanbandhu the same day and later in Collected Works (vol. 79, p. 205). Quoted in ''Gandhi and Godse: A Review and a Critique'' (2001) by [[Koenraad Elst]], p. 49.

* If the vast majority of Muslims regard themselves as a separate nation, having nothing in common with the Hindus and others, no power on earth can compel them to think otherwise. And if they want to partition India on that basis, they must have the partition, unless Hindus want to fight against such a division. So far as I can see, such a preparation is silently going on on behalf of both parties. That way lies suicide. Each party will probably want British or foreign aid. In that case good-bye to independence. ... I dare not contemplate the actuality. I should not like to be its living witness. I would love to see a joint fight for independence. In the very process of securing independence it is highly likely that we shall have forgotten our quarrels. But if we have not, it will then only be the time to quarrel if we must.
** ''Harijan'', (18 April 1942). Quoted in ''Indian Politics, 1936-1942'' (1943) by {{w|Reginald Coupland}}, p. 298.

* In actual life, it is impossible to separate us into two nations. We are not two nations. Every Moslem will have a Hindu name if he goes back far enough in his family history. Every Moslem is merely a Hindu who has accepted Islam. That does not create nationality. … We in India have a common culture. In the North, [[Hindi]] and [[Urdu]] are understood by both Hindus and Moslems. In [[Madras]], Hindus and Moslems speak [[Tamil language|Tamil]], and in [[Bengal]], they both speak [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and neither Hindi nor Urdu. When communal riots take place, they are always provoked by incidents over cows and by religious processions. That means that it is our [[Superstition|superstitions]] that create the trouble and not our separate [[Nations|nationalities]].
** Conversations with Louis Fischer, June 6, 1942, in Louis Fischer, ''A Week with Gandhi'', pp. 45-46.

[[File:Love_is_Freedom.svg|thumb|The ideally non-violent state will be an ordered [[anarchy]]. That State is the best [[governed]] which is governed the least.]]

* '''The ideally non-violent state will be an ordered anarchy. That State is the best governed which is governed the least.'''
** From Discussion with BG Kher and others, 15 August 1940. ''Gandhi's Wisdom Box'' (1942), edited by Dewan Ram Parkash, p. 67 also in ''Collected works of Mahatma Gandhi'' [http://www.gandhiserve.org/cwmg/VOL079.PDF Vol. 79 (PDF)], p. 122

* What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?
** ''Non-Violence in Peace and War'', 1942, Vol. 1, Ch. 142

*Man falls from the pursuit of the ideal of plain living and high thinking the moment he wants to multiply his daily wants. History gives ample proof of this. Man's happiness really lies in contentment. He who is discontented, however much he possesses, becomes a slave to his desires. And there is really no slavery equal to that of the desires. All the sages have declared from the house-tops that man can be his own worst enemy as well as his best friend. To be free or to be a slave lies in his own hands. And what is true for the individual is true for society.
*''Harijan'', (2 January 1942), p. 27

* I suggest that, if India is to evolve along nonviolent lines, it will have to [[Decentralization|decentralize]] many things. Centralization cannot be sustained and defended without adequate force . . .Centralization as a system is inconsistent with non-violent structure of society.
** ''Young India'' (18 January 1942) p. 5

*If individual liberty goes, then surely all is lost, for, if the individual ceases to count, what is left of society? Individual freedom alone can make a man voluntarily surrender himself completely to the service of society. If it is wrested from him, he becomes automaton and society is ruined.
**''Harijan'' (1 February 1942) p. 27

* No society can possibly be built upon a denial of individual freedom.It is contrary to the very nature of man. Just as a man will not grow horns or a tail, so will he not exist as man if he has no mind of his own. In reality even those who do not believe in the liberty of the individual believe in their own.
** ''Conquest of Violence: The Gandhian Philosophy of Conflict'' by Joan V. Bondurant (1965) University of California Press, Berkeley: CA, p. 174. ''Harijan'' (1 February 1942) p. 27

* My conception of freedom is no narrow conception. It is co-extensive with the freedom of man in all his majesty.
** ''Harijan'' (June 1942)

[[File:Procession at Bangalore during Quit India movement, by Indian National Congress.jpg|thumb|A non-violent soldier of freedom will covet nothing for himself, he fights only for the freedom of his country.]]

* Ours is not a drive for power, but purely [[Indian independence movement|a non-violent fight for India's independence]]. In a violent struggle, a successful general has been often known to effect a [[Coup d'état|military coup]] and to set up a dictatorship. But under the Congress scheme of things, essentially non-violent as it is, there can be no room for [[dictatorship]]. '''A non-violent soldier of freedom will covet nothing for himself, he fights only for the freedom of his country.''' I read [[Thomas Carlyle|Carlyle]]'s [[French Revolution]] while I was in prison, and [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Pandit Jawaharlal]] has told me something about the [[Russian Revolution|Russian revolution]]. But it is my conviction that inasmuch as these struggles were fought with the weapon of violence they failed to realize the democratic ideal. '''In the democracy which I have envisaged, a democracy established by non-violence, there will be equal freedom for all. Everybody will be his own master. It is to join a struggle for such democracy that I invite you today.''' Once you realize this you will forget the differences between the Hindus and Muslims, and think of yourselves as Indians only, engaged in the common struggle for independence. '''We cannot evoke the true spirit of sacrifice and valour, so long as we are not free.''' I know the British Government will not be able to withhold freedom from us, when we have made enough self-sacrifice. We must, therefore, purge ourselves of hatred.
** From the [[wikipedia:Quit India speech|Quit India speech]] in [[wikipedia:Mumbai|Bombay]], on the eve of the [[wikipedia:Quit India movement|Quit India movement]] (8 August 1942)

*I have no weapon but [[love]].
** From the [[wikipedia:Quit India speech|Quit India speech]] in [[wikipedia:Mumbai|Bombay]], on the eve of the [[wikipedia:Quit India movement|Quit India movement]] (8 August 1942)

* Holding the view I do, it is superfluous for me now to answer your argument that “this war has split the world into two camps.” Between Scylla and Charybdis, if I sail in either direction, I suffer shipwreck. Therefore I have to be in the midst of the storm. I suggested a way out. Naturally, it has been rejected, because the powers that be do not want to relax their grip on India.
** 30 July 1944, in Collected Works, vol. 77, p. 434. Quoted in ''Mahatma: Life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi'' (1951) by {{w|Dinanath Gopal Tendulkar}}, vol. 6, p. 331.

* What is a [[War crimes|war criminal]]? Was not war itself a [[Crimes against humanity|crime against God and humanity]] and, therefore, were not all those who sanctioned, engineered, and conducted wars, war criminals? War criminals are not confined to the Axis Powers alone. [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Roosevelt]] and [[Winston Churchill|Churchill]] are no less war criminals than [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] and [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]]. Hitler was “[[Great Britain]]’s sin”. Hitler is only an answer to British imperialism, and this I say in spite of the fact that I hate Hitlerism and its anti-Semitism. [[England]], [[United States|America]] and [[Soviet Union|Russia]] have all of them got their hands dyed more or less red — not merely Germany and Japan. The [[Japan during World War II|Japanese]] have only proved themselves to be apt pupils of the West. They have learnt at the feet of the West and beaten it at its own game.
** Interview given to Ralph Coniston, ‘before April 25, 1945’, reproduced in Collected Works, vol. 79, p. 422-23. Quoted in ''[https://www.google.com/books/edition/What_Gandhi_Says/QxHMc3hwCqMC?hl=en&gbpv=0 What Gandhi Says: About Nonviolence, Resistance and Courage]'' (2012), by [[Norman Finkelstein]], p. 78.

*Coercion cannot but result in chaos in the end.
**As quoted in ''Mahatma'', edit., D.G. Tendulkar, Vol. 7 (1945-1947), first edition, New Delhi, India, Publication Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (1953) p. 138[https://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/Mahatma_Vol7.pdf]

*The man who uses coercion is guilty of deliberate violence. Coercion is inhuman.
**As quoted in ''Mahatma'', edit., D.G. Tendulkar, Vol. 7 (1945-1947) first edition, New Delhi, India, Publication Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (1953) p. 82

* The moment the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall. He frees himself and shows the way to others. [[Freedom]] and [[slavery]] are mental states. Therefore, the first thing to say to yourself: 'I shall no longer accept the role of a slave. I shall not obey orders as such but shall disobey them when they are in conflict with my conscience.
** ''Harijan'' (24 February 1946). As quoted in ''The Politics Of Nonviolent Action'', [[wikipedia:Gene Sharp |Gene Sharp]], Porter Sargent Publishers (1973), p. 59

* Hitler killed five million [sic] Jews. It is the greatest crime of our time. But the Jews should have offered themselves to the butcher’s knife. They should have thrown themselves into the sea from cliffs.....It would have aroused the world and the people of Germany.... As it is they succumbed anyway in their millions.
** Mahatma Gandhi, June 1946, in an interview with his biographer Louis Fischer. Quoted in [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/gandhi-on-the-holocaust "Gandhi on the Holocaust"], Jewish Virtual Library.

* '''I draw no distinction between [[error]] and [[sin]].''' If a man commits a ''bona fide'' mistake and confesses it with a contrite heart before his Maker, the merciful Maker sterilizes it of all harm.
** ''Harijan'' (20 October 1946); as quoted in ''The Encyclopaedia of Gandhian Thoughts'' (1985)

* The only thing lawful is non-violence. Violence can never be lawful in the sense meant here, i.e., not according to man-made laws, but according to the laws made by Nature for man.
** ''Harijan'' (27 October 1946) p. 369

*I believe that independent India can only discharge her duty towards a groaning world by adopting a simple but ennobled life by developing her thousands of cottages and living at peace with the world. High thinking is inconsistent with complicated material life based on high speed imposed on us by Mammon worship. All the graces of life are possible only when we learn the art of living nobly.
**''Harijan'', (9 January 1946), p. 285

*The human body is meant solely for service, never for [[indulgence]]. The secret of happy life lies in [[renunciation]]. Renunciation is life. Indulgence spells death.
**''Harijan'', (24 February 1946), p. 19

* Hindus should never be angry against the Muslims even if the latter might make up their minds to undo even their existence.
**Mahatma Gandhi post-prayer speech at Birla Mandir, New Delhi, on April 6, 1947. quoted in Arvind Lavakare, [http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/apr/16arvind.htm Of Sabarmati secularism & non-violence], 16 April 2002, Rediff.

*We both may be killed by the Muslims, and must put our purity to the ultimate test, so that we know that we are offering the purest of sacrifices, and we should now both start sleeping naked.
**Gandhi's comments privately told to Manuben in 1947. Quoted from Hiro, D. (2015). The longest August: The unflinching rivalry between India and Pakistan. New York, NY: Nation Books.

* '''If you want to give a [[message]] again to the West, it must be a message of 'Love', it must be a message of 'Truth'.''' There must be a conquest — ''[audience claps]'' — please, please, please. That will interfere with my speech, and that will interfere with your understanding also. I want to capture your hearts and don't want to receive your claps. Let your hearts clap in unison with what I'm saying, and I think, I shall have finished my work. Therefore, I want you to go away with the thought that Asia has to conquer the West. Then, the question that a friend asked yesterday, "Did I believe in one world?" Of course, I believe in one world. And how can I possibly do otherwise, when I become an inheritor of the message of love that these great un-conquerable teachers left for us? You can redeliver that message now, in this age of democracy, in the age of awakening of the poorest of the poor, you can redeliver this message with the greatest emphasis.
** [http://www.gandhiserve.org/information/listen_to_gandhi/lec_2_iarc/lec_2_iarc.html Speech in New Delhi to the Inter-Asian Relations Conference (2 April 1947)] - Parts of this speech became used in an Telecom Italia advertisement ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IatyFUDTRAs&eurl=http://www.duncans.tv/2006/telecom-italia-gandhi Video at YouTube] - [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1D2xMfVuNg B&W, English text version, better sound])

[[File:27. Destruction of houses in a Hindu locality in Lahore watercolour on paper 1947.jpg|thumb|I would tell the Hindus to face death cheerfully if the Muslims are out to kill them. I would be a real sinner if after being stabbed I wished in my last moment that my son should seek revenge. I must die without rancour. … You may turn round and ask whether all Hindus and all [[Sikhism|Sikhs]] should die. Yes, I would say. Such [[martyrdom]] will not be in vain.]]

* [During his prayer meeting on 1 May 1947, he prepared the Hindus and Sikhs for the anticipated massacres of their kind in the upcoming state of [[Pakistan]] with these words:] ‘I would tell the Hindus to face death cheerfully if the Muslims are out to kill them. I would be a real sinner if after being stabbed I wished in my last moment that my son should seek revenge. I must die without rancour. [...] You may turn round and ask whether all Hindus and all Sikhs should die. Yes, I would say. Such martyrdom will not be in vain.’
** (The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. LXXXVII, p. 394–5)

*I went to Noakhali and let no one imagine that, because it is now to be included in Pakistan, I would not go there again. A part of me lies there. I shall tell the Hindus there that they should not fear anyone even if they are surrounded by [Muslim] murderers.
**''Prarthana Pravachan - I'', pp. 166-70; ''The Hindu'', 17 June 1947.

* "The golden rule of conduct is mutual toleration, seeing that we will never all think alike
and we shall always see Truth in fragment and from different angles of vision."
** Harijan, 22 July 1947, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 88, p. 239.

*'''I am told that there are still left over 18,000 Hindus and Sikhs in [[Rawalpindi]] and 30,000 in the Wah Camp. I will repeat my advice that they should all be prepared to die rather than leave their homes. The art of dying bravely and with honour does not need any special training, save a living faith in God. Then there will be no abductions and no forcible conversions. I know that you are anxious I should go to the Punjab at the earliest moment. I want to do so. But if I failed in [[Delhi]], it is impossible for me to succeed in Pakistan.''' For I want to go to all the parts and provinces of Pakistan under the protection of no escort save God. I will go as a friend of the Muslims as of others. My life will be at their disposal. I hope that I may cheerfully die at the hands of anyone who chooses to take my life. Then I will have done as I have advised all to do.
**''[https://web.archive.org/web/20180216130212/https://www.mkgandhi.org/swmgandhi/chap07.htm SELECTED WRITINGS OF MAHATMA GANDHI]'', Extracts from the Delhi Diary, 23 September 1947.

* There was a time when people listened to me because I showed them how to give fight to the British without arms when they had no arms and the British Government was fully equipped and organised for an armed fight. But today I am told that my non-violence can be of no avail against the communal madness and, therefore, people should arm themselves for self-defence. If this is true, it has to be admitted that our thirty years of nonviolent practice was an utter waste of time. We should have from the beginning trained ourselves in the use of arms. But I do not agree that our thirty years' probation in nonviolence has been utterly wasted. It was due to our non-violence, defective though it was, that we were able to bear up under the heaviest repression and the message of independence penetrated every nook and corner of India. But as our non-violence was the nonviolence of the weak, the leaven did not spread. Had we adopted non-violence as the weapon of the strong, because we realised that it was more effective than any other weapon, in fact the mightiest force in the world, we would have made use of its full potency and not have discarded it as soon as the fight against the British was over or we were in a position to wield conventional weapons. But as I have already said, we adopted it out of our helplessness. If we had the [[Nuclear weapons|atom bomb]], we would have used it against the British.
** Speech (16 June 1947) as the official date for Indian independence approached (15 August 1947), [https://books.google.com/books?id=sswBAAAAMAAJ&q=%22+I+have+already+said,+we+adopted+it+out+of+our+helplessness%22&dq=%22+I+have+already+said,+we+adopted+it+out+of+our+helplessness%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj6ydqTtK7LAhUI4D4KHW3-DwEQ6AEIHTAA as quoted in ''Mahatma Gandhi: The Last Phase'' (1958)] by [[wikipedia:Pyarelal Nayyar|Pyarelal Nayyar]], p. 326 [http://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/mahatma-gandhi-volume-ten.pdf]

* "Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man."
** Harijan, 5 July 1947, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 87, p. 390.

* Impure means result in an impure end... One cannot reach truth by untruthfulness. Truthful conduct alone can reach Truth.
** ''Harijan'' (13 July 1947) p. 232

* ‘I am grieved to learn that people are running away from the West Punjab and I am told that [[Lahore]] is being evacuated by the non-Muslims. I must say that this is what it should not be. If you think Lahore is dead or is dying, do not run away from it, but die with what you think is the dying Lahore. (…) When you suffer from fear you die before death comes to you. That is not glorious. I will not feel sorry if I hear that people in the Punjab have died not as cowards but as brave men. (…) I cannot be forced to salute any flag. If in that act I am murdered I would bear no ill will against anyone and would rather pray for better sense for the person or persons who murder me.’
**6 August 1947,. (Hindustan Times, 8-8-1947, CWoMG, vol. LXXXIX, p. 11)

* [Government] control gives rise to fraud, suppression of truth, intensification of the black market and artificial [[scarcity]]. Above all, it unmans the people and deprives them of initiative, it undoes the teaching of self-help...It makes them spoon-fed.
** ''Delhi Diary'' (3 November 1947 entry), Navajivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, (March 1948) pp. 68-70

* Hindus should not harbour [[Islamophobia|anger in their hearts against Muslims]] even if the latter wanted to destroy them. Even if the Muslims want to kill us all, we should face death bravely. If they established their rule after killing Hindus, we would be ushering in a new world by sacrificing our lives.
**SPEECH AT PRAYER MEETING NEW DELHI, April 6, 1947. VOL. 94: 17 FEBRUARY, 1947 - 29 APRIL, 1947 247 243. [https://www.gandhiashramsevagram.org/gandhi-literature/mahatma-gandhi-collected-works-volume-94.pdf] p. 248

* "You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."
** Harijan, 10 August 1947, in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 89, p. 137.

*Muslims must realize and admit the wrongs perpetrated under the Islamic rule.
**25 December 1947, in reaction to a Urdu poem protesting against the planned rebuilding of the [[Somnath temple]] and calling for "a new [[Mahmud of Ghazni|Ghaznavi]] to avenge the renovation of the Somnath temple", quoted by Rajmohan Gandhi: Revenge and Reconciliation, p. 237.

* "You may never know what results come of your actions. But if you do nothing, there will be no result."
** Speech at a prayer meeting, New Delhi, 1947; also in ''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'', Vol. 90, p. 55.

* If I am to die by the bullet of a madman, I must do so smiling. There must be no anger within me. God must be in my heart and on my lips. And you promise me one thing. Should such a thing happen, you are not to shed one tear.
** To {{w|Amrit Kaur}}, January 28, 1948, two days before his assassination, as quoted in {{w|Dinanath Gopal Tendulkar}}, ''Mahatma: Life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi'' (1954), vol. 8, p. 436.

* Truth never damages a cause that is just.
** ''Non-Violence in Peace and War'' (1948); also in ''Gandhi on Non-violence: Selected Texts from Mohandas K. Gandhi's Non-Violence in Peace and War'' (1965) edited by [[Thomas Merton]] [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AIrLed2w1lkC Google Books link] {{ISBN|0811200973}}

* Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
** ''Non-Violence in Peace and War'' (1948); also in ''Gandhi on Non-violence: Selected Texts from Mohandas K. Gandhi's Non-Violence in Peace and War'' (1965) edited by [[Thomas Merton]]

* In the dictionary of Satyagraha, there is no enemy.
** ''Non-Violence in Peace and War'' (1948); also in ''Gandhi on Non-violence: Selected Texts from Mohandas K. Gandhi's Non-Violence in Peace and War'' (1965) edited by [[Thomas Merton]]

* I have, therefore, not hesitated to say that it is better to be violent, if there is violence in our breasts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. Violence is any day preferable to impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent.
** [http://books.google.com/books?id=F3ofAAAAIAAJ&q=%22cloak+of%22&pg=PA254 ''Non-Violence in Peace and War'' p. 254] (1948); also in ''Gandhi on Non-violence: Selected Texts from Mohandas K. Gandhi's Non-Violence in Peace and War'' (1965) edited by [[Thomas Merton]]; this has also appeared in paraphrased form as "if there is violence in our hearts."

* Capital as such is not evil; it is its wrong use that is evil. Capital in some form or other will always be needed.
** ''Harijan'' (28 July 1949) p. 219

* '''Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need but not for every man's greed.'''
** Quoted by [[wikipedia:Pyarelal Nayyar|Pyarelal Nayyar]] in ''Mahatma Gandhi: The Last Phase (Volume 10)'', [http://books.google.com/books?id=sswBAAAAMAAJ&q=%22The+Earth+provides+enough+to+satisfy+every+man's+need+but+not+for+every+man's+greed%22 page 552] (1958)

==== To Every Briton (1940) ====

: [http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1945851/posts Open letter, "To Every Briton", New Delhi (2 July 1940); published in ''Harijan'' (6 July 1940)]

* '''This war has descended upon mankind as a curse and a warning. It is a curse inasmuch as it is brutalizing man on a scale hitherto unknown. All distinctions between combatants and noncombatants have been abolished. No one and nothing is to be spared. Lying has been reduced to an art.''' Britain was to defend small nationalities. One by one they have vanished, at least for the time being. '''It is also a warning. It is a warning that, if nobody reads the writing on the wall, man will be reduced to the state of the beast, whom he is shaming by his manners.''' I read the writing when the hostilities broke out. But I had not the courage to say the word. God has given me the courage to say it before it is too late.

* I appeal for cessation of hostilities, not because you are too exhausted to fight, but '''because war is bad in essence. You want to kill Nazism. You will never kill it by its indifferent adoption. Your soldiers are doing the same work of destruction as the Germans.''' The only difference is that perhaps yours are not as thorough as the Germans. If that be so, yours will soon acquire the same thoroughness as theirs, if not much greater. On no other condition can you win the war. In other words, you will have to be more ruthless than the Nazis. '''No cause, however just, can warrant the indiscriminate slaughter that is going on minute by minute. I suggest that a cause that demands the inhumanities that are being perpetrated today cannot be called just.'''

* I do not want Britain to be defeated, nor do I want her to be victorious in a trial of brute strength, whether expressed through the muscle or the brain. Your muscular bravery is an established fact. Need you demonstrate that your brain is also as unrivaled in destructive power as your muscle? I hope you do not wish to enter into such an undignified competition with the Nazis. I venture to present you with a nobler and a braver way, worthy of the bravest soldier. '''I want you to fight Nazism without arms, or, if I am to retain the military terminology, with non-violent arms.''' I would like you to lay down the arms you have as being useless for saving you or humanity. '''You will invite Herr [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] and Signor [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]] to take what they want of the countries you call your possessions. Let them take possession of your beautiful island, with your many beautiful buildings. You will give all these, but neither your souls, nor your minds. If these gentlemen choose to occupy your homes, you will vacate them. If they do not give you free passage out, you will allow yourself, man, woman and child, to be slaughtered, but you will refuse to owe allegiance to them.''' This process or method, which I have called non-violent non-co-operation, is not without considerable success in its use in India. Your representatives in India may deny my claim. If they do, I shall feel sorry for them. ''''''

* '''This is no appeal made by a man who does not know his business. I have been practising with scientific precision non-violence and its possibilities for an unbroken period of over fifty years.''' I have applied it in every walk of life, domestic, institutional, economic and political. '''I know of no single case in which it has failed.''' Where it has seemed sometimes to have failed, I have ascribed it to my imperfections. '''I claim no perfection for my self. But I do claim to be a passionate seeker after Truth, which is but another name for God.''' In the course of the search the discovery of non-violence came to me. Its spread is my life-mission. I have no interest in living except for the prosecution of that mission.

* '''Whatever the ultimate fate of my country, my love for you remains, and will remain, undiminished. My non-violence demands universal love, and you are not a small part of it. It is that love which has prompted my appeal to you.'''

* '''May God give power to every word of mine. In his name I began to write this, and in His name I close it.''' May your statesman have the wisdom and courage to respond to my appeal. I am telling His Excellency the Viceroy that my services are at the disposal of His Majesty's Government, should they consider them of any practical use in advancing the object of my appeal.

*The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

=== Posthumous publications (1950s and later) ===
[[File:Trees2.jpg|thumb|For me the different religions are beautiful flowers from the same garden, or they are branches of the same majestic tree.]]

* I am unable to identify with orthodox Christianity. I must tell you in all humility that Hinduism, as I know it, entirely satisfies my soul, fills my whole being, and I find solace in the [[Bhagavad Gita]] and the Upanishads that I miss even in the [[Sermon on the Mount]]....I must confess to you that when doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and when I see not one ray of light on the horizon I turn to the Bhagavad Gita, and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. My life has been full of external tragedies and if they have not left any visible and indelible effect on me, I owe it to the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita.
** [[Mahatma Gandhi]], The Collected Works, Volume 27, New Delhi, 1968, p. 435.

* I think I have understood Hinduism correctly when I say that it is eternal, all-embracing and flexible enough to suit all situations.
** [[Mahatma Gandhi]], as quoted in ''Relentless Brush Strokes : A Memoir'' (2008) by Lalitha Shankar, p. 185

* Hinduism has made marvelous discoveries in things of religion, of the spirit, of the soul. We have no eye for these great and fine discoveries. We are dazzled by the material progress that Western science has made. Ancient India has survived because Hinduism was not developed along material but spiritual lines.
** [[Mahatma Gandhi]], [http://www.onlinedarshan.com/minds-on-hinduism/index.htm]

* Hinduism is a living organism liable to [[growth]] and [[decay]] subject to the [[Natural law|laws of Nature]]. One and indivisible at the root, it has grown into a vast tree with innumerable branches. The changes in the [[Seasons|season]] affect it. It has its [[autumn]] and its [[summer]], its [[winter]] and its [[Spring (season)|spring]]. It is, and is not, based on scriptures. It does not derive its authority from one book. [[Nonviolence|Non violence]] has found the highest expression and application in Hinduism.
** [[Mahatma Gandhi]], [http://www.onlinedarshan.com/minds-on-hinduism/index.htm]

* Hinduism is a living organism. One and indivisible at the root, it has grown into a vast tree with innumerable branches. Knowledge is limitless and so also the application of truth. Everyday we add to our knowledge of the power of [[Atman]] (soul) and we shall keep on doing so.
** [[Mahatma Gandhi]], [http://www.onlinedarshan.com/minds-on-hinduism/index.htm]

* '''I have no other wish in this world but to find light and joy and peace through Hinduism.'''
** [[Mahatma Gandhi]], [http://www.onlinedarshan.com/minds-on-hinduism/index.htm]

* Hindu [[Dharma]] is like a boundless ocean teeming with priceless gems. The deeper you dive the more treasures you find.
** [[Mahatma Gandhi]], [http://www.onlinedarshan.com/minds-on-hinduism/index.htm]

* Nor, do I believe in inequalities between human beings. We are all absolutely equal. But equality is of the souls and not the bodies. Hence, it is a mental state. We need to think of, and to assert, equality because we see great inequality in the physical world. We have to realize equality in the midst of this apparent external inequality. Assumption of superiority by any person over any other is a sin against God and man. Thus caste, in so far as it connotes distinctions in status, is an evil.
** ''Conquest of Violence: The Gandhian Philosophy of Conflict'', by Joan V. Bondurant (1965) University of California Press, Berkeley: CA, pp. 168-169

* '''Truth alone will endure, all the rest will be swept away before the tide of time.''' I must continue to bear testimony to truth even if I am forsaken by all. Mine may today be a voice in the wilderness, but it will be heard when all other voices are silenced, if it is the voice of Truth.
** ''Basic Education'' (1951) p. 89

* '''You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.'''
** ''Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World'' (1954), by Louis Fischer, p. 177 
** [https://www.gandhiheritageportal.org/ghp_booksection_detail/Ny0yMzUtMg==#page/258/mode/2up Mahatma Gandhi to Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, August 29, 1947]. In ''Letters to Rajkumari Amrit Kaur''. 1st edition (April, 1961), p. 246

* '''An unjust law is itself a species of violence.''' Arrest for its breach is more so. Now the law of nonviolence says that violence should be resisted not by counter-violence but by nonviolence. This I do by breaking the law and by peacefully submitting to arrest and imprisonment.
** ''Non-Violence in Peace & War'' (1962) Vol. 2, edited by [[wikipedia:Mahadev Desai|Mahadev Haribhai Desai]], p. 144

*We were strangers to this sort of classification – ‘animists’, ‘aborigines’, etc., - but we have learnt it from English rulers.
**Mahatma Gandhi, The Collected Works, Volume 35, New Delhi, 1968, pp. 462-63. Quoted from Goel, S.R. History of Hindu-Christian Encounters (1996)

* '''My life is my message.'''
** Response to a journalist's question about what his message to the world was. [http://www.gandhiserve.org/video/mahatma/commentary13.html ''Mahatma: Life of Gandhi 1869-1948'' (1968) Reel 13]

[[File:See_No_Evil,_Hear_No_Evil,_Speak_No_Evil.jpg|thumb|A good person will resist an evil system with his whole soul. Disobedience of the laws of an evil state is therefore a duty.]]

* You assist an unjust administration most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees. An evil administration never deserves such allegiance. Allegiance to it means partaking of the evil. '''A good person will resist an evil system with his whole soul. Disobedience of the laws of an evil state is therefore a duty.'''
** ''Non-Violent Resistance'' - Often misquoted as "You assist an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees. An evil system never deserves such allegiance."

*During my travels, I find a general belief that to turn a Christian is to turn European; to become self-willed, and give up self-restraint, use only foreign cloth, dress oneself in European style and start taking meat and brandy. But I think the fact is, if a person discards his country, his customs and his old connections and manners when he changes his religion, he becomes all the more unfit to gain a knowledge of God. For, a change of religion means really a conversion of the heart. When there is a real conversion, a man's heart grows. But in this country one finds that conversion brings about deep disdain for one's old religion and its followers, i.e., one's old friends and relatives. The next change that takes place is that of dress and manners and behaviour. All that does great harm to the country.
**Mahatma Gandhi in Mahadev Desai, Day-to-Day with Gandhi,Volume 7, Varanasi, 1969, as quoted in Goel, S.R. History of Hindu-Christian Encounters (1996)

*I do not regard Jainism or Buddhism as separate from Hinduism. Hinduism believes in the oneness not of merely all human life but in the oneness of all that lives.
**Mahatma Gandhi. October 1927. The Collected Works, Volume 35, New Delhi, 1968, pp. 166-67. Quoted in Goel, S.R. History of Hindu-Christian Encounters (1996)

*Unfortunately, Christianity in India has been inextricably mixed up for the last one hundred years with the British rule. It appears to us as synonymous with the materialistic civilization and imperialistic exploitation by the strong white races of the weaker races of the world. Its contribution to India has been therefore largely of a negative character. It has done some good in spite of its professors. It has shocked us into setting our own house in order.
**Mahatma Gandhi, The Collected Works, Volume 40. New Delhi. 1970, pp. 58-59. as quoted in Goel, S.R. History of Hindu-Christian Encounters (1996)

*Conversion in the sense of self-purification, self-realization, is the crying need of the hour. That, however, is not what is meant by proselytising. To those who would convert India, might it not be said, ‘physician heal thyself’?
**Mahatma Gandhi The Collected Works Volume 46, New Delhi, 1971, pp. 28-29. As quoted in Goel, S.R. History of Hindu-Christian Encounters (1996)

*It is no use trying to fight these forces [of materialism] without giving up the idea of conversion, which I assure you is the deadliest poison which ever sapped the fountain of truth.
**Mahatma Gandhi The Collected Works Vol 46, p. 203. As quoted in Goel, S.R. History of Hindu-Christian Encounters (1996)

*If I had power and could legislate, I should certainly stop all proselytising. It is the cause of much avoidable conflict between classes and unnecessary heart-burning among the missionaries... In Hindu households the advent of a missionary has meant the disruption of the family coming in the wake of change of dress, manners, language, food and drink. ... The other day a missionary descended on a famine area with money in his pocket, distributed it among the [[Famine in India|famine]]-stricken, converted them to his fold, took charge of their temple and demolished it. This is outrageous. The temple could not belong to the converted, and it could not belong to the Christian missionary. But this friend goes and gets it demolished at the hands of the very men who only a little while ago believed that God was there.
**Mahatma Gandhi The Collected Works Volume 61, Ahmedabad, 1975, p, 46-57. As quoted in Goel, S.R. History of Hindu-Christian Encounters (1996)

*In my opinion, they are not examples of real conversion. If a person through fear, compulsion, starvation or for material gain or consideration goes over to another faith, it is a misnomer to call it conversion. Most cases of mass conversion, of which we have heard so much during the past two years, have been to my mind false coin... I would, therefore, unhesitatingly re-admit to the Hindu fold all such repentants without much ado, certainly without any shuddhi... And as I believe in the equality of all the great religions of the earth, I regard no man as polluted because he has forsaken the branch on which he was sitting and gone over to another of the same tree. If he comes to the original branch, he deserves to be welcomed and not told that he had committed sin by reason of his having forsaken the family to which he belonged. In so far as he may be deemed to have erred, he has sufficiently purged himself of it when he repents of the error and retraces his step.
**Mahatma Gandhi, The Collected Works Volume 66, New Delhi, 1976, pp. 163-64. As quoted in Goel, S.R. History of Hindu-Christian Encounters (1996)

* A universal language for India should be [[Hindi]], with the option of writing in [[Persian language|Persian]] or Nagari characters. In order that Hindus and Mahomedans may have closer relations, it is necessary to know both the characters. And, if we can do this, we can drive the [[English language]] out of the field in a short time. All this is necessary for us, slaves. Through our slavery the nation has been enslaved, and it will be free with our freedom.
** In ''[https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Essential_Writings/34Hcb_RhvUgC?hl=en&gbpv=0 Mahatma Gandhi: The Essential Writings]'', p. 285.

*If all the Punjabis were to die to the last man without killing, [[Punjab]] will be immortal. ... Offer yourselves as non-violent, willing sacrifices.
** Attributed to Gandhi in : Larry Collins and D. Lapierre, Freedom at Midnight. and The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi - Volume 94 - Page 230 Mahatma Gandhi · 2000 · ‎
**Variant: If all the Punjabis were to die to the last man without killing , the Punjab would become immortal . ... What a difference it would have made if they had bravely offered themselves as a non - violent , willing sacrifice !

* If [[Brahman|Brahmanism]] does not revive, Hinduism must perish. [...] I will not like to live in an India which has ceased to be Hindu.
**Attributed to Gandhi by S. R. Goel, Hindu Temples (Second Enlarged Edition), Volume II. [http://www.voiceofdharma.org/books/htemples2/app3.htm]

* I have a great respect for Christianity. I often read the Sermon on the Mount and have gained much from it. I know of no one who has done more for humanity than Jesus. In fact, there is nothing wrong with Christianity, but the trouble is with you Christians. You do not begin to live up to your own teachings.
** In conversation, attributed by James E. McEldowney [https://web.archive.org/web/20210328011736/http://people.virginia.edu/~pm9k/jem/words/gandhi.html]

* The [[police]]... should never go on [[Strike action|strike]]. Theirs was an essential service and they should render that service, irrespective of their pay. There were several other effective and honourable means of getting grievances redressed.
** In response to representatives of policemen who met him during a police strike in Gaya on March 24, 1947, [https://web.archive.org/web/20210807112446/https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/no-fundamental-right-to-strike/article35732405.ece]

*I may defend a Muslim's stand that he is a Muslim first and an Indian afterwards , for I myself say that I am a Hindu first and am therefore a true Indian .
**quoted in [https://archive.org/stream/diaryofmahadevde01maha/diaryofmahadevde01maha_djvu.txt The Diary of Mahadev Desai, Volume 1 ]

{{Disputed begin}}

== Disputed ==
* Poverty is the worst kind of violence.
** Quoted without reference to earlier source, time or location in ''A Just Peace through Transformation: Cultural, Economic, and Political Foundations for Change'' (1988) by the International Peace Association

* '''Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.'''
** The earliest attribution of this to Gandhi yet located is in a T-shirt advertisement in ''Mother Jones'', Vol. 8, No. 5 (June 1983), p. 46

* If you don't ask, you don't get.
** Widespread late 20th century aphorism that appears to have been first attributed to Gandhi in various self-help books of the early 2000s. [http://books.google.co.uk/books?lr=&as_brr=0&q=%22If+you+don%27t+ask%2C+you+don%27t+get%22+Gandhi&btnG=Search+Books Google Books]

* Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
** The introduction to the ancient Indian text the ''[[Hitopadesha]]'' contains the verse "अजरामरवत् प्राज्ञो विद्यामर्थं च चिन्तयेत्। गृहीत इव केशेषु मृत्युना धर्ममाचरेत्॥" ["Acquire learning and wealth as if you'll never grow old or die. Perform good deeds as if Death has already grabbed you by the hair."]
** The aphorism "Study as if you were to live forever. Live as if you were to die tomorrow" is variously attributed to [[Isidore of Seville]] (c. 560 – 636), in ''FPA Book of Quotations'' (1952) by Franklin Pierce Adams, to Edmund Rich (1175–1240) in ''American Journal of Education'' (1877), or to [[w:Alain de Lille|Alain de Lille]] in Samuel Smiles's [https://books.google.com/books?id=33UzAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA363&dq=live+die+tomorrow+learn+forever&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjd3s_2m57MAhWFMGMKHe-sAl8Q6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=live%20die%20tomorrow%20learn%20forever&f=false ''Duty''] (1881).
** The 1995 book "The good boatman: a portrait of Gandhi," states that Gandhi subscribed "to the view that a man should live thinking he might die tomorrow but learn as if he would live forever."
**In his 2010 Boyer lecture Glyn Davis (Professor of Political Science and Vice-Chancellor of Melbourne University) attributes the quote to Desiderius Erasmus. "He [Erasmus] reworked Pliny to urge 'live as if you are to die tomorrow, study as if you were to live forever'. Many students obey the first clause - the best heed both."
**There is a similar quote by [[Johann Gottfried Herder]]: "''Mensch, genieße dein Leben, als müssest morgen du weggehn; Schone dein Leben, als ob ewig du weiletest hier''." ["Man, enjoy your life as if you were to depart tomorrow; spare your life as if you were to linger here forever."] (''Zerstreute Blätter'', 1785).

* I have never advocated "passive" anything. We must never submit to unjust laws. Never. And our resistance must be active and provocative.
** This may be derived from lines in the movie ''[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]'' (1982); such statements have not been located among published sources.

* '''The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.'''
** Widely attributed to Gandhi, sometimes citing Ramachandra Krishna Prabhu, ''The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism'' (1959). (Cf. Ralph Keyes, ''The Quote Verifier'' (2006), p. 74.) However, it is not found in that essay [http://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/moralbasis_vegetarianism.pdf] nor in any of Gandhi's ''Complete works''. [http://animalsmattertogod.com/2013/09/13/mahatma-gandhi-hoax-quote-greatness-of-a-nation-and-its-moral-progress-can-be-judged-by-the-way-that-its-animals-are-treated/]
** The original quote seems to be by [[David Strauss]], ''The Old Faith and the New'' (''Der alte und der neue Glaube'', 1872, trans. by [[w:Mathilde Blind|M. Blind]], New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1873), vol. II, ch. 71, [https://archive.org/stream/oldfaithnewconfe01stra#page/59/mode/2up p. 59]: ''The manner in which a nation in the aggregate treats animals, is one chief measure of its real civilization.''
** Similar quotes, not attributed to Gandhi, are found throughout the twentieth century: e.g. ''The great actress, Mrs Fiske, once said to me, "The civilization of any country can be told by the way it treats its animals"'' (Zoe Berkeley, "Zoe Berkeley's Corner", ''Salinas Index-Journal'', 1933-07-01, p. 8).
** Attributed to Gandhi since at least 1980: ''The seal hunt truly is Canada's shame and we would do well to think of the words of Gandhi when he said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated"'' (Doris Potter, Letter to the editor, ''The Gazette'' (Montreal), 1980-03-18, p. 8).

* '''I like your [[Jesus|Christ]]. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.''' The materialism of affluent Christian countries appears to contradict the claims of Jesus Christ that says it's not possible to worship both [[w:Mammon|Mammon]] and God at the same time.
** As quoted by William Rees-Mogg in ''The Times'' [London] (4 April 2005) {not found}. Gandhi here makes reference to a statement of Jesus: “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (Luke 16:13); also partly quoted in ''Christianity in the Crosshairs: Real Life Solutions Discovered in the Line of Fire'' (2004, [http://books.google.de/books?id=I7_5OM2VWuMC&pg=PA74 p. 74 books.google]) by [[w:Bill Wilson (pastor)|Bill Wilson]].
** A variation is found in Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal & Gandhi Research Foundation's website [http://www.mkgandhi.org/africaneedsgandhi/gandhi's_message_to_christians.htm mkgandhi.org]. Christian missionary [[w:E. Stanley Jones|E. Stanley Jones]], who spent much time with Gandhi in India, is said to have askedː “Mr Gandhi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is it that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?". To this, Gandhi is said to have repliedː '''“Oh, I don’t reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It is just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ”.''' Jones would write a book called ''"[https://archive.org/details/mahatmagandhiani000019mbp Mahatma Gandhi: An Interpretation]"'' (1948), where he included excerpts of his personal correspondance with Gandhi, but he did not include this conversation.
** No further sources for Gandhi have been yet found; but a similar quote is attributed to Bara Dadaː "'''Jesus is ideal and wonderful, but you Christians -- you are not like him.'''" ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Stanley_Jones Jones, E. Stanley]]. ''The Christ of the Indian Road'', New York: The Abingdon Press, 1925, [https://books.google.com/books?id=aSw3AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA121 page 121].)

* [asked what he thought of modern civilization] That would be a good idea.
** variant: "I think it would be a good idea" when asked what he thought of Western civilization.
** On p. 75 of Ralph Keyes' book ''The Quote Verifier'' (2006), Keyes writes: 'During his first visit to England, when asked what he though of modern civilization, Gandhi is said to have told news reporters, "That would be a good idea." ''The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations'' cites E. F. Schumacher's ''Good Work'' as its source for this Gandhiism, as does Nigel Rees in the ''Cassell Companion to Quotations''. In that 1979 book, Schumacher said he saw Gandhi make this remark in a filmed record of his quizzing by reporters as he disembarked in Southampton while visiting England in 1930. Gandhi did not visit England in 1930. He did attend a roundtable conference on India's future in London the following year. Standard biographies of Gandhi do not report his making any such quip as he disembarked. Most often it has been revised to be Gandhi's assessment of "Western" civilization: "I think it would be a good idea." A retort such as this seems a little flip for Gandhi, and must be regarded as questionable. A comprehensive collection of his observations includes no such remark among twelve entries for "Civilization."'
** The quote was attributed to Gandhi in various sources prior to Schumacher's 1979 book mentioned by Keyes above, though none have been found that mention where and when he gave this answer. The earliest located on google books being ''Reader's Digest, Volume 91'' from 1967, p. 52, where it is attributed to a CBS News Special called "The Italians", described [http://www.larchmontgazette.com/news/bernard-birnbaum-cbs-award-winning-producer-dead-at-89/ here] as "a 1966 look at the nation and its people based on the book by Luigi Barzini", produced by Bernard Birnbaum and [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0151531.html one of the 1966/1967 Emmy award winners]. A discussion of the quote on "The Quote Investigator" website [http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/04/23/good-idea/ here] mentions that on "The Italians" the quote was attributed to Gandhi.

* What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.
** Earliest instance of this quote found on google books is the 1989 book ''Forest primeval: the natural history of an ancient forest'' by Chris Maser, but there it appears to be Maser's own thought (see [http://books.google.com/books?id=8EAHQM54E5gC&q=%a+mirror% p. 230] followed by a different supposed [http://books.google.com/books?id=8EAHQM54E5gC&q=gandhi Gandhi quote]).

* To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.
** Earliest instance of this quote found on Google Books is the heading to a chapter entitled "How to Make Free Money From Your Website" from [https://books.google.com/books?id=7ogreSDhbCEC&q=ghandi#v=snippet&q=ghandi&f=false 2001], where it is attributed to "M. K. Ghandi" [sic].

* The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others
** Attributed to Gandhi in Stone, ''The Full Spectrum Synthesis Bible'', iUniverse, 2001. [https://books.google.com/books?id=K6NiilgGaqMC&pg=PA168&dq=%22lose+yourself+in+the+service+of+others%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAGoVChMI9pbPuNK_yAIVVMxjCh0RxgLp#v=onepage&q=%22lose%20yourself%20in%20the%20service%20of%20others%22&f=false link to Google Books]. However, very similar quotes are found in the nineteenth century:
*** "Have you sorrows or trials that seem very heavy to bear? Then let me tell you that one of the best ways in the world to lighten and sweeten them is to lose yourself in the service of others ..." from Trine, ''What All The World's A-Seeking'' (1896) [https://books.google.com/books?id=9oM7AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA78&dq=%22lose+yourself+in+the+service+of+others%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAWoVChMIrZvI7tG_yAIVEcVjCh0WsgJW#v=onepage&q=%22lose%20yourself%20in%20the%20service%20of%20others%22&f=false Google Books link];
*** "To lose yourself in the service of others may be to truly find yourself" from Usher, ''Protestantism'' (1897) [https://books.google.com/books?id=kftDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA43&dq=%22lose+yourself+in+the+service+of+others&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAGoVChMI4_Ls6NG_yAIVQsdjCh1iSAL7#v=onepage&q=%22lose%20yourself%20in%20the%20service%20of%20others&f=false Googe Books link].

{{Disputed end}}

{{Misattributed begin}}

== Misattributed ==
* '''First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.'''
** Describing the stages of a winning strategy of nonviolent activism. There is no record of Gandhi saying this. A close variant of the quotation first appears in [[wikisource:And Then They Build Monuments to You|a 1918 US trade union address by Nicholas Klein]]:
::* And, my friends, in this story you have a history of this entire movement. First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you. And that, is what is going to happen to the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.
:::* [http://books.google.com/books?id=QrcpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA53&dq=%22First+they+ignore+you%22 ''Proceedings of the Third Biennial Convention of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America'' (1918), p. 53] 
:* In Freedom's Battle (1922), Gandhi wrote this:
::* Unfortunately for His Excellency the movement is likely to grow with ridicule as it is certain to flourish on repression. No vital movement can be killed except by the impatience, ignorance or laziness of its authors. A movement cannot be 'insane' that is conducted by men of action as I claim the members of the Non-co-operation Committee are. … Ridicule is like repression. Both give place to respect when they fail to produce the intended effect. … It will be admitted that non-co-operation has passed the stage [of] ridicule. Whether it will now be met by repression or respect remains to be seen. … But the testing time has now arrived. In a civilized country when ridicule fails to kill a movement it begins to command respect.
:::* Source: The Project Gutenberg EBook of Freedom's Battle, 2nd edition, by Mahatma Gandhi, 1922 http://www.gutenberg.net/1/0/3/6/10366/10366-h/10366-h.htm
* '''An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.'''
** 1914: "If…we were to go back to…'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,' there would be very few [Honourable] Gentlemen in this House who would not…be blind and toothless." — [[w:George Perry Graham|George Perry Graham]], during a debate on capital punishment before the Canadian House of Commons. [http://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.debates_HOC1203_01/508 ''Official Report of the Debates of the House of Commons of the Dominion of Canada'', Third Session-Twelfth Parliament, Vol CXIII, p. 496, February 5, 1914.]
** 1950: "An-eye-for-an-eye-for-an-eye-for-an-eye … ends in making everybody blind" in ''The Life of Mahatma Gandhi'' by [[w:Louis Fischer|Louis Fischer]] (1950), though Fischer did not attribute it to Gandhi and seemed to be giving his own description of Gandhi's philosophy.
** 1958: "The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind" in ''[[w:Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story|Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story]]'' by [[w:Martin Luther King, Jr.|Martin Luther King, Jr.]], 1958.
** 1982: "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind" in the 1982 film, ''Gandhi''. In a 1993 biographical article about screenwriter [[w:John Briley|John Briley]], [[w:Jon Krampner|Jon Krampner]] wrote, "…Gandhi never said it. Michigan graduate John Briley put those pithy words in his mouth." From [http://michigantoday.umich.edu/93/Mar_and_Oct_93/Mar_93/briley.html "John Briley '51 - Epic Screenwriter", ''Michigan Today'', March 1993, p. 12.]
** 2006: There is a quaternary source in ''[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=w5-GR-qtgXsC&pg=PA269&dq=whole-world-blind+ Yale Book of Quotations]'' (2006), in which editor [[w:Fred R. Shapiro|Fred R. Shapiro]] ''states'' that the Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence ''stated'' that Gandhi's family ''believes'' it authentic, but did not provide any further reference and provided no year, place or body of work.
** 2006: Discussed in ''The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When'', by [[w:Ralph Keyes (author)|Ralph Keyes]] (2006), 1st ed., p. 74.
** 2010: Research detailed by Garson O'Toole in [http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/12/27/eye-for-eye-blind/ "An Eye for an Eye Will Make the Whole World Blind"] in ''[http://quoteinvestigator.com/ Quote Investigator]''.
* God has no religion.
** Aphorism pre-dating Gandhi, ''e.g.'', in [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TZemW-uwcQ4C&pg=PA149 ''Re-statements of Christian Doctrine: In Twenty-five Sermons'', Henry Whitney Bellows, (1867)]; the attribution of this to Gandhi dates from the 1980s. [https://books.google.com/books?id=8mJFKnxzlG0C&pg=PA104&dq=%22god+has+no+religion%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAGoVChMIg9S9yuKIyQIVF9tjCh0h2wK4#v=onepage&q=%22god%20has%20no%20religion%22&f=false]
* Hate the sin and love the sinner.
** This is variant of a traditional Christian proverb; ''ie'': "'''Hate the sin, but love the sinner'''" in [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=VwUeH-wTxZ8C&pg=PA132 ''Sermons, Lectures, and Occasional Discourses'' (1828) Edward Irving], and similar expressions date to those of [[Augustine of Hippo]]: "'''Love the sinner and hate the sin.'''" Gandhi did express approval of such sentiments in his ''An Autobiography'' (1927):''' "Hate the sin and not the sinner" is a precept which, though easy enough to understand, is rarely practiced, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world.'''
* As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world — that is the myth of the "atomic age" — as in being able to remake ourselves.
** Prof. Michael N. Nagler in his foreword to [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=v_hpUlMRjWsC&pg=PA8&dq=%22As+human+beings,+our+greatness+lies%22 ''Gandhi the Man'' (1978) by Eknath Easwaran, p. 8]
* Action expresses priorities.
** Apparently a rephrasing of "Actions express priorities," from [http://books.google.com/books?id=ztKNTGYyqokC&pg=PA78 ''Peak Performers''] (1987) by Charles A. Garfield. The phrase is adjacent to a Gandhi quote in at least one list of quotations alphabetized by last name.
* There is enough wealth in the world to satisfy everyone's needs, ...'. This quote is actually credited to an American pastor of Swiss origin Frank Buchman, founder of the Moral Rearmament movement. ''[http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-03/ahmedabad/30238203_1_bapu-tushar-gandhi-gandhiji Misquotes that Bapu is forced to wear]''.
*{{Anchor|WeNeedToBeTheChangeWeWishToSeeInTheWorld}}'''We need to be the change we wish to see in the world.'''
** There is "no reliable documentary evidence for the quotation", according to an article in ''The New York Times''. Brian Morton, [http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/opinion/falser-words-were-never-spoken.html?_r=0 "Falser Words Were Never Spoken"], ''New York Times'', 2011-08-29. It is not found as a direct Gandhi quotation in the 98-volume authorized ''Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi''. [http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-03/ahmedabad/30238203_1_bapu-tushar-gandhi-gandhiji Misquotes that Bapu is forced to wear]
** The earliest evidence for quotes of this type comes from the "Love Project", an initiative begun at 1970 at a high school in Brooklyn, New York by teacher Arleen Lorrance. According to [http://www.consciousnesswork.com/love.htm the project's website], "Be the change you want to see happen, instead of trying to change anyone else" was one of the principles of the Project "received" by Lorrance in 1970 -- but contemporaneous evidence for this has not been found.
** A 1972 newspaper article states: "Instead of advocating change in people and things, ... Love Project encourages people to actually be change itself". {{cite news |work=San Antonio Express |date=1972-09-28 |page=76 |title='Love Project' Marks End of Quest |first=Ron |last=Fulkerson |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12194386/love_project_1972/}}
** In 1974, Lorrance wrote, in a report on the Project: "One way to start a preventative program is to '''be''' the change you want to see happen." ([https://books.google.com/books?id=NcTimfiMzYUC&pg=PA85&lpg=PA85&dq=arleen+lorrance+love+project+1972&source=bl&ots=X5fggiqrCZ&sig=JoOzC2X1QU1eePkOBoy-60rJ1RE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAwIv-_a_MAhUBW2MKHYBQDFIQ6AEIQDAH#v=onepage&q=%22be%20the%20change%22&f=false "The Love Project"], in Kellough (ed.), ''Developing Priorities and a Style'', MSS, 1974).
** In 1976, a newspaper report listed "'Be the change you want to see happen, instead of trying to change anyone else" as one of the principles of the Love Project. 'A Ministry Called "The Love Project", ''St Louis Post Dispatch'', 1976-11-15, p. 36
** In 1987, a similar quote was attributed to Gandhi in a New Mexico newspaper: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world". Hollis Engley, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5211946/a_long_list_of_varied_accomplishments/ "A Long List of Varied Accomplishments"], ''The New Mexican'', Santa Fe, NM, 1987-01-11, p. D-1
**In 1991,"We must be the change we wish to see in the world" is attributed to Gandhi in Stella Cornelius, "Partners in Conflict Resolution", from Barnaby (ed.), ''Building a More Democratic United Nations'' (1991) [https://books.google.com/books?id=rcYYoLsFNmAC&pg=PA70&dq=%22be+the+change%22+%22wish+to+see%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAGoVChMI4ufD3tSLyQIVFFJjCh1muQX6#v=onepage&q=%22be%20the%20change%22%20%22wish%20to%20see%22&f=false Google Book link]
** Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, has attributed the quote to his famous grandfather since [https://web.archive.org/web/20000823060048/http://www.jca.apc.org/g21/panelists.htm at least 2000]. See also "Arun Gandhi Shares the Mahatma's Message" by Michel W. Potts, in ''India - West'' [San Leandro, California] Vol. XXVII, No. 13 (1 February 2002) p. A34, and "Be the change you wish to see: An interview with Arun Gandhi" by Carmella B'Hahn, ''Reclaiming Children and Youth'' [Bloomington] Vol. 10, No. 1 (Spring 2001) p. 6.< It is not clear whether Arun claims to have directly witnessed his grandfather saying it, or whether he heard of it second-hand.
* '''When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible. But in the end they always fall. Think of it—always...''' When you are in doubt that that is God's way, the way the world is meant to be... think of that.
** This appears to have been originally written by [[w:John Briley|John Briley]] in the [http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/Gandhi.txt screenplay] for the movie, [[w:Gandhi (film)|''Gandhi'']] (1982), spoken by [[w:Ben Kingsley|Ben Kingsley]], playing Gandhi. The earliest [partial] misattribution to Gandhi appears to be by [[w:Ronald Reagan|Ronald Reagan]] in [http://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/25/world/transcript-of-reagan-s-address-to-the-un-general-assembly.html?pagewanted=all an address] to the [[w:United Nations|United Nations]] [[w:United Nations General Assembly|General Assembly]] on 24 September 1984 (also a [[w:Quotation#Misquotations|misquotation]], substituting the word ''fail'' for ''fall''). [[w:John S. Dunne|John S. Dunne]] misattributes the first sentence in ''The Peace of the Present'' (1991) [https://books.google.com/books?id=NYIJAAAAIAAJ&q=%22when+Gandhi+says%22+%22When+I+despair,+I+remember+that+all+through+history+the+way+of+truth+and+love+has+always+won.%22&dq=%22when+Gandhi+says%22+%22When+I+despair,+I+remember+that+all+through+history+the+way+of+truth+and+love+has+always+won.%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjhufXN09LWAhWG7SYKHbRdCJ0Q6AEIJzAA on p. 50], just after misattributing the same first two sentences that Reagan did. Dunne also misattributes the final part of the quotation in the same book [https://books.google.com/books?id=NYIJAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Think+of+it+%E2%80%94+always%E2%80%A6%22+%22When+you+are+in+doubt+that+that+is+God%27s+way,+the+way+the+world+is+meant+to+be%E2%80%A6+think+of+that.%22&dq=%22Think+of+it+%E2%80%94+always%E2%80%A6%22+%22When+you+are+in+doubt+that+that+is+God%27s+way,+the+way+the+world+is+meant+to+be%E2%80%A6+think+of+that.%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjEw57e1tLWAhUSdiYKHUNiA2kQ6AEIMTAC on p. 34].
* '''A patient is the most important person in our hospital. He is not an interruption to our work, he is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our hospital. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.''' Attributed to Gandhi since the 1970s. While Gandhi was in charge of a company of stretcher bearers, he did not run a hospital. The origin of this quote can be found in a number of business publications in the 1940s. A version attributed to Gandhi in a 1970 advertisement in ''Foreign Trade of India'' states "A customer is the most important visitor on our premises."<ref>https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/08/02/gandhi-customer/</ref> The quote is the motto of Bombay Hospital, but no attribution to Gandhi is currently given.<ref>https://www.bombayhospitalindore.com/about/vision-mission</ref>
{{Misattributed end}}

== Quotes about Gandhi ==
:Alphabetized by author 

===A===

[[File:Sri_aurobindo.jpg|thumb|When Gandhi's movement was started, I said that this movement would lead either to a fiasco or to a great [[confusion]]. And I see no reason to change my opinion. Only I would like to add that it has led to both. ~ Sri Aurobindo]]

*My [[family]] instilled in me the story of Gandhi who freed India from British rule without firing a single bullet. Gandhi famously gave up all of his worldly possessions except for five, his dhoti, his walking stick, his book. He gave up everything to dedicate himself to public service.
**[[w:Eric Adams|Eric Adams]], in 2023 [https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/596-23/transcript-mayor-adams-delivers-remarks-flag-raising-ceremony-india]

*And Gandhi is my inspiration as I have with joy given up everything to dedicate my life to [[public service]] to be your public servant, inspired by Gandhi. It was Mahatma Gandhi who inspired [[Martin Luther King Jr.|Martin Luther King Jr,]] one of our nation's greatest civil rights heroes.
**[[w:Eric Adams|Eric Adams]], in 2023 [https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/596-23/transcript-mayor-adams-delivers-remarks-flag-raising-ceremony-india]

*All of us are limited and contextualised by our circumstance of body, mind, etc in ways that are very different from others. These are our relative truths. Gandhi worked upon them to evolve a higher understanding and move towards the absolute truth.
**[[w:Douglas Allen (philosopher)|Douglas Allen]], ''[https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/news/gandhism-is-more-relevant-today-says-douglas-allen/article8221902.ece Gandhism is more relevant today]'', 2016.

*His life, as you know, is as a beacon which shines [ever] bright to those that need it most.
**[[w:Marian Anderson|Marian Anderson]], ''[https://stories.state.gov/the-unifying-power-of-music/ The Unifying Power of Music]''.

* My own view is that great men are of great service to their country but they are also at certain times a great hinderance to the progress of their country. There is one incident in Roman History which comes to my mind on this occasion. When [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]] was done to death and the matter was reported to [[Cicero]], Cicero said to the messengers, "Tell the Romans your hour of liberty has come." While one regrets the [[Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi|assassination of Mr Gandhi]], one can't help finding in his heart the echo of the sentiments, expressed by Cicero on the [[w:Assassination_of_Julius_Caesar|assassination of Caesar]]. Mr Gandhi had become a positive danger to this country. He had choked all [[Freedom of thought|free-thought]]. He was holding together the Congress, which is a combination of all the bad and selfseeking elements in society who agreed on no social or moral principle governing the life of society except the one of praising and flattering Mr Gandhi. Such a body is unfit to govern a country. As the Bible says 'that sometimes good cometh out of evil', so also I think that good will come out of the death of Mr Gandhi. It will release people from bondage to a superman, it will make them think for themselves and it will compel them to stand on their own merits.
** [[B. R. Ambedkar]], in ''[https://www.google.com/books/edition/Letters_of_Ambedkar/t2huAAAAMAAJ?hl=en Letters of Ambedkar]'', p. 205.

* I always say that as I met Mr Gandhi in the capacity of an opponent, I have a feeling that I know him better than most other people, because he had opened his real fangs to me, I could see the inside of the man, you see while others who generally went there as devotees, saw nothing of him, except the external appearance, which he had put up as a Mahatma. But I saw him in his human capacity, the bare men in him, and so I say that I understand him better than most of the people who have associated themselves with him.
** This quote is also paraphrased as : I know Gandhi better than his disciples. They came to him as devotees and saw only the Mahatma. I was an opponent, and I saw the bare man in him. He showed me his fangs.
** [[B. R. Ambedkar]], Interview to BBC in 1955, also quoted in [https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/india-news-the-man-who-saw-mahatmas-fangs/302173 Outlook], [https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/books/2022/Nov/26/ambedkar-a-life-byshashi-tharoor-inadequate-retelling-of-a-great-life-2521744.html][https://openthemagazine.com/lounge/books/br-ambedkar-flawed-genius/][https://web.archive.org/web/20190501134530/https://www.telesurenglish.net/analysis/DNP-Debunking-the-Mythology-of-Mahatma-Gandhi--20180130-0013.html] Interview is published on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNAdYLbGLKY Youtube], [https://velivada.com/2017/12/08/transcript-dr-ambedkar-speaks-on-m-k-gandhi-and-poona-pact-bbc-radio-1955/ transcript]. 

*Well, I must say at the outset that I feel quite surprised you see the interest the outside world western world particularly seems to be taking in Mr Gandhi. I can’t understand that so far as India is concerned, He was in my judgement, he was an episode in the [[history of India]], never an epoch-maker. Gandhi has already vanished from the memory of people of this country, His memory is kept up because Congress party you see annually gives holiday, either on his birthday or some other day connected with some event in his life, has a celebration every year going on for seven days in a week, naturally people memory is revived, but if this artificial respiration were not given, I think Gandhi would belong long forgotten.
**[[B. R. Ambedkar]]’s Interview to BBC in 1955- Dr. Ambedkar Speaks on M.K. Gandhi and Poona Pact (BBC Radio) – 1955 [https://velivada.com/2017/12/08/transcript-dr-ambedkar-speaks-on-m-k-gandhi-and-poona-pact-bbc-radio-1955/]

* But Mr Gandhi has never protested against such murders. Not only have the Musalmans not condemned these outrages but even Mr Gandhi has never called upon the leading Muslims to condemn them. He has kept silent over them. Such an attitude can be explained only on the ground that Mr Gandhi was anxious to preserve Hindu-Moslem unity and did not mind the murders of a few Hindus if it could be achieved by sacrificing their lives. This attitude to excuse the Muslims any wrong, lest it should injure the cause of unity, is well illustrated by what Mr Gandhi had to say in the matter of the Mopla riots.... He has never called the Muslims to account even when they have been guilty of gross crimes against Hindus.
** Pakistan or The Partition of India (1946) by Dr [[B. R. Ambedkar]].

*Tagore is essentially a modern; Mahatma Gandhi is the [[Francis of Assisi|St. Francis of Assisi]] of our own days.
**[[w:Charles Freer Andrews|Charles Freer Andrews]], quoted in Indian critiques of Gandhi, Coward, Harold G. SUNY series in religious studies

*A divinely inspired [[Saints|saint]] I know that I am expressing the views of the British people in offering to his fellow countrymen our deep sympathy in the loss of their '''greatest citizen'''. Mahatma Gandhi, as he was known in [[India]], was one of the outstanding figures in the world today, but he seemed to belong to a different period of history. Living a life of extreme [[asceticism]], he was revered as a divinely inspired saint by millions of his fellow countrymen. His influence extended beyond the range of his co-religionists. For a quarter of a century, this one man has been the major factor in every consideration of the Indian problem. He had become the expression of the aspirations of the Indian people for [[independence]], but he was not just a nationalist. His most distinctive doctrine was that of [[Nonviolence|non-violence]]. He believed in a method of [[passive resistance]] to those forces which he considered wrong. The sincerity and devotion with which he pursued his objectives are beyond all doubt. The hand of the murderer has struck him down and a voice which pleaded for peace and brotherhood has been silenced, but I am certain that his spirit will continue to animate his fellow countrymen and will plead for peace and concord.
** [[Clement Attlee]] in 1948, ''London Calling'', Issues 432-457, p. 4

*When Gandhi's movement was started, I said that this movement would lead either to a fiasco or to a great [[confusion]]. And I see no reason to change my opinion. Only I would like to add that it has led to both.
**[[Sri Aurobindo]], June 23, 1926, quoted from [[Sri Aurobindo]], ., Nahar, S., Aurobindo, ., & Institut de recherches évolutives (Paris). ''India's rebirth: A selection from Sri Aurobindo's writing, talks and speeches.'' Paris: Institut de Recherches Evolutives. 3rd Edition (2000). [https://web.archive.org/web/20170826004028/http://bharatvani.org/books/ir/IR_frontpage.htm]

*As for Gandhi, why should you suppose that I am so tender for the faith of the Mahatma? I do not call it faith at all, but a rigid mental belief and what he calls soul-force is only a strong vital will which has taken a religious turn. That, of course, can be a tremendous force for action, but unfortunately Gandhi spoils it by his ambition to be a man of reason, while in fact he has no reason in him at all, never was [[reasonable]] at any moment in his life and, I suppose, never will be. What he has in its place is a remarkable type of unintentionally sophistic logic. Well, what this reason, this amazingly precisely unreliable logic brings about is that nobody is even sure and, I don't think, he is himself really sure what he will do next. He has not only two minds but three or four minds, and all depends on which will turn up topmost at a particular moment and how it will combine with the others. There would be no harm in that, on the contrary these might be an advantage if there were a central Light somewhere choosing for him and shaping the decision to the need of the action. He thinks there is and calls it God... but it has always seemed to me that it is his own mind that decides and most often decides wrongly. Anyhow I cannot imagine [[Lenin]] or [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk|Mustapha Kemal]] not knowing their own minds or acting in this way... even their strategic retreats were steps towards an end clearly conceived and executed. But whatever it be it is all mind action and vital force in Gandhi. So why should he be taken as an example of the defeat of the Divine or of a spiritual Power? I quite allow that there has been something behind Gandhi greater than himself and you can call it the Divine or a Cosmic Force which has used him, but then there is that behind everybody who is used as an instrument for world ends,... behind Kemal and Lenin also; so that is not germane to the matter.
**[[Sri Aurobindo]], Letter dated July 31, 1932, quoted from [[Sri Aurobindo]], ., Nahar, S., Aurobindo, ., & Institut de recherches évolutives (Paris). ''India's rebirth: A selection from Sri Aurobindo's writing, talks and speeches.'' Paris: Institut de Recherches Evolutives. 3rd Edition (2000). [https://web.archive.org/web/20170826004028/http://bharatvani.org/books/ir/IR_frontpage.htm]

*Some prominent national workers in India seem to me to be incarnations of some European force here. They may not be incarnations, but they may be strongly influenced by European thought. For instance Gandhi is a European - truly, a [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Christian]] in an Indian body. And there are some Indians in European bodies! Yes. When the Europeans say that he is more Christian than many Christians (some even say that he is “Christ of the modern times”) they are perfectly right. All his preaching is derived from Christianity, and though the garb is Indian the essential spirit is Christian. He may not be Christ, but at any rate he comes in continuation of the same impulsion. He is largely influenced by [[Leo Tolstoy|Tolstoy]], the Bible, and has a strong Jain tinge in his teachings; at any rate more than by the Indian scriptures - the Upanishads or the Gita, which he interprets in the light of his own ideas.
**[[Sri Aurobindo]]. 1926. India's Rebirth. Quoted in [https://www.esamskriti.com/e/National-Affairs/For-The-Followers-Of-Dharma/Gandhi,-Ahimsa-and-Christianity--1.aspx]

*...I am not right in saying that [[Gandhi]] is a Russian Christian, because he is so very dry. He has got the intellectual passion and a great moral will-force, but he is more dry than the Russians. The gospel of [[suffering]] that he is preaching has its root in Russia as nowhere else in [[Europe]]... other [[Christendom|Christian nations]] don't believe in it. At the most they have it in the mind, but the Russians have got it in their very blood. They commit a mistake in preaching the gospel of suffering, but we also commit in [[India]] a mistake in preaching the idea of vairagya [disgust with the world].
**Sri Aurobindo, June 22, 1926 quoted from [[Sri Aurobindo]], ., Nahar, S., Aurobindo, ., & Institut de recherches évolutives (Paris). ''India's rebirth: A selection from Sri Aurobindo's writing, talks and speeches.'' Paris: Institut de Recherches Evolutives. 3rd Edition (2000). [https://web.archive.org/web/20170826004028/http://bharatvani.org/books/ir/IR_frontpage.htm]

* [They] would not oppose Gandhiji even when they were not fully convinced, ...were generally content to follow Gandhiji’s lead.... They rarely tried to judge things on their own, and in any case they were accustomed to subordinate their judgment to Gandhiji. As such discussion with them was almost useless. After all our discussions, the only thing they could say was that we must have faith in Gandhiji. They held that if we trusted him he would find some way out.
**[[Abul Kalam Azad]], quoted from History Of The Freedom Movement In India, RC Majumdar, Volume III, Preface [https://archive.org/stream/historyoffreedom03maju/historyoffreedom03maju_djvu.txt]

===B===
* It seemed a miracle that I would meet, and have the blessing to know and work with, one of the two saints of the phenomenon which had won my heart when I was barely sixteen years old: the concept of radical nonviolence, introduced to the world as a [[Revolution|revolutionary]] political tool by Mahatma Gandhi in India, and reintroduced now by [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]], in the United States of America.
** [[Joan Baez]] ''And A Voice to Sing With'' (1987)

*He carried his own tune, and millions of people heard it.
**[[Joan Baez]] [https://www.npr.org/2023/10/07/1204450930/folk-musician-joan-baez-on-the-new-documentary-joan-baez-i-am-a-noise Interview] with NPR (2023)

* It is sometimes said that Britain liberated India. In fact the reverse is the truth. '''Gandhi and Nehru liberated us. By winning their freedom, they freed us from the ignorance and prejudice that lay behind the myth of Britain's imperial destiny.'''
** [[Tony Benn]], 1964. Quoted in ''Gandhi'' by David Arnold. Pearson Education, 2001.

* Under the Gandhi Raj there is no Free Speech, no open meeting except for Non-Co-operators Social and religious boycott, threats of personal violence, spitting, insults in the streets, are the methods of oppression. Mob support is obtained by wild promises, such as the immediate coming of Swaraj, when there will be no rents, no taxes, by giving to Mr. Gandhi high religious names, such as Mahatma and Avatara, assigning to him supernatural powers and the like.
**Annie Besant, 1926, [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.54060/page/n199/mode/2up India Bond Or Free?a World Problem ]

* '''It is impossible for me to ignore that you are in a different category from any person I have ever tried, or am likely to try.''' It is nevertheless my duty to sentence you – to six years imprisonment. ''[A stunned intake of breath from the whole courtroom, then in absolute silence the clerk scribbles the sentence in his notebook. A pause. The Judge lowers his eyes.]'' If however His Majesty's Government could – at some later date – see fit to reduce that term, no one would be better pleased than I.
** [[Judge Broomfield]], sentencing Gandhi, as depicted in the film ''[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]'' (1982)

===C===

* Gandhi proved it is possible to fight for one's [[people]] and win without for a moment losing the world's respect.
** [[Albert Camus]], ''Preface to Algerian Reports'', in ''Resistance, Rebellion and Death'', Alfred A. Knopf, 1960.

*Economic power has to precede political power. Gandhi understood this when, in 1930, he and his followers resolved to defy the British government's [[salt]] [[monopoly]] by making their own salt from the sea; this boycott was one of the crucial steps in the Indian fight for independence.
**[[Cesar Chavez]] "Sharing the Wealth" 1970 essay for Playboy, anthologized in ''An Organizer’s Tale'' (2008)

* It is alarming and also nauseating to see Mr. Gandhi, a seditious middle temple lawyer, now posing as a [[w:Fakir|fakir]] of a type well known in the east, striding half-naked up the steps of the viceregal palace, while he is still organizing and conducting a defiant campaign of civil disobedience, to parley on equal terms with the representative of the king-emperor.
** [[Winston Churchill]] addressing the Council of the West Essex Unionist Association (23 February 1931); as quoted in "Mr Churchill on India" in ''The Times'' (24 February 1931)

* '''Mr. Gandhi has gone very high in my esteem since he stood up for the [[w:Dalit|untouchables]]''' ... I do not care whether you are more or less loyal to Great Britain ... Tell Mr. Gandhi to use the powers that are offered and make the thing a success.
** [[Winston Churchill]], in a letter to [[w:Shri Ghanshyam Das Birla|G.D. Birla]] (1935); published in ''Winston S. Churchill, Volume Five: The Coming of War 1922-1939'' (1979) by Sir [[w:Martin Gilbert|Martin Gilbert]]

===D===
[[File:Will_Durant_1.jpg|thumb|Not since [[St. Francis of Assisi]] has any life known to history been so marked by gentleness, disinterestedness, simplicity, and forgiveness of enemies. ~ [[Will Durant]]]]

* An enigmatic character, sly and acetic, ambitious and devout, one of those gurus who exert an incredible magnetism on the crowds and often lead them to disaster (…) a sentimental religiosity coupled with a lack of scruples (…) During his lifetime, no one could stop his fateful influence. It will take a long time before the victims of his charisma, in India as well as in the West, dare to make an account of his actions. (…) [Gandhi’s religion consisted in] ‘extreme [[puritanism]], the strictest vegetarianism, the total absence of [[Metaphysics|metaphysical]] concerns and philosophical culture, and, conversely, the grossest religious sentimentalism [in which] icy puritanism masks dishonesty.
**[[Alain Daniélou]], As quoted from Elst, Koenraad (2018). Why I killed the Mahatma: Uncovering Godse's defence. New Delhi : Rupa, 2018. chapter 5. Section OTHER VOICES ON GANDHI’S CHARACTER, quoting Alain Daniélou: Histoire de l’Inde, p. 364. Daniélou, Alain, Histoire de l’Inde, Fayard, Paris, 1983 (1971).

*Mahatma Gandhi, the renowned disciple of nonviolence, defined the sentiment behind [[namaste]]: “I honor the place in you where the entire Universe resides. I honor the place in you of Light, Love, Truth, Peace and Wisdom. I honor the place where, when you are in that place and I am in that place, there is only one of us.”
** [[Ron Devlin]] in [https://www.pottsmerc.com/site/about.html Coronavirus means when it comes to personal greetings, there's not much shakin' going, ''The Mercury''] (19 March 2020)

* Not since [[St. Francis of Assisi]] has any life known to history been so marked by gentleness, disinterestedness, simplicity, and forgiveness of enemies.
** [[Will Durant]], ''The Story of Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage'' (1935), Volume I, p. 628.

* This Jonah of revolution, this general of unbroken disasters was the mascot of the [[bourgeoisie]] in each wave of the developing Indian struggle.Gandhi's strategy...was not a strategy intended to lead to the victory of independence, but to find the means in the midst of a formidable revolutionary wave to maintain leadership of the mass movement and yet place the maximum bounds and restraints upon it.
**[[w:Rajani Palme Dutt|R. Palme Dutt]], ''India Today'', Gollancz, 1940. The "mascot of the bourgeoisie". line is quoted in ''Gandhi'' by David Arnold, Pearson Education, 2001.

===E===
[[File:Albert_Einstein_Head.jpg|thumb|Taken on the whole, I would believe that Gandhi's views were the most enlightened of all the political men of our time. ~ [[Albert Einstein]]]]

* '''A lot of people are waiting for [[Martin Luther King]] or Mahatma Gandhi to come back — but they are gone. We are it. It is up to us. It is up to you.'''
** [[Marian Wright Edelman]], as quoted in ''The Art of Winning Commitment: 10 Ways Leaders Can Engage Minds, Hearts, And Spirits'' (2004) by Dick Richards, p. 11

* Gandhi and [[Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax|Lord Irwin]], former Viceroy to India, were friends. On their return from the [[Round Table Conferences (India)|Round Table Conference]] at London, Lord Irwin paid a visit to the Mahatma in his ashram. During the conversation Lord Irwin put this question to his host: "Mahatma, as man to man, tell me what you consider to be the solution to the problems of your country and mine." Taking up a little book from the nearby lampstand, Gandhi opened it to the fifth chapter of Matthew and replied, "'''When your country and mine shall get together on the teachings laid down by Christ in this Sermon on the Mount, we shall have solved the problems not only of our countries but those of the whole world.'''"
** [[Frank E. Eden]], reporting what was related to him "by a friend who has traveled through India in the interest of mission work", in ''Treasury of the Christian Faith (Association Press, 1949), [http://books.google.pt/books?id=Ll4wAAAAYAAJ&q=%22teachings+laid%22 p. 43]''

* '''Taken on the whole, I would believe that Gandhi's views were the most enlightened of all the political men of our time.''' We should strive to do things in his spirit: not to use violence for fighting for our cause, but by non-participation of anything you believe is evil.
** [[Albert Einstein]], in a [http://www.gandhiserve.org/streams/einstein.html United Nations radio interview] recorded in Einstein's study, Princeton, New Jersey, (1950)

* '''Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this [[Earth]].'''
** [[Albert Einstein]], statement on the occasion of Gandhi's 70th birthday (1939); Einstein archive 32-601, published in ''Out of My Later Years'' (1950).
** Variants:
** Generations to come, it may be, will scarcely believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.
** Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth.

* Everyone concerned in the better future of mankind must be deeply moved by the tragic death of Mahatma Gandhi. He died as the victim of his own principles, the principle of nonviolence. He died because in time of disorder and general irritation in his country, he refused armed protection for himself. '''It was his unshakable belief that the use of force is an evil in itself, that therefore it must be avoided by those who are striving for supreme justice to his belief. With his belief in his heart and mind, he has led a great nation on to its liberation. He has demonstrated that a powerful human following can be assembled not only through the cunning game of the usual political manoeuvres and trickeries but through the cogent example of morally superior conduct of life.''' The admiration for Mahatma Gandhi in all countries of the world rests on recognition, mostly sub-conscious, recognition of the fact that in our time of utter moral decadence, he was the only statesman to stand for a higher level of human relationship in political sphere. '''This level we must, with all our forces, attempt to reach. We must learn the difficult lesson that an endurable future of humanity will be possible only if, also in international relations, decisions are based on law and justice and not on self-righteous power, as they have been upto now.'''
** [[Albert Einstein]], as quoted in ''Mahatma Gandhi and the U.S.A.‎'' (1949) by Pasupuleti Gopala Krishnayya, p. 399

* It takes a permanent suspension of the power of discrimination to believe in the syrupy Gandhian syncretism which still prevails in India. The Mahatma’s outlook was neither realistic nor Indian. Not even the Jain doctrine of Anekantavada, “pluralism”, had been as mushy and anti-intellectual as the suspension of logic that is propagated in India under Gandhi’s name. It could only come about among post-Christian Westerners tired of doctrinal debates, and from their circles, Gandhi transplanted it to India.
**Elst K. Why I killed the Mahatma: Uncovering Godse's defence (2001, 2018)

===G===

* India had barely [[Partition of India|become independent]], in 1947, when [[Kashmir conflict|Pakistan invaded Kashmir]], which at the time was ruled by a [[wikipedia:Hari_Singh|maharajah]]. The maharajah fled, and the [[Kashmiris|people of Kashmir]], led by [[wikipedia:Sheikh_Abdullah|Sheikh Abdullah]], asked for [[Indian Armed Forces|Indian help]]. [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Mountbatten]], who was still governor general, replied that he wouldn’t be able to supply aid to [[Kashmir]] unless Pakistan declared war, and he didn’t seem bothered by the fact that the [[Pakistan Armed Forces|Pakistanis]] were [[Sectarian violence in Pakistan|slaughtering the population]]. So [[Government of India|our leaders]] decided to sign a document by which they bound themselves to go to [[Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts|war with Pakistan]]. And Mahatma Gandhi, apostle of [[nonviolence]], signed along with them. Yes, he chose war. He said there was nothing else to do. War is inevitable when one must defend somebody or defend oneself.
** [[Indira Gandhi]], quoted by ''[[Oriana Fallaci]]. (2011). Interview with Indira Gandhi, in : Interviews with history and conversations with power. New York: Rizzoli.''

*Among Gandhi’s best-known pronouncements on industrial capitalism are these famous lines written in 1928: “God forbid that India should ever take to industrialism after the manner of the West. If an entire nation of 300 millions [sic] took to similar economic exploitation, it would strip the world bare like locusts.”
**[[Amitav Ghosh]], The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable (2016)

*Mahatma Gandhi stands squarely with [[Dayanand Saraswati|Maharshi Dayananda]], [[Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay|Bankim Chandra]], [[Swami Vivekananda]], [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak|Lokamanya Tilak]] and [[Sri Aurobindo]] in developing the language of Indian nationalism. His mistake about Islam does not diminish the lustre of that language which he spoke with full faith and confidence. On the contrary, his mistake carries a message of its own. [...] It must be admitted that the failure which the Mahatma met vis-à-vis the Muslims was truly of startling proportions (...) his policy towards Muslims had been full of appeasement at the cost of Hindu society. But nothing had helped. Muslims had continued to grow more and more hostile (...) there must be something very hard in the heart of Islam that even a man of an oceanic goodwill like Mahatma Gandhi failed to move it.
**[[Sita Ram Goel]], Perversion of India's Political Parlance, ch. 7. Quoted in part in Elst, Koenraad (2018). Why I killed the Mahatma: Uncovering Godse's defence. New Delhi : Rupa, 2018. chapter 6.

*When the World Press published lists of the great men and women of the 20th century, the names [[Mohandas Gandhi]] and [[Nelson Mandela]] rose surely above all.
**[[Nadine Gordimer]] [https://www.sahistory.org.za/archive/nadine-gordimers-key-note-speech-amnesty-international-ambassador-conscience-award speech] (2006)

* Before the advent of Gandhi there was an open atmosphere in public discourse… After Gandhiji took the stage, this culture of free and open disagreement and debates vanished. It was said that the political stand of the entire country should be one, and that Gandhiji’s frontal leadership should be unhindered. It was said that if Gandhiji spoke, the nation spoke. The reasoning offered was as follows: unless the nation adopted this unquestioning mentality, we would not get freedom from the British… from then onwards, People were prohibited from taking his name without the mandatory honorific of “Mahatma.” Gandhiji’s thought was the nation’s thought.
**D.V. Gundappa in his monograph titled Vruttapatrike (Newspaper), also quoted in [https://web.archive.org/web/20250830103640/https://thedharmadispatch.substack.com/p/this-is-jadunath-sarkars-unsparing This is Jadunath Sarkar's Unsparing Assessment of Mohandas Gandhi's Legacy]

===H===

*As with all great men, different aspects stand out for different people. That which gave him his exceptional position in India was something different from that which won for him the admiration of friends in Western countries, which is another way of saying that the man himself was larger than any attempts made to paint his portrait. There was a directness about him which was singularly winning, but this could be accompanied by a subtlety of intellectual process which could sometimes be disconcerting. To appreciate what was passing in his mind it was necessary, if not to start from the same point, at least to understand very clearly what was the starting point for him; and this was nearly always very human and very simple.
**[[Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax|Lord Halifax]], ''Fulness of Days'' (1957), p. 147

*I remember when I first went to India talking about him to [[w:Charles Freer Andrews|C. F. Andrews]] who, I imagine, was closer to him than any other European. He said, as indeed was clear when it came to the [[w:Round Table Conferences (India)|Round Table Conference]], that Mr. Gandhi cared little for [[constitutions]] and constitutional forms. What he was concerned with was the human problem of how the Indian poor lived. Constitutional reform was important and necessary for the development of India's personality and self-respect; but what really mattered were the things that affected the daily lives of the millions of his fellow countrymen—salt, opium, cottage industries, and the like. I have no doubt this was true, and though it was easy to smile at the devotion of Mr. Gandhi to the spinning wheel, while [[w:Indian National Congress|Congress]] was largely dependent for its funds upon the generosity of wealthy Indian mill owners, the wheel none-the-less stood for something fundamental in his philosophy of life.
**[[Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax|Lord Halifax]], ''Fulness of Days'' (1957), p. 147

*He was the natural knight errant, fighting always the battle of the weak against suffering and what he judged injustice. The claims of Indians in South Africa, the treatment of Indian labourers in the indigo fields in India, the thousands rendered homeless by the floods of [[Orissa]], and above everything the suffering arising from communal hatreds—all these were in turn a battlefield on which he fought with all his strength for what to him was the cause of humanity and right.
**[[Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax|Lord Halifax]], ''Fulness of Days'' (1957), pp. 147-148

*The episodes I have quoted will suffice to show on the personal side what reason I had to value his friendship, and I can think of no person whose undertaking to respect a confidence I should ever have been more ready to accept than his. Measured by human standards, the abrupt cutting short of his life was a tragic deprivation for the country that he loved.
**[[Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax|Lord Halifax]], ''Fulness of Days'' (1957), pp. 150-151

* '''Mahatma Gandhi is the greatest living exponent of successful pacifism. He has demonstrated that pacifism in action can be a force in world politics. It proved itself, that is to say, a stronger instrument than the instrument of government by force and oppression'''. In South Africa, his success was complete; in India it was very considerable; and had his following been larger and more uniformly non-violent, his pacific instrument would have triumphed.
** [[w:Laurence Housman|Laurence Housman]], 1939, reprinted in S. Radhakrishnan, ''Mahatma Gandhi, essays and reflections on his life and work''. George Allen & Unwin, 1949.

* Gandhi, like [[Thomas Jefferson|Jefferson]], thought of politics in moral and religious terms. That is why his proposed solutions bear so close a resemblance to those proposed by the great American. '''That he went further than Jefferson — for example, in recommending economic as well as political decentralization and in advocating the use of satyagraha in place of the ward's "elementary exercises of militia"-is due to the fact that his ethic was more radical and his religion more profoundly realistic than Jefferson's.''' Jefferson's plan was not adopted; nor was Gandhi's. So much the worse for us and our descendants.
** [[Aldous Huxley]], "A Note on Gandhi", in S. Radhakrishnan, ''Mahatma Gandhi, essays and reflections on his life and work''. George Allen & Unwin, 1949.

===I===

* It would not be extravagant to consider Gandhi as one of the most revolutionary of individualists and one of the most individualistic of revolutionaries in world history.
** [[w:Raghavan N. Iyer | Raghavan N. Iyer]], ''The Moral and Political Thought of Mahatma Gandhi'', Oxford University Press (1978) p. 114

* Gandhi could not regard good government as better than self-government because he believed there was a connection between individual and national self-rule.
** [[w:Raghavan N. Iyer | Raghavan N. Iyer]], ''The Moral and Political Thought of Mahatma Gandhi'', Oxford University Press (1978) p. 356

===J===
[[File:Jinnah1945c.jpg|220px|thumb| Whatever our political differences, he was one of the greatest men produced by the Hindu community, and a leader who commanded their universal confidence and respect. ~ Jinnah]]

* I could find no explanation worthy of the Mahatma for his decision to accept leadership of the [[Khilafat Movement|khilafat movement]]. The decision, it seemed to me, revealed the great man's proverbial [[w:Achilles' heel|Achilles' heel]].
** [[Girilal Jain]] in ''The Hindu Phenomenon'', p. 52 {{ISBN|81-86112-32-4}} 

* But, he was a [[w: Bhakti|bhakt]] not of [[w:Rama|Ram]] in his totality, that is of Ram the warrior also, but of Ram as [[w:Purushottama|Purushottam Purusha]], that is, of Ram who set the ideal for ethical life.
** [[Girilal Jain]] in ''The Hindu Phenomenon'', p. 152 {{ISBN|81-86112-32-4}} 

* However pure Mr. Gandhi's character may be, he must appear to me from the point of view of religion inferior to any Musalman, even though he be without character... Yes, according to my religion and creed, I do hold an adulterous and a fallen Musalman to be better than Mr. Gandhi.
**Mahomed Ali (1924). ([[Mohammad Ali Jauhar]]) The statement created a great stir, according to [[B. R. Ambedkar]]. Quoted in B.R. Ambedkar, Pakistan or The Partition of India (1946)

* Your methods have already caused splits and division in almost every institution that you have approached…not only amongst the Hindus and Muslims, but between Hindus and Hindus and Muslims and Muslims, and even between father and sons.
**[[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] , quoted in Indian critiques of Gandhi, Coward, Harold G. SUNY series in religious studies.193.

*I am shocked to learn of the most dastardly attack on the life of Mr. Gandhi, resulting in his death. Whatever our political differences, he was one of the greatest men produced by the Hindu community, and a leader who commanded their universal confidence and respect. I wish to express my deep sorrow, and sincerely sympathize with the great Hindu community and his family in their bereavement at this momentous, historical and critical juncture so soon after the birth of [[freedom]] for Hindustan and Pakistan. The loss of dominion of India is irreparable, and it will be very difficult to fill the vacuum created by the passing way of such a great man at this moment.
**[[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], reacting to Gandhi's assassination.[https://www.news18.com/news/opinion/opinion-one-of-the-greatest-jinnahs-condolence-for-mahatma-gandhi-and-a-pakistan-visit-that-was-never-to-be-2330559.html]

* With Lenin he shared a quasi-religious approach to politics, though in sheer crankiness he had much more in common with Hitler (…) One of his favourite books was Constipation and Our Civilization, which he constantly reread. (…) His eccentricities appealed to a nation which venerates sacral oddity. But his teachings had no relevance to India’s problems. (…) His food policy would have led to mass starvation. In fact Gandhi’s own ashram (…) had to be heavily subsidized by three merchant princes.‘And Gandhi was expensive in human life as well as money. The events of 1920–21 indicated that though he could bring a mass-movement into existence, he could not control it. Yet he continued to play the sorcerer’s apprentice, while the casualty bill mounted into hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands, and the risks of a gigantic sectarian and racial explosion accumulated. This blindness to the law of probability in a bitterly divided subcontinent made nonsense of Gandhi’s professions that he would not take life in any circumstances.
**[[Paul Johnson]], Modern Times, Orion, London, 1992. pp 470-2 Quoted from Elst, Koenraad (2018). Why I killed the Mahatma: Uncovering Godse's defence. New Delhi : Rupa, 2018. chapter 5. Section OTHER VOICES ON GANDHI’S CHARACTER

* He who lived by non-violence appeared to be defeated by violence. For a brief moment the light seemed to have gone out. Yet his teachings and the example of his life live on in the minds and hearts of millions of men and women. Yes, the light is still shining, and the heritage of Mahatma Gandhi speaks to us still. And today as a pilgrim of peace I have come here to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi, hero of humanity.
** [[Pope John Paul II]], [https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/1986/february/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19860201_raj-ghat.html "ADDRESS OF JOHN PAUL II ON OCCASION OF THE VISIT TO THE FUNERARY MONUMENT OF RAJ GHAT DEDICATED TO MAHATMA GANDHI"], 1st February 1986

===K===
[[File:Arthur Koestler (1969).jpg|thumb| When all is said, the Mahatma, in his humble and heroic ways, was the greatest living anachronism of the twentieth century; and one cannot help feeling, blasphemous though it may sound, that India would be better off today and healthier in mind, without the Gandhian heritage. ~ Arthur Koestler]]

* He was the only ray of light to help us through these darkest days.
** {{w|Abdul Ghaffar Khan}}, as quoted in [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Abdul_Ghaffar_Khan/q3RDAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq= ''Abdul Ghaffar Khan: Faith is a Battle''], p. 449.

* '''Prior to reading Gandhi, I had about concluded that the ethics of [[Jesus]] were only effective in individual relationships. The "[[W:turn the other cheek|turn the other cheek]]" philosophy and the "[[w:love your enemies|love your enemies]]" philosophy were only valid, I felt, when individuals were in conflict with other individuals; when racial groups and nations were in conflict, a more realistic approach seemed necessary. But after reading Gandhi, I saw how utterly mistaken I was. Gandhi was probably the first person in history to lift the love ethic of [[Jesus]] above mere interaction between individuals to a powerful and effective social force on a large scale. Love for Gandhi was a potent instrument for social and collective transformation. It was in this Gandhian emphasis on love and nonviolence that I discovered the method for social reform that I had been seeking. The intellectual and moral satisfaction that I failed to gain from the utilitarianism of [[Jeremy Bentham|Bentham]] and [[John Stuart Mill|Mill]], the revolutionary methods of [[Karl Marx|Marx]] and Lenin, the social contracts theory of [[Thomas Hobbes|Hobbes]], the "back to nature" optimism of [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau|Rousseau]], the [[Übermensch|superman]] philosophy of [[Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzsche]], I found in the nonviolent resistance philosophy of Gandhi.'''
** [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], ''Stride Toward Freedom''

* When all is said, the Mahatma, in his humble and heroic ways, was the greatest living anachronism of the [[20th century|twentieth century]]; and one cannot help feeling, [[Blasphemy|blasphemous]] though it may sound, that India would be better off today and healthier in mind, without the Gandhian heritage.
**[[Arthur Koestler]], “Mahatma Gandhi—Yogi and Commissar, a Re-Valuation”. Sunday Times, 10/5/69. in Koestler: The Literary and Political Odyssey of a Twentieth-Century Skeptic, Michael Scammell. Essay republished in Arthur Koestler - The Heel of Achilles_ Essays 1968-1973 (1974, Random House (NY))

* Hinduism in its most perverted forms was preached and practised by Gandhi. He tried to obliterate the distinction between the life of a monk and the life of a householder by making ordinary people behave like monks. He wanted India to have a monkish economy, a monkish politics, a monkish foreign policy and a monkish defence policy. Consequently, under the leadership of Gandhi, India acquired a great heart but lost its head.
** M. M. Kothari: Critique of Gandhi, Jodhpur 1996, p. iv;. Kothari, M.M., Critique of Gandhi, Critique Publ., Jodhpur, 1996. Quoted from Elst, Koenraad (2018). Why I killed the Mahatma: Uncovering Godse's defence. New Delhi : Rupa, 2018. chapter 5. Section OTHER VOICES ON GANDHI’S CHARACTER

===M===
[[File:Nelson_Mandela-2008_(edit).jpg|thumb|He dared to exhort nonviolence in a time when the violence of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had exploded on us; he exhorted morality when science, technology and the capitalist order had made it redundant; he replaced self-interest with group interest without minimizing the importance of self. ~ [[Nelson Mandela]]]]
[[File:PM Modi 2015.jpg|thumb|It is my conviction and shraddha (faith) that even on economic issues, Gandhi is relevant even today... So in every aspect of my social reform efforts, you will see the imprint of Gandhi... I bring every little aspect of Gandhi ji’s life into my work... This is part of putting our traditions and Gandhian values to creative use.~ Narendra Modi]]

* Gandhi was the last political leader in the world who was a person, not a mask or a [[radio]] voice or an institution. The last on a human scale. The last for whom I felt neither fear nor contempt nor indifference but interest and affection...he was dear to me because he had no respect for railroads, assembly-belt production, and other knick-knacks of liberalistic progress, and insisted on examining their human (as against their metaphysical) value.
** [[Dwight Macdonald]], ''Politics'' Magazine, Winter 1948.

* History must begin by discounting the halo of semi-divinity — and therefore also of infallibility — which was cast round Gandhi during his life and continues to a large extent even now, thanks to the propaganda to exploit his name for political purposes... I yield to none in my profound respect for Gandhi, the saint and the humanitarian... It has been my painful duty to show that, looked at strictly from this point of view, the popular image of Gandhi cannot be reconciled with what he actually was. A historian must uphold the great ideal of truth which was so dear to Gandhi himself, and if we delineate the political life of Gandhi with strict adherence to truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, it will, I believe, be patent to all that Gandhi was lacking in both political wisdom and political strategy — as we commonly understand these terms — and far from being infallible, committed serious blunders, one after another, in pursuit of some Utopian ideals and methods which had no basis in reality. It will also be seen that the current estimate of the degree or extent of his success bears no relation to actual facts... That Gandhi played a very great role in rousing the political consciousness of the masses nobody can possibly deny. But it would be a travesty of truth to give him the sole credit for the freedom of India, and sheer nonsense to look -upon Satyagraha (or Charka, according to some) as the unique weapon by which it was achieved. As mentioned above, Gandhi’s followers could not wield this weapon forged by him and therefore it never came into play. A successful Satyagraha, as conceived by Gandhi, would necessarily mean that the British had given up their hold on India in a mood of repentance or penitence for their past sinful acts in India. But of this we have no evidence whatsoever.
** [[R. C. Majumdar]] in ''History of the Freedom Movement in India'', Preface to vol. 3, (xxiii)

* Gandhi combined in himself the dual role of a saint and an active politician...[his] followers did not make this distinction and gave unto the political leader what was really due to the saint...best illustrated by the implicit faith in, and unquestioning obedience to Gandhi...shown by even very highly eminent persons. They mostly belonged to two categories. The first comprised those who willingly surrendered their conscience and judgement to the safe keeping of the political Guru... the second...consisted of those who fell a victim to the magic charm of Gandhi even though they fumed and fretted at his...irrational dogmas repulsive to their own independent judgment... he placed the cult of non-violence above everything else—even above the independence of India... To Gandhi, not only was independence of India a minor issue as compared with the principle of non-violence, but it is painful...to relate, he was even prepared to postpone Swaraj activity if thereby he could advance the interest of the Khilafat... Gandhi was a dictator who could not tolerate opposition. In 1930, he deliberately excluded from the Working Committee...those who differed from his views...
** [[R. C. Majumdar]] in ''History of the Freedom Movement in India'', Preface to vol. 3, p. xviii. Quoted in ''Is Indian Culture Obsolete?'' (2000) by [[Michel Danino]], p. 48. [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.125612/page/n13/mode/2up]

* India is Gandhi's country of birth; South Africa his country of adoption. He was both an Indian and a South African citizen. Both countries contributed to his intellectual and moral genius, and he shaped the liberatory movements in both colonial theaters. He is the archetypal anticolonial revolutionary. His strategy of noncooperation, his assertion that we can be dominated only if we cooperate with our dominators, and his nonviolent resistance inspired anticolonial and antiracist movements internationally in our century.
** [[Nelson Mandela]], [https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,993025-1,00.html "The Sacred Warrior"], ''Time'', December 31, 1999.

* He dared to exhort nonviolence in a time when the [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|violence of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]] had exploded on us; he exhorted morality when [[science]], [[technology]] and the [[Capitalism|capitalist]] order had made it redundant; he replaced self-interest with group interest without minimizing the importance of self. In fact, the interdependence of the social and the personal is at the heart of his philosophy. He seeks the simultaneous and interactive development of the moral person and the moral society.
** [[Nelson Mandela]], [https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,993025-2,00.html "The Sacred Warrior"], ''Time'', December 31, 1999.

* In the Civil Disobedience Campaign of 1930, Gandhi demonstrated the living power of non-violence, a magnificent example to a world that increasingly understands no power but the sword, and which is seemingly incapable of learning that violence never defeats violence but merely begets it.
** [[w:Ethel Mannin|Ethel Mannin]], in S. Radhakrishnan, ''Mahatma Gandhi, essays and reflections on his life and work''. George Allen & Unwin, 1949.

*It is my conviction and shraddha (faith) that even on economic issues, Gandhi is relevant even today.... So in every aspect of my social reform efforts, you will see the imprint of Gandhi.... I bring every little aspect of Gandhi ji's life into my work. In social forestry, that is, in planting trees outside forest areas, Gujarat is number one in India... We have also incentivized every village to have a panchvati (a green belt drawing its name from the forest in which Ram, Lakshman, and Sita lived during their years of exile).... This is part of putting our traditions and Gandhian values to creative use.
**[[Narendra Modi]] quoted from Kishwar, Madhu (2014). Modi, Muslims and media: Voices from Narendra Modi's Gujarat. p.381-386

===N===
[[File:Jawaharlal Nehru, 1947.jpg|thumb|What a wonderful man was Gandhiji after all, with his amazing and almost irresistible charm and subtle power over people. His writings and his sayings conveyed little enough impression of the man behind; his personality was far bigger than they would lead one to think. And his services to India, how vast they had been. ~ [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]]]

* I am thinking of the anger Gandhi experienced that fateful night of May 31, 1893, when he was thrown off the train at Pietermaritzburg a week after his arrival in South Africa. This was no minor irritation; according to his own testimony, Gandhi was furious. That, along with the fact that Gandhi is more than usually articulate about his inner experiences, is what makes this event (among millions of similar insults human beings endure at one another's hands) such an important window into the dynamics of nonviolent conversion. The first clue as to how he finally succeeded, after a night of bitter reflection, to see the creative way out is that he didn't take the insult personally; he saw in it the whole tragedy of man's inhumanity to man, the whole outrage of [[racism]]. Not “they can’t do this to me,” but “how can we do this to one another?”
** [[w:Michael Nagler|Michael Nagler]], ''Is There No Other Way?: The Search for a Nonviolent Future'' (2001), p. 77

* During the 1920's and 1930's young radicals like [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], [[Subhas Chandra Bose|Subhas Bose]] and [[Jayaprakash Narayan|Jayaprakesh Narayan]] were straining at the leash: they fretted at the patient and peaceful methods of the Mahatma. The [[Communism in India|Indian communists]] dubbed him a charismatic but calculating leader who knew how to rouse the masses but deliberately contained and diverted their revolutionary ardour so as not to hurt the interests of British imperialists and Indian capitalists.
** [[w:Bal Ram Nanda|B. R. Nanda]], ''Gandhi and his Critics'', Delhi, Oxford University Press, 1985, (p. viii).

* Gandhiji came to the conclusion that his personality was acting as an incubus and smothering free self-expression in the Congress and thereby arresting its natural growth, so that from being ‘the most representative and democratic organisation’ it stood in danger of degenerating into an organisation ‘dominated by one personality' in which ‘there was no play of reason.’ They could never realise the full potency of truth or non-violence that way. For that they had to learn ‘to think and act naturally.
** [[Pyarelal Nayyar]] , quoted from History Of The Freedom Movement In India, RC Majumdar, Volume III, Preface

* What a wonderful man was Gandhiji after all, with his amazing and almost irresistible charm and subtle power over people. His writings and his sayings conveyed little enough impression of the man behind; his personality was far bigger than they would lead one to think. And his services to India, how vast they had been. He had instilled courage and manhood in her people, and discipline and endurance, and the power of joyful sacrifice for a cause, and, with all his humility, pride. [[Courage]] is the one sure foundation of character, he had said, without courage there is no morality, no religion, no love. “One cannot follow truth or love so long as one is subject to fear.” With all his horror of violence, he had told us that “cowardice is a thing even more hateful than violence”. And “discipline is the pledge and guarantee that a man means business. There is no deliverance and no hope without sacrifice, discipline, and self-control. Mere sacrifice without discipline will be unavailing.” Words only and pious phrases perhaps, rather platitudinous, but there was power behind the words, and India knew that this little man meant [[business]].
** [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], [https://archive.org/details/39020025962450-jawaharlalnehru/page/n541/mode/2up ''An Autobiography''] (1938), p. 508.

*Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere. I do not know what to tell you and how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the Father of the Nation, is no more. Perhaps I am wrong to say that. Nevertheless, we will never see him again as we have seen him for these many years. We will not run to him for advice and seek solace from him, and that is a terrible blow, not to me only, but to millions and millions in this country.
** [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], speech following Gandhi's assassination, January 30, 1948.

* Great men and eminent men have monuments in bronze and marble set up for them, but this man of divine fire managed in his life-time to become enshrined in millions and millions of hearts so that all of us became somewhat of the stuff that he was made of, though to an infinitely lesser degree. He spread out in this way all over India, not in palaces only, or in select places or in assemblies, but in every hamlet and hut of the lowly and those who suffer. He lives in the hearts of millions and he will live for immemorial ages.
** [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], speech to the Constituent Assembly on February 2, 1948. [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.100471/page/n149/mode/2up Full text online]

* My respect and admiration for Gandhi, though not uncritical, was deep.
** [[Juanita Morrow Nelson]] in ''A Matter of Freedom'' (1988)

===O===

[[File:George_Orwell_press_photo.jpg|thumb| It is difficult to see how Gandhi's methods could be applied in a country where opponents of the regime disappear in the middle of the night and are never heard of again. Without a free press and the right of assembly, it is impossible not merely to appeal to outside opinion, but to bring a mass movement into being, or even to make your intentions known to your adversary. ~ George Orwell]]

* I am mindful that I might not be standing before you today, as [[President of the United States]], had it not been for Gandhi and the message he shared with America and the world.
** [[Barack Obama]] in an address to a Joint Session of the Parliament of India

* Although no doubt he was shrewd enough in detecting dishonesty, he seems wherever possible to have believed that other people were acting in good faith and had a better nature through which they could be approached.
** [[George Orwell]], in [http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/site/work/essays/ghandi.html "Reflections on Gandhi", in ''Partisan Review'' (January 1949)]

* It is difficult to see how Gandhi's methods could be applied in a country where opponents of the regime disappear in the middle of the night and are never heard of again. Without a free press and the right of assembly, it is impossible not merely to appeal to outside opinion, but to bring a mass movement into being, or even to make your intentions known to your adversary.
** [[George Orwell]], in "Reflections on Gandhi", in ''Partisan Review'' (January 1949)

* '''One feels of him that there was much he did not understand, but not that there was anything that he was frightened of saying or thinking.''' I have never been able to feel much liking for Gandhi, but I do not feel sure that as a political thinker he was wrong in the main, nor do I believe that his life was a failure. ... One may feel, as I do, a sort of aesthetic distaste for Gandhi, one may reject the claims of sainthood made on his behalf (he never made any such claim himself, by the way), one may also reject sainthood as an ideal and therefore feel that Gandhi's basic aims were anti-human and reactionary: but '''regarded simply as a politician, and compared with the other leading political figures of our time, how clean a smell he has managed to leave behind!'''
** [[George Orwell]], in "Reflections on Gandhi", in ''Partisan Review'' (January 1949)

===P===

* The Mahatma was a harmonizer of communities and people. Inclusion and not separation was his way. ''[[Hindutva]]'' disagreed with Gandhi on his interpretation of [[Hinduism]]. The agendas of ''Hindutva'' though strong on the issues of self-identity and self-definition, have tended to be separatist. The [[w:Vaishnavism|Vaishnava]] that he was, Gandhi believed in treating "the suffering of others as his own." From such a point of view, it seems clear that the intolerance of ''Hindutva'' will not permit the people of India to build a compassionate and just social order.
** [[Anthony Parel]], [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Gandhi_Freedom_and_Self_rule/sErf-DzVI9EC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA133 ''Gandhi, Freedom, and Self-rule''] (2000), Lexington Books, p. 133.

* Many of us were educated on the [[Indian literature|literature of India]] when we fell in love we read [[Rabindranath Tagore]] and when we matured we tried to understand Gandhi.
** [[Shimon Peres]] (Israeli President), on India. [http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-12-04/news/35594466_1_greatest-show-mahatma-gandhi-democracies Israeli President Shimon Peres praises India as greatest 'show of co-existence'] (4 December 2012)

===R===
[[File:Salman Rushdie 2011 Shankbone.JPG|thumb|To make Gandhi appeal to the Western market, he had to be sanctified and turned into Christ – an odd fate for a crafty Gujarati lawyer – and the history of one of the century's greatest revolutions had to be mangled. ~ Salman Rushdie]]

* Reputed historians and other eminent academicians have not undertaken so far any honest study of Gandhi’s character. Just as little is known of his perverse experiments with women, as little is known of his vicious anger and lacerating speech that he routinely spewed at people who opposed him or rejected him.... He treated those whom he considered inferior to him in status with contempt and in wounding language.
** Radha Rajan, Eclipse of the Hindu Nation: Gandhi and His Freedom Struggle, 2009

* In the 1980s Gandhi began to influence European public life. '''He was acknowledged by non-violent revolutionaries in [[East/Central Europe|Eastern Europe]]-[[Lech Wałęsa]] in [[Poland]] and [[Václav Havel]] in Czechoslovakia. In the 1990s the [[Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama|Dalai Lama]] began to invoke Gandhi in his non-violent effort to gain autonomy for [[Tibet]]. In the 1990s [[Nelson Mandela]] was in position publicly to acknowledge that "the Gandhian influence dominated freedom struggles on the African continent until the 1960s".''' At the close of the 20th century, ''Time'' chose Gandhi along with [[Albert Einstein]] and [[Franklin Roosevelt]] as the three most influential persons of the century.
** [[Lloyd I. Rudolph]], "Postmodern Gandhi", in ''Postmodern Gandhi and Other Essays'' (2006), edited by Lloyd I. Rudolph and Susanne Hoeber Rudolph, (p.34).

*To make Gandhi appeal to the Western market, he had to be sanctified and turned into Christ – an odd fate for a crafty [[Gujarat|Gujarati]] lawyer – and the history of one of the century's greatest revolutions had to be mangled.
**[[Salman Rushdie]], quoted in Patrick French - Liberty or Death : India's Journey to Independence and Division (1998)

===S===

* The best rule, according to Gandhi, was self rule. Everything great comes from within. The spiritual progress of a society depends on individuals. Therefore, the individual should be given maximum freedom for evolving without interference.
** [[Urmila Sharma]] and [[S.K. Sharma]], ''Indian Political Thought'', Atlantic Publishers, New Delhi: India (1996) p. 297

* To Gandhi, the end is the greatest good of all and this can be realized only in the classless and stateless democracy of autonomous village communities base on non-violence.
** [[Ajay Shanker]], ''Rai Gandhian Satyagraha: An Analytical and Critical Approach'', Concept Publishing, New Delhi, India, (2000) p. 26

* It was Gandhi who made the most significant personal contribution in the history of the nonviolent technique, with his political experiments in the use of noncooperation, disobedience and defiance to control rulers, alter government policies, and undermine political systems. With these experiments the character of the technique was broadened and its practice refined. Among the modifications Gandhi introduced were greater attention to strategy and tactics, a more judicious use of the armory of nonviolent methods, and a conscious association between mass political action and the norm of nonviolence.
** [[w:Gene Sharp|Gene Sharp]], ''The Politics of Nonviolent Action: Part One: Power and Struggle''. Porter Sargent, 1973, (p. 82).

* Impression of Gandhi! You might as well ask one to give his impression of the [[Himalayas]].
** [[George Bernard Shaw]], when asked about his impression on Gandhi, 1931, as quoted in D. G. Tendulkar, [https://archive.org/details/mahatmalifeofmoh03tend/page/166/mode/2up ''Mahatma: Life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi''] (1952), vol. 3, p. 166.

*...sustainability is not compatible with the existing profit- and growth-oriented development paradigm. And this means that the standard of living of the North's affluent societies cannot be generalized. This was already clear to Mahatma Gandhi 60 years ago,who, when asked by a British journalist whether he would like India to have the same standard of living as Britain, replied: ‘To have its standard of living a tiny country like Britain had to exploit half the globe. How many globes will India need to exploit to have the same standard of living?’ From an ecological and feminist perspective, moreover, even if there were more globes to be exploited, it is not even desirable that this development paradigm and standard of living was generalized, because it has failed to fulfill its promises of happiness, freedom, dignity and peace, even for those who have profited from it.
** [[Vandana Shiva]] and [[W:Maria Mies|Maria Mies]] in [https://www.academia.edu/37778615/_EcoFeminism_Zed_books_2014_By_Maria_Mies_and_Vandana_Shiva_with_a_Foreword_by_Ariel_Salleh._Ebook_download_PDF ''Ecofeminism'' Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva, 1993,] (2014)

* Many analysts have pointed out that Gandhi was in the anarchist tradition and that his anarchism was strongly individualistic. In contrast to the supposedly Oriental view that the individual counts for nothing, Gandhi argued that ‘the individual is the one supreme consideration.’
** [[w:George H. Smith| George H. Smith]], as quoted in “Does Gandhi Deserve a Place in the Libertarian Tradition?” by Jeff Riggenbach, ''Mises Daily'' (Feb. 2, 2011)

* Gandhi repeatedly called himself an anarchist . . . He refused positions of political power ... he called for the abolition of the Indian Congress after independence ... he criticized Nehru's government ... he desired the abolition of the Indian military and the maintenance of, at most, a minimal police force. ... his entire social program revolved around establishing decentralized "village republics" which would use social sanctions to maintain order and which would be free of State control. ... Gandhi was a vigorous opponent of imperialism ... war (including [[World War II]]), [[Censorship in India|censorship]], and virtually every other kind of State intrusion.
** [[w:George H. Smith|George H. Smith]], as quoted in “Does Gandhi Deserve a Place in the Libertarian Tradition?” by Jeff Riggenbach, ''Mises Daily'' (Feb. 2, 2011)

* Gandhi's hatred of State oppression was as passionate and deeply-felt as any contemporary libertarian.
** [[w:George H. Smith|George H. Smith]], as quoted in “Does Gandhi Deserve a Place in the Libertarian Tradition?” by Jeff Riggenbach, ''Mises Daily'' (Feb. 2, 2011)

===T===

[[File:Rabindranath Tagore in 1909.jpg|thumb|right|It is extremely difficult for me to have to differ from Mahatma Gandhi in regard to any matter of principle or method. . . . For what could be a greater joy than to join hands in the field of work with one for whom one has such love and reverence? . . . The difference in our standpoints and temperaments . . . makes the Mahatma’s field of work one which my conscience cannot accept as its own. That is a regret that will abide with me always. ~ Rabindranath Tagore]]

*It is extremely difficult for me to have to differ from Mahatma Gandhi in regard to any matter of principle or method. . . . For what could be a greater joy than to join hands in the field of work with one for whom one has such love and reverence? . . . The difference in our standpoints and temperaments . . . makes the Mahatma’s field of work one which my conscience cannot accept as its own. That is a regret that will abide with me always.
**[[Rabindranath Tagore]], quoted in Indian critiques of Gandhi, Coward, Harold G. SUNY series in religious studies

===W===
[[File:Gandhi 1944.jpg|thumb|Unorthodox though he might be, [[Mohandas K. Gandhi|Gandhi]] fitted into the traditional pattern of the [[w: Sannyasa|sanyassi]] who practices non‑attachment in the search for Truth; he was the [[w:Karma yoga|karma yogin]], the man who perfects and purifies himself through action. ~ [[George Woodcock]] ]]

* A madman, mad and arrogant.
** [[Dinshaw Edulji Wacha]]. Quoted in Wolpert, Stanley A., Jinnah of Pakistan, OUP, Delhi, 1984. page 69. Also quoted in Elst, Koenraad (2018). Why I killed the Mahatma: Uncovering Godse's defence. New Delhi : Rupa, 2018. chapter 5. Section OTHER VOICES ON GANDHI’S CHARACTER

* Gandhi linked many ideas to satyagraha which aren't essential to it. His religious ideas (non-possession, non-acquisition, chastity, fasting, vegetarianism, teetotalism) and his economic ideas (self-sufficiency, "bread labour", and agarianianism) don't necessarily have anything to do with post-Gandhian nonviolence.
** [[w:Nicolas Walter|Nicolas Walter]], ''Nonviolent Resistance: Men Against War'', Nonviolence 63, 1963.

* '''Gandhi was a completely unofficial man. He recognized the gulf that lay between the enjoyment of freedom and the exercise of authority.''' When the [[w:Indian National Congress|Indian National Congress]], which he had led intermittently as a movement dedicated to achieving liberation by legal and extra‑legal means, itself grasped for power and became a political party, he withdrew. '''With an extraordinary persistence he made and kept himself one of the few free men of our time.'''
** [[George Woodcock]], in ''Mohandas Gandhi'' (1971), p. 3

* '''Much in his career remains unexplained if we forget his insistence that religion and politics were bound inextricably in the common search for Truth.''' "To me," he said, "Truth is God and there is no way to find Truth except the way of nonviolence." Truth conceived as God is of course the Absolute. Truth perceived by man must always be relative, changing according to human contacts developing as men understand better each other, their circumstances and themselves. Gandhi never set out to develop a fixed and final doctrine, but emphasized that his practice of ''[[w:ahimsa|ahimsa]]'', or nonviolence, was always experimental, that his political struggle like his personal life was part of a continuing quest for Truth as manifested existentially, a quest that could never end because human understanding was incapable of comprehending the Absolute. The identification of Truth as the goal of political action, as well as of religious devotion, and the refusal to distinguish between religion and politics, form the background to the great divergences between Gandhi's revolutionary ideas and techniques and those of other contemporary revolutionists ... '''Unorthodox though he might be, Gandhi fitted into the traditional pattern of the [[w: Sannyasa|sanyassi]] who practices non‑attachment in the search for Truth; he was the [[w:Karma yoga|karma yogin]], the man who perfects and purifies himself through action.''' Yogic disciplines of all kinds are held in India to confer power over destiny, and Gandhi believed that positive action — love and nonviolence — could intangibly influence men and therefore events. With Truth as the goal and at the same time as the principle of action (for in Gandhian terms ends are emergent from means and hence virtually indistinguishable from them), there was no place in Gandhi's idea of revolution for conspiratorial methods or guerrilla activities.
** [[George Woodcock]], in ''Mohandas Gandhi'' (1971), p. 8

* '''Gandhi on many occasions declared himself an anarchist — of his own kind — and he created, partly from his readings of [[Leo Tolstoy|Tolstoy]] and [[Peter Kropotkin|Kropotkin]] and partly on the basis of Indian communitarian traditions, the plan of a decentralized society based on autonomous village communes.'''
** [[George Woodcock]], in [http://www.ditext.com/woodcock/anarch.html ''Anarchism: A History of Libertarian Ideas and Movements'' (1962)] [http://www.ditext.com/woodcock/postscript.html Postscript (July 1973)]

===Y===

* '''Gandhi has sound economic and cultural reasons for encouraging the revival of cottage industries, but he does not counsel a fanatical repudiation of all modern progress.''' Machinery, trains, automobiles, the telegraph have played important parts in his own colossal life! '''Fifty years of public service, in prison and out, wrestling daily with practical details and harsh realities in the political world, have only increased his balance, open-mindedness, sanity, and humorous appreciation of the quaint human spectacle.'''
** [[Paramahansa Yogananda]], in ''[[w:Autobiography of a Yogi|Autobiography of a Yogi]]'' (1946), Ch. 44 - With Mahatma Gandhi At Wardha

* [[w:Yukteswar Giri|Sri Yukteswar]] used to poke gentle fun at the commonly inadequate conceptions of renunciation. "A beggar cannot renounce wealth," Master would say. "If a man laments: 'My business has failed; my wife has left me; I will renounce all and enter a monastery,' to what worldly sacrifice is he referring? He did not renounce wealth and love; they renounced him!" '''Saints like Gandhi, on the other hand, have made not only tangible material sacrifices, but also the more difficult renunciation of selfish motive and private goal, merging their inmost being in the stream of humanity as a whole.'''
** [[Paramahansa Yogananda]], in ''[[w:Autobiography of a Yogi|Autobiography of a Yogi]]'' (1946), Ch. 44 - With Mahatma Gandhi At Wardha

== See also ==
*[[Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi]]
*[[Gandhi (film)]]
*[[Hindu-Islamic relations]]
*[[Indian independence movement]]
*[[Nonviolence]]
*[[Nonviolent resistance]]

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}
{{Wikisource author|Mohandas_K._Gandhi|Mohandas K. Gandhi}}
{{Commons|Mohandas K. Gandhi|Mohandas K. Gandhi}}

* [https://www.mkgandhi.org/gandhiquotes.htm Quotes by category (with sources)]
* [http://www.gandhiheritageportal.org/gandhi-quotes Mahatma Hiya Gandhi Quotes] at Gandhi Heritage Portal
* [https://www.quoteswishesmsg.com/mahatma-gandhi-quotes.html Mahatma Gandhi Inspirational Quote]
* [https://thedharmadispatch.substack.com/p/heres-what-george-orwell-said-about Quotes about Gandhi from George Orwell]

{{Social and political philosophers}}
{{Modern Hindu writers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi, Mahatma}}
[[Category:1869 births]]
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[[Category:Activists from India]]
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[[Category:Autobiographers]]
[[Category:Civil rights activists]]
[[Category:Politicians from India]]
[[Category:Philosophers from India]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians]]
[[Category:Journalists from India]]
[[Category:Lawyers from India]]
[[Category:Founding Fathers of India]]
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Bruce Lee

2026-06-21T11:07:51Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: Revert spam

[[File:Bruce Lee - son.jpg|thumb|Under the [[sky]], under the [[heavens]], there is but one [[family]]. It just so happens that [[people]] are different.]]
'''[[w:Bruce Lee|Lee Jun-fan]]''' ([[27 November]] [[1940]] – [[20 July]] [[1973]]), commonly known as '''Bruce Lee''', was a Hong Kong American martial artist and actor who is widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of the 20th century.

== Quotes ==
[[File:Bruce Lee Statue.jpg|thumb|When you're talking about [[fighting]], as it is, with no [[rules]], well then, baby you'd better train every part of your [[body]]!]]
[[File:Bruce Lee 1973.jpg|thumb|[[All]] types of [[knowledge]], ultimately mean [[self]] knowledge.]]
[[File:HK Star Bruce Lee 10.jpg|thumb|[[Man]], the living creature, the creating [[individual]], is always more important than any established style or [[system]].]]
[[File:Hong kong bruce lee statue.jpg|thumb|Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.]]
[[File:HK Star Bruce Lee 16.jpg|thumb|Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it [[grow]], be like [[water]].]]
:Note: Many of Bruce Lee's statements are derived from his own studies of various schools of philosophy and the martial arts, and are sometimes paraphrases of previous expressions by others which he wrote down for his own instruction.

* '''Nowadays you don't go around on the street kicking people, punching [[people]] — because if you do (makes [[gun]] shape with hand), ''well that's it'' — I don't care how [[good]] you are.'''
** ''Bruce Lee'' interview on the Pierre Berton Show (1971)

* '''When I look around I always learn something, and that is to be yourself always, express yourself, and have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate him. Now that seems to be the prevalent thing happening in Hong Kong, like they always copy mannerism, but they never start from the root of his being and that is, how can I be me?'''
** ''Bruce Lee''

* '''You know what I want to think of myself? As a [[human]] being. Because, I mean I don't want to be like "As [[Confucius]] say," but under the [[sky]], under the [[heavens]] there is but one [[family]]. It just so happens man that [[people]] are different.'''
** ''Bruce Lee: The Lost Interview'' (1971)

* '''When you're talking about fighting, as it is, with no [[rules]], well then, baby you'd better train every part of your body!'''
** ''Bruce Lee: The Lost Interview'' (1971)

* '''All types of [[knowledge]], ultimately mean [[self]] knowledge.'''
** ''Bruce Lee: The Lost Interview'' (1971)

* '''When I look around, I always learn something: to be always yourself, and to express yourself, to have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.'''
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la_D3oF5H_A Radio interview with Ted Thomas (1972)]

* '''Boards don't hit back.'''
** ''As "Mr. Lee" in ''Enter the Dragon'' (1973); Bruce Lee's character said this to Robert Wall's character "O'Hara", after the latter had broken a board in the air with his fist in an act of attempted intimidation.''

* '''A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready.''' Not thinking, yet not dreaming. Ready for whatever may come. When the opponent expands, I contract; and when he contracts, I expand. And when there is an [[opportunity]], "I" do not hit, "it" hits all by itself.
** Bruce Lee: ''Enter the Dragon'' (1973); In a conversation with an older member of the temple.

* '''Don't think, [[feel]]....it is like a finger pointing a way to the [[moon]]. Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly [[glory]]!
** Bruce Lee: ''Enter the Dragon'' (1973); In a training session with one of the temple students.

* '''[[Man]], the [[living]] creature, the creating [[individual]], is always more important than any established [[style]] or [[system]].'''
** As quoted in "From Wing Chun to Jeet Kune Do" by Jesse R. Glover in ''Black Belt'' Vol. 31, No. 9 (September 1993), p. 35

* '''Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.'''
** As quoted in ''Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit'' (1994) by Bruce Thomas (1994), p. 44 

* '''Forget about winning and losing; forget about [[pride]] and [[pain]].''' Let your opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash into your flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his life. '''Do not be concerned with escaping safely — lay your [[life]] before him.'''
** As quoted in ''Bruce Lee: Artist of Life'' (1999) edited by John R. Little, p. 192

* '''There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.''' If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.
** As quoted in ''The Art of Expressing the Human Body'' (1998) edited by John R. Little, p. 23

* '''Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it [[grow]], be like [[water]].''' Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. '''Be water, my friend.'''
** ''[[w:Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey|Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey]]'' (2000); here, Lee was reciting lines he wrote for his short lived role on the TV series ''Longstreet.''

* For a moment The surrounding utters no sound. Time ceases. The Paradise of Dreams come true.
** "For A Moment", Bruce Lee's hand-written poem, from ''Bruce Lee Papers'' — as quoted in ''Bruce Lee: Artist of Life'' (2001) edited by John Little, p. 100

=== ''[[w:The Tao of Jeet Kune Do|Tao of Jeet Kune Do]]'' (1975) ===
[[File:JeetKuneDo.svg|thumb|[[w:Jeet Kune Do|Jeet Kune Do]] favors formlessness so that it can assume all forms and since Jeet Kune Do has no [[style]], it can fit in with all styles.]]
[[File:Brocken-tanzawa.JPG|thumb|[[Awareness]] has no frontier; it is giving of your whole being, without exclusion.]]

* '''[[w:Jeet Kune Do|Jeet Kune Do]] favors formlessness so that it can assume all forms and since Jeet Kune Do has no style, it can fit in with all styles.''' As a result, Jeet Kune Do utilizes all ways and is bound by none and, likewise, uses any techniques which serve its end.
** p. 12 

* '''When there is [[freedom]] from mechanical conditioning, there is [[simplicity]].''' The classical man is just a bundle of routine, [[ideas]] and [[tradition]]. If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the [[shadow]] — you are not understanding [[yourself]].

* '''Do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another pattern and trapped yourself there.'''
** p. 25 

* '''[[Truth]] has no path. Truth is living and, therefore, changing.''' [[Awareness]] is without choice, without demand, without anxiety; in that state of mind, there is perception. To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person. '''Awareness has no frontier; it is giving of your whole being, without exclusion.'''
** This statement probably derives from a famous one of [[Jiddu Krishnamurti]]: "''Truth is a pathless land.''"

=== ''The Warrior Within: The Philosophies of Bruce Lee'' (1996) ===
[[File:Taijitu polarity.PNG|thumb|If one loves, one need not have an [[ideology]] of [[love]].]]
[[File:Bruce Lee -Kung Fu‧Art‧Life Exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum (Hong Kong).jpg|thumb|The [[happiness]] that is derived from excitement is like a brilliant [[fire]] — soon it will go out.]]
[[File:Leethumb.jpg |thumb|There is no such thing as [[maturity]]. There is instead an ever-evolving process of maturing. Because when there is a maturity, there is a conclusion and a cessation. That’s the [[end]]. That’s when the coffin is closed.]]
[[File:Brandon bruce lee graves.png|thumb| I [[believe]] in [[sleeping]].]]

* To contemplate a thing implies maintaining oneself OUTSIDE it, resolved to keep a distance between it and ourselves.
**p. 30

* '''Running water never grows stale. So you just have to 'keep on flowing.''''
**p. 48

* '''If one loves, one need not have an ideology of [[love]].'''
**p. 64

* '''The [[happiness]] that is derived from excitement is like a brilliant [[fire]] — soon it will go out.''' Before we married, we never had the chance to go out to nightclubs. We only spent our nights watching TV and chatting. Many young couples live a very exciting life when they are in love. So, when they marry, and their lives are reduced to calmness and dullness, they will feel impatient and will drink the bitter cup of a sad marriage.
**p. 66

* '''Of course you’re there. [[Death]] is always there.''' So why was I afraid? Your leap is swift. Your claws are sharp and merciful. '''What can you take from me which is not already yours?''' . . . Everything I have done until now has been fruitless. It has led to nothing. There was no other path except that it led to nothing — and before me now there is only one real fact — Death. The truth I have been seeking — this truth is Death. Yet Death is also a seeker. Forever seeking me. So — we have met at last. And I am prepared. I am at [[peace]]. '''Because I will conquer death with death.'''
**p. 77, spoken by Cord, the protagonist of the unproduced film ''The Silent Flute''

* Neither. '''I think of myself as a [[human]] being.'''
**p. 87, when asked if he thought of himself as Chinese or American

* '''The Three Stages of Cultivation''' — The first is the primitive stage. It is a stage of original [[ignorance]] in which a person knows nothing about the art of combat. In a fight, he simply blocks and strikes instinctively without a concern for what is right and wrong. Of course, he may not be so-called scientific, but, nevertheless, being himself, his attacks or defenses are fluid. The second stage — the stage of sophistication, or mechanical stage — begins when a person starts his training. He is taught the different ways of blocking, striking, kicking, standing, breathing, and thinking — unquestionably, he has gained the scientific knowledge of combat, but unfortunately his original self and sense of freedom are lost, and his action no longer flows by itself. His mind tends to freeze at different movements for calculations and analysis, and even worse, he might be called “intellectually bound” and maintain himself outside of the actual reality. The third stage — the stage of artlessness, or spontaneous stage — occurs when, after years of serious and hard practice, the student realizes that after all, gung fu is nothing special. And '''instead of trying to impose on his mind, he adjusts himself to his opponent like water pressing on an earthen wall. It flows through the slightest crack.''' There is nothing to try to do but try to be purposeless and formless, like water. '''All of his classical techniques and standard styles are minimized, if not wiped out, and nothingness prevails. He is no longer confined.'''
**p. 108-109

* '''Using no way as way; Having no limitation as limitation.'''
**p. 112, "To further emphasize this principle [of transcending all styles and forms], Lee placed Chinese characters around the circumference of his jeet kune do emblem that read"

* In Jeet Kune Do, it’s not how much you have learned, but how much you have absorbed from what you have learned. It is not how much fixed knowledge you can accumulate, but what you can apply livingly that counts. '''‘Being’ is more valued than "doing".'''
**p. 117

* You have to keep your reflexes so that when you want it — it’s there. When you want to move — you are moving. And when you move, you are determined to move! Not accepting even one inch less than 100 percent of your honest feelings. Not anything less than that. So that is the type of thing you have to train yourself into. To become one with your feelings so that, when you think — it is.
**p. 126

* In life, what more can you ask for than to be real? To fulfill one’s potential instead of wasting energy on [attempting to] actualize one’s dissipating image, which is not real and an expenditure of one’s vital energy. We have great work ahead of us, and it needs devotion and much, much energy. '''To grow, to discover, we need involvement, which is something I experience every day — sometimes good, sometimes frustrating. No matter what, you must let your inner light guide you out of the darkness.'''
**p. 126

* None whatsoever.
** When asked what major religion he was affiliated with in 1972 by journalist Alex Ben Block, p. 128

* '''To be perfectly frank, I really do not.'''
** When asked if he believed in God, p. 128

* '''I [[believe]] in [[sleeping]].'''
** When asked by his brother Robert if he believed in God, p. 129

* '''There is no such thing as [[maturity]]. There is instead an ever-evolving process of maturing.''' Because when there is a maturity, there is a conclusion and a cessation. That’s the end. That’s when the coffin is closed. You might be deteriorating physically in the long process of aging, but your personal process of daily discovery is ongoing. You continue to learn more and more about yourself every day.
**p. 131

* I have come to discover through earnest personal experience and dedicated learning that ultimately the greatest help is self-help; '''that there is no other help but self-help'''— doing one’s best, dedicating one’s self wholeheartedly to a given task, which happens to have no end but is an ongoing process. I have done a lot during these years of my process. A swell in my process, '''I have changed from self-image actualization to self-actualization, from blindly following propaganda, organized truths, etc. to searching internally for the cause of my ignorance.'''
**p. 133

* '''Whether or not we can get together, remember well that [[art]] “lives” where absolute [[freedom]] is.''' With all the training thrown to nowhere, with a mind (if there is such a verbal substance) perfectly unaware of its own working, with the “self” vanishing nowhere, the art of JKD attains its perfection.
**p. 156

* '''You must have complete determination.''' The worst opponent you can come across is one whose aim has become an obsession. For instance, if a man has decided that he is going to bite off your nose no matter what happens to him in the process, the chances are he will succeed in doing it. '''He may be severely beaten up, too, but that will not stop him from carrying out his objective. That is the real fighter.'''
**p. 161

* '''Walk on.'''
**p. 174

=== ''Jeet Kune Do'' (1997) ===
:''Jeet Kune Do: Bruce Lee's Commentaries on the Martial Way'' (1997) edited by John Little
[[File:Glory, spectre.jpg|thumb|The man who is really serious, with the urge to find out what [[truth]] is, has no [[style]] at all. He lives only in what is.]]

* '''Jeet Kune Do rejects all restrictions imposed by form and formality and emphasizes the clever use of the mind and body to defend and attack.'''
** Part 2 "Jeet Kune Do — The Fundamentals" 

* An instructor should exemplify the things he seeks to teach. It will be of great advantage if you yourself can do all you ask of your students and more.
** Part 5 "On training in Jeet Kune Do" 

* '''As an instructor, you must be able to distinguish between poor performance caused by lack of ability or aptitude on the part of the student and poor performance caused by lack of effort. You should treat the first with patience and the latter with firmness. You must never apply sarcasm and ridicule.'''
** Part 5 "On training in Jeet Kune Do" 

[[File:SonicBoom.jpg|thumb|[[Faith]] makes it possible to achieve that which man's [[mind]] can conceive and believe.]]
* Even today, I dare not say that I have reached a state of achievement. I'm still learning, for learning is boundless.
** Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

* '''The man who is really serious, with the urge to find out what [[truth]] is, has no [[style]] at all. He lives only in what is.'''
** Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

* Take inventory of everyone with whom you have contact.
** Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

[[File:CL0024+17.jpg|thumb|The ''intangible'' represents the [[real]] [[power]] of the universe. It is the seed of the tangible.]]
* [[Faith]] is a state of mind that can be conditioned through self-discipline. Faith will accomplish.
** Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

* '''Faith makes it possible to achieve that which man's mind can conceive and believe.'''
** Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

* Possession of anything begins in the mind.
** Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

* '''[[Thoughts]] are things.'''
** Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

* '''Make at least one definite move daily toward your goal.'''
** Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

* '''The ''intangible'' represents the [[real]] [[power]] of the [[universe]]. It is the seed of the tangible.'''
** Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

* The [[spirit]] of the [[individual]] is determined by his dominating [[thought]] [[habits]].
** Part 6 "Beyond System — The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

* '''I'm in the midst of preparing my next movie, [[Enter the Dragon]] a coproduction between [[Concord Production Inc.|Concord]] and [[Warner Bros]]., plus another Concord production, The Game of Death, which is only halfway done'''
** Part 6 "Beyond System - The Ultimate Source of Jeet Kune Do"

=== ''Striking Thoughts'' (2000) ===
:''Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee's Wisdom for Daily Living'' (2000) edited by John Little
[[File:Universeglass.JPG|thumb|Emptiness the [[starting]] point.]]
[[File:M51 whirlpool galaxy black hole.jpg|thumb|We all have time to spend or waste, and it is our decision what to do with it. But once passed, it is gone [[forever]].]]

[[File:Collage_Auge_im_Himmel_byLöser.jpg|thumb|We are always in a process of becoming and [[Nothing|NOTHING]] is fixed.]]
[[File:Lijiang_river,_Guangxi,_China.jpg|thumb|If [[nothing]] within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror. Respond like an echo.]]
[[File:The Realm of Rane - by Jeroen van Valkenburg.PNG|thumb|We have finally come back to the pre-Socratic philosopher [[Heraclitus]], who said everything is flow, flux, process. There are no "things."]]
[[File:Michael Melgar LiquidArt resize droplet.jpg|thumb|What IS is more important than WHAT SHOULD BE.]]
[[File:Pakua with frame.svg|thumb|[[w:Taoism|Taoist]] philosophy … is essentially [[w:Monism|monistic]]. … Matter and [[energy]], [[w:Yin and yang|Yang and Yin]], [[heaven]] and [[earth]], are conceived of as essentially one or as two coexistent poles of one indivisible whole.]]
[[File:Einstein ring SDSS J120540.43 491029.3.jpg|thumb|The all illuminating [[light]] shines and is beyond the movement of the opposites.]]
[[File:Hoag's object.jpg|thumb| True thusness is the substance of [[thought]], and thought is the function of true thusness. There is no thought except that of true thusness. Thusness does not move, but its motion and function are inexhaustible.]]
[[File:Bbrot225x225x24.PNG|thumb|[[Knowledge]] will give you [[power]], but [[character]] [[respect]].]]

[[File:HKHM Shatin 香港文化博物館 Hong Kong Heritage Museum Bruce Lee Kung Fu action n visitor Jan 2017 IX1.jpg|thumb|''Don't fear [[failure]].'' — Not failure, but low aim, is the [[crime]]. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.]]

''' Part I: On First Principles'''

* '''''Emptiness the [[starting]] point.''''' — In order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup. '''My friend, drop all your preconceived and fixed [[ideas]] and be neutral. Do you know why this cup is useful? Because it is ''empty.'' '''
** p. 2

* '''[[Life]] is wide, limitless. There is no border, no frontier.'''
** p 2

* Life lives; and in the living flow, no questions are raised. The reason is that life is a living now! So, in order to live life whole-heartedly, the answer is life simply ''is.''
** p. 3

* '''The [[meaning of life]] is that it is to be ''lived'', and it is not to be traded and conceptualized and squeezed into a pattern of [[systems]].'''
** p. 3

* '''The aphorism "as a man thinketh in his [[heart]] so is he" contains the [[secret]] of [[life]].'''
** p. 4; Lee here quotes Proverbs 23:7 "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he."

* '''''[[Meaning]] is found in relationship.''''' — Meaning is the relationship of the foreground figure to the background.
** p. 4

* '''[[Life]] is never stagnation.''' It is constant movement, unrhythmic movement, as we as constant [[change]]. Things live by moving and gain strength as they go.
** p. 5

* '''[[Life]] itself is your [[teacher]], and you are in a state of constant learning.'''
** p. 5

* '''The primary [[reality]] is not what I think, but that I live, for those also live who do not think.'''
** p. 7

* ''The timeless moment.'' — The "moment" has no yesterday or tomorrow. It is not the result of thought and therefore has no time.
** p. 9

* [[Knowledge]], surely, is always of [[time]], whereas knowing is not of time. Knowledge is from a source, from accumulation, from conclusion, while knowing is a movement.
** P. 9

* To realize [[freedom]] the [[mind]] has to learn to look at life, which is a vast movement, without the bondage of [[time]], for freedom lies beyond the field of [[consciousness]] — care for watching, but don't stop and interpret "I am free," then you're living in a [[memory]] of something that has gone before.
** p. 9

* '''To spend time is to pass it in a specified manner. To waste time is to expend it thoughtlessly or carelessly. We all have time to spend or waste, and it is our decision what to do with it. But once passed, it is gone [[forever]].'''
** p. 10

* [[Time]] means a lot to me because, you see, I, too, am also a learner and am often lost in the [[joy]] of forever developing and simplifying. '''If you love [[life]], don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of.'''
** p. 10; Here Lee paraphrases a much older English proverb: '''If you care for life, don't waste your time; for time is what life is made of.''' (as quoted in ''Bordighera and the Western Riviera'' (1883) by Frederick Fitzroy Hamilton, p. 189).

* '''Be aware of doing your best to understand the ROOT in life, and realize the DIRECT and the INDIRECT are in fact a complementary WHOLE.''' It is to see things as they are and not to become attached to anything — to be unconscious meant to be innocent of the working of a relative (empirical) mind — where there is no abiding of thought anywhere on anything — this is being unbound. This not abiding anywhere is the root of our life.
** p. 11

* Concentration is the ROOT of all the higher abilities in man.
** p. 11

* '''''Seek to understand the root.'' — It is futile to argue as to which single leaf, which design of branch, or which attractive flower you like; when you understand the root, you understand all its blossoming.'''
** p. 11

* '''What we are after is the ROOT and not the branches.''' The root is the real knowledge; the branches are surface knowledge. Real knowledge breeds "body feel" and personal expression; surface knowledge breeds mechanical conditioning and imposing limitation and squelches creativity.
** p. 11

''' Part II: On Being Human '''

* '''''Flow in the living moment.'' — We are always in a process of becoming and NOTHING is fixed.''' Have no rigid system in you, and you'll be flexible to change with the ever changing. OPEN yourself and flow, my friend. Flow in the TOTAL OPENNESS OF THE LIVING MOMENT. '''If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror. Respond like an echo.'''
** p. 13; Unsourced variant: Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

* '''''You cannot force the Now.'' — But can you neither condemn nor justify and yet be extraordinarily alive as you walk on?''' You can never invite the wind, but you must leave the window open.
** p. 13

* '''''The Moment is freedom.'' — I couldn't live by a rigid schedule. I try to live freely from moment to moment, letting things happen and adjusting to them.'''
** p. 13

* '''''The Now is indivisible.''''' — Completeness, the now, is an absence of the conscious mind to strive to divide that which is indivisible. For once the completeness of things is taken apart it is no longer complete.
** p. 15

* The Western approach to reality is mostly through theory, and theory begins by denying reality — to talk about reality, to go around reality, to catch anything that attracts our sense-intellect and abstract it away from reality itself. Thus philosophy begins by saying that the outside world is not a basic fact, that its existence can be doubted and that every proposition in which the reality of the outside world is affirmed is not an evident proposition but one that needs to be divided, dissected and analyzed. It is to stand consciously aside and try to square a circle.
** p. 15 - 16

* '''In Science we have finally come back to the pre-Socratic philosopher [[Heraclitus]], who said everything is flow, flux, process. There are no "things."''' NOTHINGNESS in Eastern language is "no-thingness". We in the West think of nothingness as a void, an emptiness, an nonexistence. In Eastern philosophy and modern physical science, nothingness — no-thingness — is a form of process, ever moving.
** p. 16

* '''What IS is more important than WHAT SHOULD BE.''' To many people are looking at "what is" from a position of thinking "what should be."
** p. 16

* ''Conditioning obstructs our view of reality.'' — We do not see IT in its suchness because of our indoctrination, crooked and twisted.
** p. 19

* True thusness is without defiling thought; it cannot be known through conception and thought.

* '''''Reality is apparent when one ceases to compare.'' — There is "what is" only when there is no comparison at all, and to live with what is, is to be peaceful.'''
** p. 19

* '''''Reality is being itself.''''' — It is being itself, in becoming itself. Reality in its isness, the "isness" of a thing. Thus isness is the meaning — having freedom in its primary sense — not limited by attachments, confinements, partialization, complexities.
** p. 19

* '''A self-willed man obeys a different law, the one law I, too, hold absolutely sacred — the human law in himself, his own individual will.'''
** p. 19

* '''One should be in harmony with, not in opposition to, the strength and force of the opposition.''' This means that one should do nothing that is not natural or spontaneous; the important thing is not to strain in any way.
** p. 20

* The [[w:Dualism|dualistic]] philosophy reigned supreme in Europe, dominating the development of Western science. But with the advent of atomic physics, findings based on demonstrable experiment were seen to negate the dualistic theory, and the trend of thought since then has been back to the [[w:Monism|monistic]] conception of the ancient [[w:Taoism|Taoists]].
** p.. 21

* '''If thought exists, I who think and the world about which I think also exist; the one exists but for the other, having no possible separation between them.''' Therefore, the world and I are both in active correlation; I am that which sees the world, and the world is that which is seen by me. I exist for the world and the world exists for me. … One sure and primary and fundamental fact is the joint existence of a subject and of its world. The one does not exist without the other. I acquire no understanding of myself except as I take account of objects, of the surroundings. '''I do not think unless I think of things — and there I find myself.'''
** p. 21

*'''When we hold to the core, the opposite sides are the same if they are seen from the center of the moving circle. I do not experience; I am experience. I am not the subject of experience; I am that experience. I am awareness. Nothing else can be I or can exist.'''
** p. 22

* '''Taoist philosophy … is essentially monistic. … Matter and energy, [[w:Yin and yang|Yang and Yin]], heaven and earth, are conceived of as essentially one or as two coexistent poles of one indivisible whole.'''
** p. 23

* Voidness is that which stands right in the middle between this and that. The void is all-inclusive; having no opposite, there is nothing which it excludes or opposes. The all illuminating light shines and is beyond the movement of the opposites.
** p. 23

* Like everyone else you want to learn the way to win. But never to accept the way to lose. To accept defeat — to learn to die — is to be liberated from it. Once you accept, you are free to flow and to harmonize. '''Fluidity is the way to an empty mind. You must free your ambitious mind and learn the art of dying.'''
** p. 25; Variant: Like everyone else you want to learn the way to win, but never to accept the way to lose — to accept defeat. To learn to die is to be liberated from it. So when tomorrow comes you must free your ambitious mind and learn the art of dying!
*** As quoted in ''Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey'' (2000)

''' Part III: On Matters of Existence'''

* '''True thusness is the substance of thought, and thought is the function of true thusness. There is no thought except that of true thusness. Thusness does not move, but its motion and function are inexhaustible.'''
** p. 42

* ''Liberate yourself from concepts and see the truth with your own eyes.'' — It exists HERE and NOW; it requires only one thing to see it: openness, freedom — the freedom to be open and not tethered by any ideas, concepts, etc. … '''When our mind is tranquil, there will be an occasional pause to its feverish activities, there will be a let-go, and it is only then in the interval between two thoughts that a flash of UNDERSTANDING — understanding, which is not thought — can take place.'''
** p. 43

* ''Balance your thoughts with action.'' — If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done.
** p. 43

''' Part IV: On Achievement'''

* ''Concepts vs. self-actualization.'' — '''Instead of dedicating your life to actualize a concept of what you should be like, ACTUALIZE YOURSELF.''' The process of maturing does not mean to become a captive of conceptualization. It is to come to the realization of what lies in our innermost selves.
** p. 44

*''' ''Life is better lived than conceptualized.'' '''— This writing can be less demanding should I allow myself to indulge in the usual manipulating game of role creation. Fortunately for me, my self-knowledge has transcended that and I've come to understand that life is best to be lived — not to be conceptualized. If you have to ''think'', you still do not ''understand''.
** p. 45

* '''Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.'''
** p. 46

''' Part VIII: On Ultimate (Final) Principles'''

* '''What you HABITUALLY THINK largely determines what you will ultimately become.'''
** p. 120; This probably derives from a [[w:Rosicrucianism|Rosicrucian]] proverb, "'''As you think, so shall you become'''", which is itself probably derived from Proverbs 23:7 "'''As he thinketh in his heart, so is he.'''"
** Possibly, but more likely derived from the Buddha: "'''All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.'''"

* ''Know the difference between a catastrophe and an inconvenience.'' — To realize that it's just an inconvenience, that it is not a catastrophe, but just an unpleasantness, is part of coming into your own, part of waking up.
** p. 120

* ''The change is from inner to outer.'' — We start by dissolving our attitude not by altering outer conditions.
** p. 120

* '''''Choose the positive.'' — You have choice — you are master of your attitude — choose the POSITIVE, the CONSTRUCTIVE. Optimism is a faith that leads to success.'''
** p. 120

* ''' ''Cease negative mental chattering.'' — If you think a thing is impossible, you'll make it impossible. Pessimism blunts the tools you need to succeed.'''
** p. 121

* '''A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.'''
** p. 121; this likely derives from the observation of [[Joseph Joubert]]: '''The goal is not always meant to be reached, but to serve as a mark for our aim.'''
*** As translated by Katharine Lyttelton, in ''Joubert: A Selection from His Thoughts'' (1899)

* '''''Don't fear [[failure]].'' — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.'''
** p. 121

* '''''Research your own experience''; absorb what is useful, reject what is useless and add what is essentially your own.'''
** p. 176

== Attributed ==

* When asked what the difference between a karate punch and a kung-fu punch was during his first U.S. screen test in 1965, Bruce Lee replied, “Well, a karate punch is like being hit by an iron bar—whack! A kung-fu punch is like being hit by an iron ball swung on an iron chain with an iron ball attached to the end—it goes WHANG!—and it hurts inside.” Then he stood up and showed exactly what that might look like in a flurry of hands and feet moving so fast they blurred.
:* Attributed in "[https://www.newsweek.com/bruce-lee-king-fu-martial-arts-390811 The Kato Show: Bruce Lee as The Green Hornet's Sidekick]" by NEWSWEEK SPECIAL EDITION, (11/20/15)
* Bruce Lee was grateful to those who helped his career. When '''[[w:The Green Hornet (TV Series)|The Green Hornet]]''' was cancelled, he wrote to producer William Dozier to say, "I like to take this opportunity to thank you personally for all that you've done to start my career in show business. Without you, I would never have thought about being in Hollywood. I've gained tremendous experience from the Green Hornet and believe I've improved steadily since the first show----that of minimizing and hacking away the unessential."
:*Attributed in "[https://ahcwyo.org/2020/03/16/bruce-lee-steals-the-show-in-the-green-hornet/ Bruce Lee Steals the Show in “The Green Hornet"”] by the American Heritage Center Blog, (3/16/2020). Quote comes from the letter preserved in the '''[[w:William Dozier|William Dozier]]''' Papers at the '''[[w:American Heritage Center|American Heritage Center]]'''.

{{Misattributed begin}}

== Misattributed ==
* The perfect way is only difficult for those who pick and choose. Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear. Make a hairbreadth difference and heaven and earth are set apart; if you want the truth to stand clear before you, never be for or against. The struggle between "for" and "against" is the mind's worst disease.
** In "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do" by Bruce Lee (1975, compiled and published posthumously) and also in ''Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee's Wisdom for Daily Living'' (2000) edited by John Little, this is attributed to Lee, perhaps because it was found in his notes, but it is also quoted in precisely this form, from what appear to be translations of Taoist writings in ''The Religions of Man'' (1958) by [[w:Huston Smith|Huston Smith]]. It is actually from ''[[w:Xinxin Ming|Xinxin Ming]]'', by the Third Chinese Chan [Zen] Patriarch [[w:Jianzhi Sengcan|Sengcan]].
{{Misattributed end}}

== Quotes about Bruce Lee ==
[[File:Bruce Lee monument in the Garden of Stars.jpg|thumb|If Bruce Lee wasn't the greatest martial artist of all time, then certainly he is the number one candidate. ~ [[w:Joe Lewis (martial artist)|Joe Lewis]] ]]

* When I was having dinner with [[w:Chuck Norris|Chuck Norris]] I did ask him: "If you and Bruce would be in a real fight to death, who would win?", and he said without thinking: "'''Bruce of course. Nobody can beat him.'''"
** John Benn, in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH7D8-eXsnM audio commentary on DVD] of [[w:Way of the Dragon|''The Way of the Dragon'' (US title: ''Return of the Dragon'')]]

* Bruce Lee lived martial arts every day! He could do things in the martial arts that others could not. He was very friendly and outgoing and usually the center of attention. We met after the national championships in 1964 during a dinner. Because I had just won the championship, he immediately challenged me. He said, "I want to challenge you to an arm wrestling match." I thought this guy barely weighs 120 pounds soaking wet. This will be simple, and I immediately accepted his challenge. Then he said, "But we’re going to arm wrestle — Chinese style." I agreed since I really thought I could take him any way that he wanted to wrestle. At the time, I weighed about 225 pounds to his 120 pounds. So we got to it, and I will confess that trying to twist his arm was like trying to twist a piece of steel! He looked at me and smiled while I was giving it all I had. Then he just dumped me over like it was nothing at all. He was quite a martial artist– the best I’ve ever seen. Yet with skill that masterful, he was always very warm and friendly — the kind of guy everyone wanted to meet.
** J. Pat Burleson, as quoted in [https://professionalblackbeltassociation.com/2018/03/01/j-pat-burleson-talks-about-his-experience-with-bruce-lee/ "J. Pat Burleson talks about his experience with Bruce Lee" by Master Hudson, ''Professional Blackbelt Association'' (1 March 2018)]

* '''I wouldn't have put a dime on anyone to beat Bruce Lee in a real confrontation.''' Bruce Lee was the best street fighter I ever saw, even to this very day, and not just pound for pound — but against anyone in a real fight.
** James Demile in a [http://www.cityonfire.com/unknown/interviews/demile/index.htm ''Temple of the Unknown'' interview (10 April 2001)]

* '''His martial art skills made Lee arguably the greatest martial artist of his time — or any other.'''
** [[w:Bill Duff|Bill Duff]] in the martial arts / fight sport documentary [[w:Human Weapon|Human Weapon]] by [[w:The History Channel|The History Channel]], episode 10: "China and Kung Fu", aired November 2, 2007. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5DbB835D7w / Minute 1:02 to 1:10]

* The story was particularly serious . . . I know Bruce Lee from secondary school in Nigeria. I come from Ghana, and there has always been a race, a loving rivalry between two countries. So I was picked on. Every child who is bullied, has an imaginary hero. I had several, and Bruce Lee was the greatest. Every little boy has a little bit of Bruce Lee in him.
** Komla Dumor, reporter. See BBC, "Komla Dumor Tribute," (40:00) from [http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p01q3c1f/The_Fifth_Floor_Kiev_the_Story_of_Hrushevsky_Street/ "Kiev: the Story of Hrushevsky Street,"] ''The Fifth Floor'', first broadcast on BBC World Service, 12:06PM Fri, 24 Jan 2014.

* There's no doubt in my mind that if Bruce Lee had gone into pro [[boxing]], he could easily have ranked in the top three in the lightweight division or junior-welterweight division.
** [[w:Dan Inosanto|Dan Inosanto]], as quoted in "The Truth of Boxing: A Critical Look at Bruce Lee's Hand Skills" by Bob Birchland in ''Black Belt Magazine'' (November 2007). pg. 93)

* The slender, swift Bruce Lee was the [[w:Fred Astaire|Fred Astaire]] of martial arts, and many of the fights that could be merely brutal come across as lightning-fast choreography.
** [[Pauline Kael]] reviewing ''Enter the Dragon'', from ''5001 Nights at the Movies'' (1982)

* '''I wanted to do in boxing what Bruce Lee was able to do in the martial arts. Lee was an artist and, like him, I try to get beyond the fundamentals of my sport.''' I want my fights to be seen as plays.
** [[w:Sugar Ray Leonard|Sugar Ray Leonard]], as quoted at [http://www.home.no/ykei428/Links/Brandon/Brandon.html Bruce Lee Links]

* In a dictionary, you say "greatest", you say "Bruce Lee", that's the way it is. He is second to no one.
** Sugar Ray Leonard [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI4UlNI2Nsc (from minute 3.46 to 3.57)]

* When Bruce Lee kicked, you don't shut your eyes. Because when you shut your eyes, you cannot see Bruce Lee kick it's so fast! Human beings cannot move like cartoon ''[sound effects]'', that's the fastest you can be. Even [[w:Muhammad Ali|Muhammad Ali]] or [[w:Mike Tyson|Mike Tyson]], their punches are fast, but you still can see [them].
** [[w:Jackie Chan|Jackie Chan]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK2mW8C-sB4#t=0m43s]

* '''If Bruce Lee wasn't the greatest martial artist of all time, then certainly he is the number one candidate. '''
** [[w:Joe Lewis (martial artist)|Joe Lewis]], quoted at [http://www.realfighting.com/1102/JoeLewisART.html Realfighting.com] [http://www.cityonfire.com/unknown/interviews/lewis/index.htm Temple of the Unknown]

* '''I considered him by far the greatest.''' And for those who don't considering him the greatest, at least he is the top candidate for being actually the greatest.
** Joe Lewis, quoted in "Death by Misadventure" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFHVXoFRzyo (from minute 5.54 to 6.04)]

* Every kid, I believe, in America noticed that guy behind The Green Hornet— the one who could kick, the one who could punch, the one who could move so amazingly—all eyes centered on him. … The makers of ''[[w:The Green Hornet (TV series)|The Green Hornet]]'' had to actively restrain Bruce Lee from being himself because they realized every time they saw the rushes that everything else was wiped off-screen.
:* [[w:Ric Meyers|Ric Meyers]], as quoted in "[https://www.newsweek.com/bruce-lee-king-fu-martial-arts-390811 "The Kato Show: Bruce Lee as The Green Hornet's Sidekick" in ''Newsweek Special Edition (20 November 2015)]

* I truly liked and admired Bruce. I worked with him some and he helped me in my foot movement and back fist. Bruce probable weighed 135 pounds at most, but he could hit like a mule. I know, because he knocked me under [[Sharon Tate]]’s barstool at Columbia Pictures in 1968. Bruce never confronted any big men to my knowledge. There are stories out there, but none I personally know of. I will say this; I would have picked Bruce in any street situation. He had the knowledge and the attitude to carry him through anything.
** [[w:Skipper Mullins|Skipper Mullins]], as quoted in [https://usadojo.com/skipper-mullins-interview/ "Skipper Mullins Interview" by W R Mann in (20 October 2013)]

* I remember many times my father ([[w:Ed Parker|Ed Parker]]) talking about, pound for pound, Lee was the best martial artist, he'd ever seen.
** [[w:Ed Parker Jr.|Ed Parker Jr.]], quoted in the documentary "Bruce Lee: Curse of the Dragon", 1993 Warner Bros. Tom Kuhn Fred Weintraub

* Bruce Lee is my idol. I need to learn some techniques of Bruce Lee, especially the quickness of his hands and legs.
** [[w:Manny Pacquiao|Manny Pacquiao]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejAGvC19CVo]

* Actually, the father of mixed martial arts, if you will, was Bruce Lee. '''If you look at the way Bruce Lee trained, the way he fought, and many of the things he wrote, he said the perfect style was no style. You take a little something from everything. You take the good things from every different discipline, use what works, and you throw the rest away.'''
** [[Dana White]] in [https://web.archive.org/web/20041127014052/http://fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?issue=1&article=24 "Dana White and the future of UFC" by Marc Wickert, in ''Fight Times'' issue 1 (2004)]

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}
{{commonscat}}
* [http://www.jkd.gr/brucelee.html Bruce Lee profile]
* {{imdb name|id=0000045|name=Bruce Lee}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20180414071909/http://www.maniacworld.com/Bruce_Lee.htm Bruce Lee - The Lost Interview]
*[https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv519882?q=06851 William Dozier papers] at the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Heritage_Center American Heritage Center]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Bruce}}
[[Category:Bruce Lee| ]]
[[Category:Actors from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Film directors from the United States]]
[[Category:Film producers from the United States]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from the United States]]
[[Category:Atheists from the United States]]
[[Category:Mixed martial artists from the United States]]
[[Category:Philosophers from the United States]]
[[Category:Non-fiction authors from the United States]]
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:1973 deaths]]

Friedrich Nietzsche

2026-06-21T11:05:38Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: Revert spam

[[File:Nietzsche187c (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Thus do I counsel you, my friends: distrust all in whom the impulse to [[punish]] is powerful! ]]
'''[[w:Friedrich Nietzsche|Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche]]''' ([[15 October]] [[1844]] – [[25 August]] [[1900]]) was a German philosopher, [[w:cultural critic|cultural critic]], composer, poet, writer, and [[w:Philology|philologist]] whose work has exerted a profound influence on [[w:contemporary philosophy|modern intellectual history]]. His critiques of contemporary culture, religion, and philosophy centered on a basic question regarding the foundation of values and morality.
:'''''See also: [[Human, All Too Human]] [[The Dawn of Day]] [[The Gay Science]] [[Thus Spoke Zarathustra]] [[Beyond Good and Evil]] [[Twilight of the Idols]] [[Ecce Homo (book)|Ecce Homo]] [[The Antichrist]] [[On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense]] [[Untimely Meditations]] [[On the Genealogy of Morality]]'''''

== Quotes ==

[[File:Caspar David Friedrich - Wanderer above the sea of fog.jpg|thumb|It is precisely [[facts]] that do not exist, only interpretations.]]

* '''I am utterly amazed, utterly enchanted! I have a ''precursor'', and what a precursor!''' I hardly knew [[Baruch Spinoza|Spinoza]]: that I should have turned to him just ''now'', was inspired by "instinct." Not only is his overtendency like mine—namely to make all knowledge the ''most powerful affect'' — but in five main points of his doctrine I recognize myself; this most unusual and loneliest thinker is closest to me precisely in these matters: he denies the freedom of the will, teleology, the moral world-order, the unegoistic, and evil. '''Even though the divergencies are admittedly tremendous, they are due more to the difference in time, culture, and science.''' ''In summa'': my lonesomeness, which, as on very high mountains, often made it hard for me to breathe and make my blood rush out, is now at least a twosomeness. Strange! Incidentally, I am not at all as well as I had hoped. Exceptional weather here too! Eternal change of atmospheric conditions! — that will yet drive me out of Europe! I must have ''clear skies for months'', else I get nowhere. Already six severe attacks of two or three days each. With affectionate love, Your friend.
** Postcard to [[w:Franz Overbeck|Franz Overbeck]], Sils-Maria (30 July 1881), tr. [[Walter Kaufmann]], ''The Portable Nietzsche'' (1954)

* Here the ways of men part: if you wish to strive for peace of soul and pleasure, then believe; if you wish to be a devotee of truth, then inquire.
** Letter to Elisabeth Nietzsche, Bonn, 1865-06-11,{{fix cite}} quoted as epigraph in Walter Kaufmann, ''The Faith of a Heretic'' (1961)

* Against that positivism which stops before phenomena, saying "there are only facts," I should say: no, it is precisely facts that do not exist, only interpretations.
** Notebooks (Late 1886 – Spring 1887) [http://www.nietzschesource.org/eKGWB/NF-1886,7[60&#x5D]
** Popular usage: "There are no facts, only interpretations."

* In Germany there is much complaining about my "eccentricities." But since it is not known where my center is, it won't be easy to find out where or when I have thus far been "eccentric." That I was a [[w:Philology|philologist]], for example, meant that I was ''outside'' my center (which fortunately does not mean that I was a poor philologist). Likewise, I now regard my having been a [[Richard Wagner|Wagnerian]] as eccentric. It was a highly dangerous experiment; now that I know it did ''not'' ruin me, I also know what ''significance'' it had for me — it was the most severe test of my character.
** Letter to Carl Fuchs (14 December 1887)

* I now myself live, in every detail, striving for wisdom, while I formerly merely worshipped and idolized the wise.
** Letter to Mathilde Mayer, July 16, 1878, cited in [[Karl Jaspers]], ''Nietzsche'' (Baltimore: 1997), p. 46

* '''So far no one had had enough courage and intelligence to ''reveal'' me to my dear Germans.''' My problems are new, my psychological horizon frighteningly comprehensive, my language bold and clear; there may well be no books written in German which are richer in ideas and more independent than mine.
** Letter to Carl Fuchs (14 December 1887)

* I've seen proof, black on white, that Herr Dr. [[w:Bernhard Förster|Förster]] has not yet severed his connection with the anti-Semitic movement. ... Since then I've had difficulty coming up with any of the tenderness and protectiveness I've so long felt toward you. The separation between us is thereby decided in really the most absurd way. '''Have you grasped nothing of the reason why I am in the world?''' ... Now it has gone so far that I have to defend myself hand and foot against people who confuse me with these anti-Semitic [[wikt:canaille|canaille]]; after my own sister, my former sister, and after Widemann more recently have given the impetus to this most dire of all confusions. After I read the name Zarathustra in the anti-Semitic ''Correspondence'' my forbearance came to an end. I am now in a position of ''emergency defense'' against your spouse's Party. '''These accursed anti-Semite deformities ''shall not'' sully my ideal!!'''
** [http://www.thenietzschechannel.com/correspondence/eng/nlett-1887.htm Draft for a letter] to his sister [[w:Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche|Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche]] (December 1887).{{fix cite}}

* You have committed one of the greatest stupidities — for yourself and for me! Your association with an anti-Semitic chief expresses a foreignness to my whole way of life which fills me again and again with ire or melancholy. ... It is a matter of honor with me to be absolutely clean and unequivocal in relation to anti-Semitism, namely, opposed to it, as I am in my writings. I have recently been persecuted with letters and ''Anti-Semitic Correspondence Sheets''. My disgust with this party (which would like the benefit of my name only too well!) is as pronounced as possible, but the relation to Förster, as well as the aftereffects of my former publisher, the anti-Semitic Schmeitzner, always brings the adherents of this disagreeable party back to the idea that I must belong to them after all. ... It arouses mistrust against my character, as if publicly I condemned something which I have favored secretly — and that '''I am unable to do anything against it, that the name of Zarathustra is used in every ''Anti-Semitic ''Correspondence Sheet'', has almost made me sick several times.'''
** Objecting to his sister [[w:Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche|Elisabeth]], about her marriage to the anti-semite [[w:Bernhard Förster|Bernhard Förster]], in a [http://www.geocities.com/thenietzschechannel/nlett1887.htm Christmas letter (1887)] in ''Friedrich Nietzsche's Collected Letters'', Vol. V, #479

* [[Style]] ought to prove that one ''believes'' in an idea; not only that one thinks it but also ''feels'' it.
** Letter to [[Lou Andreas-Salomé]] (August 1881), in Salomé's biography of Nietzsche, tr. Siegfried Mandel (1988)

[[File:Milodon cave.JPG|thumb|right|Where there have been powerful governments, societies, religions, public opinions, in short wherever there has been tyranny, there the solitary philosopher has been hated; for philosophy offers an asylum to a man into which no tyranny can force its way, the inward cave, the labyrinth of the heart.]]

[[File:Friedrich Nietzsche-1872 retusche.jpg|thumb|We are [[responsible]] to ourselves for our own [[existence]]; consequently we want to be the true helmsman of this existence and refuse to allow our existence to resemble a mindless act of chance.]]

* ''Freier Wille ohne Fatum ist ebenso wenig denkbar, wie Geist ohne Reelles, Gutes ohne Böses''.
** Free will without fate is no more conceivable than spirit without matter, good without evil.
*** "Fatum und Geschichte," April 1862

* ''Sobald es aber möglich wäre, durch einen starken Willen die ganze Weltvergangenheit umzustürzen, sofort träten wir in die Reihe der unabhängigen Götter, und Weltgeschichte hieße dann für uns nichts als ein träumerisches Selbstentrücktsein; der Vorhang fällt, und der Mensch findet sich wieder, wie ein Kind mit Welten spielend, wie ein Kind, das beim Morgenglühen aufwacht und sich lachend die furchtbaren Träume von der Stirn streicht''.
** As soon as it becomes possible, by dint of a strong will, to overthrow the entire past of the world, then, in a single moment, we will join the ranks of independent gods. World history for us will then be nothing but a dreamlike otherworldly being. The curtain falls, and man once more finds himself a child playing with whole worlds—a child, awoken by the first glow of morning, who laughingly wipes the frightful dreams from his brow.
*** "Fatum und Geschichte," April 1862

* The modern scientific counterpart to belief in God is the belief in the universe as an organism: this disgusts me. This is to make what is quite rare and extremely derivative, the organic, which we perceive only on the surface of the earth, into something essential, universal, and eternal! This is still an anthropomorphizing of nature!
** ''KSA'' 9,11 [201]

* Is [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]] a human being at all? Is he not rather a disease? He contaminates everything he touches - he has made music sick.
** ''Der Fall Wagner'' (1888)

* May I really say it! '''All truths are bloody truths to me'''—take a look at my previous writings.
** Notebooks (Summer 1880) 4[271]

* This is the mistake which I seem to make eternally, that I imagine the sufferings of others as far greater than they really are. Ever since my childhood, the proposition 'my greatest dangers lie in pity' has been confirmed again and again.
** Letter to Overbeck, Sils Maria (14 September 1884), tr. Walter Kaufmann (1954)

* Mastery over nature, the Idée fixe of the 20th century, is Brahmanism, Indo-German.
**Friedrich Nietzsche, Nachgelassene Fragmente. quoted in Dorothy M. Figueira, Aryans, Jews, Brahmins: Theorizing Authority Through Myths of Identity, New Delhi, Navayana Publishing Pvt Ltd. (2002), Reprint 2017

=== The Dionysian Vision of the World ===
:Translated by Ira J. Allen [https://archive.org/details/NietzscheTheDionysianVisionOfTheWorldTranslatedByIraJ.Allen]

* The horrible or the absurd is uplifting, because it is only seemingly horrible or absurd. The Dionysian power of enchantment here proves itself, even at the highest point of this vision of the world; all that is actual gives way to seeming and behind it is announced the unitary nature of the Will, wholly wrapped in the glory of wisdom and truth, in dazzling brilliance. Illusion, delusion is at its peak.
**page 48
* Here we arrive at the most dangerous limit that the Hellenic Will, with its Apollonian-optimistic founding principle, could tolerate. Here, the Hellenic Will set to work immediately with its natural healing power, reversing that negating disposition; its means are the tragic work of art and the tragic idea. Its intent absolutely could not be to weaken, still less to suppress, the Dionysian state; direct coercion was impossible and, if it was possible, far too dangerous — for, if detained in its outpouring, the element would then break for itself some other course and infuse all the veins of life.
** page 44
* An art that spoke the truth [...] banished the muses of the arts of seeming; [...] the individuum [[—]] with its limits and measure [[—]] went under. A twilight of the gods stood near at hand. [...] A new and higher mechanick of existence had come into play.
** page 43
* All that had thus far counted as limit, as measuring determination, proved itself here but artificial
** page 42
* The [[artist]] — as the one who compels motion through art media toward art — cannot be simultaneously the absorptive instrument of art's own activity.
** page 41
* Never, however, was the struggle between truth and beauty greater than with the invasion of the Dionysian ritual; in this ritual, [[nature]] disclosed itself and spoke of its secret with terrible clarity, with that tone against which seductive seeming [...] A great [[revolution]] began in all forms of life
** page 40
* The true aim is [...] reaching [[nature]] with this deception
** page 39-38
* Best is not to be [[...]] second-best is to die quickly
** page 37-36

===''[[w:The Birth of Tragedy|The Birth of Tragedy]]'' (1872)===
:''The Birth of Tragedy Out of the Spirit of Music'' (1873), later expanded as ''The Birth of Tragedy, Or: Hellenism and Pessimism'' (1886), Shaun Whiteside translation, Penguin Classics (1993)

[[File:Bonaventura-genelli-bacchus-unter-den-musen.jpg|thumb|right|[[Art]] is the supreme task and the truly metaphysical activity in this life.]]
[[File:David - The Death of Socrates.jpg|thumb|right|We cannot help but see [[Socrates]] as the turning-point, the vortex of world history.]]

* ''Nochmals gesagt, heute ist es mir ein unmögliches Buch, - ich heisse es schlecht geschrieben, schwerfällig, peinlich, bilderwüthig und bilderwirrig, gefühlsam, hier und da verzuckert bis zum Femininischen, ungleich im Tempo, ohne Willen zur logischen Sauberkeit, sehr überzeugt und deshalb des Beweisens sich überhebend, misstrauisch selbst gegen die Schicklichkeit des Beweisens, als Buch für Eingeweihte, als "Musik" für Solche, die auf Musik getauft, die auf gemeinsame und seltene Kunst-Erfahrungen hin von Anfang der Dinge an verbunden sind, als Erkennungszeichen für Blutsverwandte in artibus, - ein hochmüthiges und schwärmerisches Buch, das sich gegen das profanum vulgus der "Gebildeten" von vornherein noch mehr als gegen das "Volk" abschliesst, welches aber, wie seine Wirkung bewies und beweist, sich gut genug auch darauf verstehen muss, sich seine Mitschwärmer zu suchen und sie auf neue Schleichwege und Tanzplätze zu locken.''
** To say it once again: today I find it an impossible book — badly written, clumsy and embarrassing, its images frenzied and confused, sentimental, in some places saccharine-sweet to the point of effeminacy, uneven in pace, lacking in any desire for logical purity, so sure of its convictions that it is above any need for proof, and even suspicious of the ''propriety'' of proof, a book for initiates, 'music' for those who have been baptized in the name of music and who are related from the first by their common and rare experiences of art, a shibboleth for first cousins ''in artibus'' [in the arts] an arrogant and fanatical book that wished from the start to exclude the ''profanum vulgus'' [the profane mass] of the 'educated' even more than the 'people'; but a book which, as its impact has shown and continues to show, has a strange knack of seeking out its fellow-revellers and enticing them on to new secret paths and dancing-places.
** "Attempt at a Self-Criticism", p. 5

* ''Oh wie ferne war mir damals gerade dieser ganze Resignationismus!''
** How far I was then from all that resignationism!
**"Attempt at a Self-criticism", p. 10

* ''Diesen Ernsthaften diene zur Belehrung, dass ich von der Kunst als der höchsten Aufgabe und der eigentlich metaphysischen Thätigkeit dieses Lebens im Sinne des Mannes überzeugt bin, dem ich hier, als meinem erhabenen Vorkämpfer auf dieser Bahn, diese Schrift gewidmet haben will.''
** '''Art is the supreme task and the truly metaphysical activity in this life...'''
**"Preface to Richard Wagner", p. 13

*''Wie nun der Philosoph zur Wirklichkeit des Daseins, so verhält sich der künstlerisch erregbare Mensch zur Wirklichkeit des Traumes; er sieht genau und gern zu: denn aus diesen Bildern deutet er sich das Leben, an diesen Vorgängen übt er sich für das Leben. Nicht etwa nur die angenehmen und freundlichen Bilder sind es, die er mit jener Allverständigkeit an sich erfährt: auch das Ernste, Trübe, Traurige, Finstere, die plötzlichen Hemmungen, die Neckereien des Zufalls, die bänglichen Erwartungen, kurz die ganze "göttliche Komödie" des Lebens, mit dem Inferno, zieht an ihm vorbei, nicht nur wie ein Schattenspiel - denn er lebt und leidet mit in diesen Scenen - und doch auch nicht ohne jene flüchtige Empfindung des Scheins; und vielleicht erinnert sich Mancher, gleich mir, in den Gefährlichkeiten und Schrecken des Traumes sich mitunter ermuthigend und mit Erfolg zugerufen zu haben: "Es ist ein Traum! Ich will ihn weiter träumen!" Wie man mir auch von Personen erzählt hat, die die Causalität eines und desselben Traumes über drei und mehr aufeinanderfolgende Nächte hin fortzusetzen im Stande waren: Thatsachen, welche deutlich Zeugniss dafür abgeben, dass unser innerstes Wesen, der gemeinsame Untergrund von uns allen, mit tiefer Lust und freudiger Nothwendigkeit den Traum an sich erfährt.''
** '''Thus the man who is responsive to artistic stimuli reacts to the reality of dreams as does the philosopher to the reality of existence; he observes closely, and he enjoys his observation: for it is out of these images that he interprets life, out of these processes that he trains himself for life.''' It is not only pleasant and agreeable images that he experiences with such universal understanding: the serious, the gloomy, the sad and the profound, the sudden restraints, the mockeries of chance, fearful expectations, in short the whole 'divine comedy' of life, the Inferno included, passes before him, not only as a shadow-play — for he too lives and suffers through these scenes — and yet also not without that fleeting sense of illusion; and perhaps many, like myself, can remember calling out to themselves in encouragement, amid the perils and terrors of the dream, and with success: 'It is a dream! I want to dream on!' Just as I have often been told of people who have been able to continue one and the same dream over three and more successive nights: facts which clearly show that our innermost being, our common foundation, experiences dreams with profound pleasure and joyful necessity.
**p. 15

* ''In diesen Sanct-Johann- und Sanct-Veittänzern erkennen wir die bacchischen Chöre der Griechen wieder, mit ihrer Vorgeschichte in Kleinasien, bis hin zu Babylon und den orgiastischen Sakäen. Es giebt Menschen, die, aus Mangel an Erfahrung oder aus Stumpfsinn, sich von solchen Erscheinungen wie von "Volkskrankheiten", spöttisch oder bedauernd im Gefühl der eigenen Gesundheit abwenden: die Armen ahnen freilich nicht, wie leichenfarbig und gespenstisch eben diese ihre "Gesundheit" sich ausnimmt, wenn an ihnen das glühende Leben dionysischer Schwärmer vorüberbraust.''
** In these dancers of Saint John and Saint Vitus we can recognize the Bacchic choruses of the Greeks, with their prehistory in Asia Minor, as far back as Babylon and the orgiastic Sacaea. Some people, either through a lack of experience or through obtuseness, turn away with pity or contempt from phenomena such as these as from 'folk diseases', bolstered by a sense of their own sanity; these poor creatures have no idea how blighted and ghostly this 'sanity' of theirs sounds when the glowing life of Dionysiac revellers thunders past them.
**p. 17
[[File:Friederich Nietzsche.jpg|thumb|right|In the mountains of [[truth]] you will never climb in vain: either you will get up higher today or you will exercise your strength so as to be able to get up higher tomorrow.]]
* ''Es geht die alte Sage, dass König Midas lange Zeit nach dem weisen Silen, dem Begleiter des Dionysus, im Walde gejagt habe, ohne ihn zu fangen. Als er ihm endlich in die Hände gefallen ist, fragt der König, was für den Menschen das Allerbeste und Allervorzüglichste sei. Starr und unbeweglich schweigt der Dämon; bis er, durch den König gezwungen, endlich unter gellem Lachen in diese Worte ausbricht: `Elendes Eintagsgeschlecht, des Zufalls Kinder und der Mühsal, was zwingst du mich dir zu sagen, was nicht zu hören für dich das Erspriesslichste ist? Das Allerbeste ist für dich gänzlich unerreichbar: nicht geboren zu sein, nicht zu sein, nichts zu sein. Das Zweitbeste aber ist für dich - bald zu sterben.''
** According to the old story, King Midas had long hunted wise ''Silenus'', Dionysus' companion, without catching him. When Silenus had finally fallen into his clutches, the king asked him what was the best and most desirable thing of all for mankind. The daemon stood still, stiff and motionless, until at last, forced by the king, he gave a shrill laugh and spoke these words: 'Miserable, ephemeral race, children of hazard and hardship, why do you force me to say what it would be much more fruitful for you not to hear? The best of all things is something entirely outside your grasp: not to be born, not to ''be'', to be ''nothing''. But the second-best thing for you — is to die soon.'
**p. 22

* ''Der philosophische Mensch hat sogar das Vorgefühl, dass auch unter dieser Wirklichkeit, in der wir leben und sind, eine zweite ganz andre verborgen liege...''
** Underneath this reality in which we live and have our being, another and altogether different reality lies concealed...
**p. 23, William Haussmann translation

* ''Mit dem Tode der griechischen Tragödie dagegen entstand eine ungeheure, überall tief empfundene Leere; wie einmal griechische Schiffer zu Zeiten des Tiberius an einem einsamen Eiland den erschütternden Schrei hörten "der grosse Pan ist todt": so klang es jetzt wie ein schmerzlicher Klageton durch die hellenische Welt: "die Tragödie ist todt! Die Poesie selbst ist mit ihr verloren gegangen! Fort, fort mit euch verkümmerten, abgemagerten Epigonen! Fort in den Hades, damit ihr euch dort an den Brosamen der vormaligen Meister einmal satt essen könnt!"''
** Greek tragedy met her death in a different way from all the older sister arts: she died tragically by her own hand, after irresolvable conflicts, while the others died happy and peaceful at an advanced age. If a painless death, leaving behind beautiful progeny, is the sign of a happy natural state, then the endings of the other arts show us the example of just such a happy natural state: they sink slowly, and with their dying eyes they behold their fairer offspring, who lift up their heads in bold impatience. The death of Greek tragedy, on the other hand, left a great void whose effects were felt profoundly, far and wide; as once Greek sailors in Tiberius' time heard the distressing cry 'the god Pan is dead' issuing from a lonely island, now, throughout the Hellenic world, this cry resounded like an agonized lament: 'Tragedy is dead! Poetry itself died with it! Away, away with you, puny, stunted imitators! Away with you to Hades, and eat your fill of the old masters' crumbs!'
**p. 54

* ''Bei diesem Zusammenhange ist die leidenschaftliche Zuneigung begreiflich, welche die Dichter der neueren Komödie zu Euripides empfanden; so dass der Wunsch des Philemon nicht weiter befremdet, der sich sogleich aufhängen lassen mochte, nur um den Euripides in der Unterwelt aufsuchen zu können: wenn er nur überhaupt überzeugt sein dürfte, dass der Verstorbene auch jetzt noch bei Verstande sei.''
** This context enables us to understand the passionate affection in which the poets of the New Comedy held Euripides; so that we are no longer startled by the desire of Philemon, who wished to be hanged at once so that he might meet Euripides in the underworld, so long as he could be sure that the deceased was still in full possession of his senses.
**p. 55

* ''...aesthetischen Sokratismus...dessen oberstes Gesetz ungefähr so lautet: "alles muss verständig sein, um schön zu sein"; als Parallelsatz zu dem sokratischen "nur der Wissende ist tugendhaft."''
** ...''aesthetic Socratism'', the chief law of which is, more or less: "to be beautiful everything must first be intelligible" — a parallel to the Socratic dictum: "only the one who knows is virtuous."
**p. 62

* ''Nun aber schien Sokrates die tragische Kunst nicht einmal "die Wahrheit zu sagen": abgesehen davon, dass sie sich an den wendet, der "nicht viel Verstand besitzt", also nicht an den Philosophen: ein zweifacher Grund, von ihr fern zu bleiben. Wie Plato, rechnete er sie zu den schmeichlerischen Künsten, die nur das Angenehme, nicht das Nützliche darstellen und verlangte deshalb bei seinen Jüngern Enthaltsamkeit und strenge Absonderung von solchen unphilosophischen Reizungen; mit solchem Erfolge, dass der jugendliche Tragödiendichter Plato zu allererst seine Dichtungen verbrannte, um Schüler des Sokrates werden zu können.''
** But for [[Socrates]], tragedy did not even seem to "tell what's true", quite apart from the fact that it addresses "those without much wit", not the philosopher: another reason for giving it a wide berth. Like [[Plato]], he numbered it among the flattering arts which represent only the agreeable, not the useful, and therefore required that his disciples abstain most rigidly from such unphilosophical stimuli — with such success that the young tragedian, Plato, burnt his writings in order to become a pupil of Socrates.
**p. 68

[[File:Nietzsche LIFE (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|No one can construct for you the bridge upon which precisely you must cross the stream of life, no one but you yourself alone.]]

* ''Darum hat Lessing, der ehrlichste theoretische Mensch, es auszusprechen gewagt, dass ihm mehr am Suchen der Wahrheit als an ihr selbst gelegen sei...''
** [[Gotthold Ephraim Lessing|Lessing]], the most honest of theoretical men, dared to say that he took greater delight in the quest for truth than in the truth itself.
**p. 73

* ''...der kann sich nicht entbrechen, in Sokrates den einen Wendepunkt und Wirbel der sogenannten Weltgeschichte zu sehen. Denn dächte man sich einmal diese ganze unbezifferbare Summe von Kraft, die für jene Welttendenz verbraucht worden ist, nicht im Dienste des Erkennens, sondern auf die praktischen d.h. egoistischen Ziele der Individuen und Völker verwendet, so wäre wahrscheinlich in allgemeinen Vernichtungskämpfen und fortdauernden Völkerwanderungen die instinctive Lust zum Leben so abgeschwächt, dass, bei der Gewohnheit des Selbstmordes, der Einzelne vielleicht den letzten Rest von Pflichtgefühl empfinden müsste, wenn er, wie der Bewohner der Fidschiinseln, als Sohn seine Eltern, als Freund seinen Freund erdrosselt: ein praktischer Pessimismus, der selbst eine grausenhafte Ethik des Völkermordes aus Mitleid erzeugen könnte - der übrigens überall in der Welt vorhanden ist und vorhanden war, wo nicht die Kunst in irgend welchen Formen, besonders als Religion und Wissenschaft, zum Heilmittel und zur Abwehr jenes Pesthauchs erschienen ist.''
** '''We cannot help but see Socrates as the turning-point, the vortex of world history.''' For if we imagine that the whole incalculable store of energy used in that global tendency had been used ''not'' in the service of knowledge but in ways applied to the practical — selfish — goals of individuals and nations, universal wars of destruction and constant migrations of peoples would have enfeebled man's instinctive zest for life to the point where, suicide having become universal, the individual would perhaps feel a vestigial duty as a son to strangle his parents, or as a friend his friend, as the Fiji islanders do: a practical pessimism that could even produce a '''terrible ethic of genocide through pity''', and which is, and always has been, present everywhere in the world where art has not in some form, particularly as religion and science, appeared as a remedy and means of prevention for this breath of pestilence.
**p. 73

* ''Aber wie verändert sich plötzlich jene eben so düster geschilderte Wildniss unserer ermüdeten Cultur, wenn sie der dionysische Zauber berührt! Ein Sturmwind packt alles Abgelebte, Morsche, Zerbrochne, Verkümmerte, hüllt es wirbelnd in eine rothe Staubwolke und trägt es wie ein Geier in die Lüfte. Verwirrt suchen unsere Blicke nach dem Entschwundenen: denn was sie sehen, ist wie aus einer Versenkung an's goldne Licht gestiegen, so voll und grün, so üppig lebendig, so sehnsuchtsvoll unermesslich. Die Tragödie sitzt inmitten dieses Ueberflusses an Leben, Leid und Lust, in erhabener Entzückung, sie horcht einem fernen schwermüthigen Gesange - er erzählt von den Müttern des Seins, deren Namen lauten: Wahn, Wille, Wehe. - Ja, meine Freunde, glaubt mit mir an das dionysische Leben und an die Wiedergeburt der Tragödie. Die Zeit des sokratischen Menschen ist vorüber: kränzt euch mit Epheu, nehmt den Thyrsusstab zur Hand und wundert euch nicht, wenn Tiger und Panther sich schmeichelnd zu euren Knien niederlegen. Jetzt wagt es nur, tragische Menschen zu sein: denn ihr sollt erlöst werden. Ihr sollt den dionysischen Festzug von Indien nach Griechenland geleiten! Rüstet euch zu hartem Streite, aber glaubt an die Wunder eures Gottes!''
** But what changes come upon the weary desert of our culture, so darkly described, when it is touched by the magic of Dionysus! A storm seizes everything decrepit, rotten, broken, stunted; shrouds it in a whirling red cloud of dust and carries it into the air like a vulture. In vain confusion we seek for all that has vanished; for what we see has risen as if from beneath he earth into the gold light, so full and green, so luxuriantly alive, immeasurable and filled with yearning. Tragedy sits in sublime rapture amidst this abundance of life, suffering and delight, listening to a far-off, melancholy song which tells of the Mothers of Being, whose names are Delusion, Will, Woe''. -'' Yes, my friends, join me in my faith in this Dionysiac life and the rebirth of tragedy. The age of Socratic man is past: crown yourselves with ivy, grasp the thyrsus and do not be amazed if tigers and panthers lie down fawning at your feet. Now dare to be tragic men, for you will be redeemed. You shall join the Dionysiac procession from India to Greece! Gird yourselves for a hard battle, but have faith in the miracles of your god!
**p. 98

=== ''On the Future of Our Educational Institutions'' (1872) ===
:1872 lectures "Gedanken über die Zukunft unserer Bildungsanstalten" [The future of our educational institutions] — Translated by D. Searls (2015)

[[File:Friedrich Nietzsche - 1864.jpg|thumb|There exists in the world a single path along which no one can go except you: whither does it lead? Do not ask, go along it.]]

* ''Diese doppelte Selbständigkeit preist man mit Hochgefühl als ›akademische Freiheit‹: ... nur daß hinter beiden Gruppen in bescheidener Entfernung der Staat mit einer gewissen gespannten Aufsehermiene steht, um von Zeit zu Zeit daran zu erinnern, daß er Zweck, Ziel und Inbegriff der sonderbaren Sprech- und Hörprozedur sei.''
** This independence is glorified as "academic freedom," ... except that in the background, a discreet distance away, stands the state watching with a certain supervisory look on its face, making sure to remind everybody from time to time that ''it'' is the aim, the purpose, the essence of this whole strange process.

* ''So ist langsam an Stelle einer tiefsinnigen Ausdeutung der ewig gleichen Probleme ein historisches, ja selbst ein philologisches Abwägen und Fragen getreten: was der und jener Philosoph gedacht habe oder nicht, oder ob die und jene Schrift ihm mit Recht zuzuschreiben sei oder gar ob diese oder jene Lesart den Vorzug verdiene. Zu einem derartigen neutralen Sichbefassen mit Philosophie werden jetzt unsere Studenten in den philosophischen Seminarien unserer Universitäten angereizt: weshalb ich mich längst gewöhnt habe, eine solche Wissenschaft als Abzweigung der Philologie zu betrachten und ihre Vertreter danach abzuschätzen, ob sie gute Philologen sind oder nicht. Demnach ist nun freilich die ''Philosophie selbst'' von der Universität verbannt: womit unsre erste Frage nach dem Bildungswert der Universitäten beantwortet ist.''
** Philological considerations have slowly but surely taken the place of profound explorations of eternal problems. The question becomes: What did this or that philosopher think or not think? And is this or that text rightly ascribed to him or not? And even: Is this variant of a classical text preferable to that other? Students in university seminars today are encouraged to occupy themselves with such emasculated inquiries. As a result, of course, ''philosophy itself'' is banished from the university altogether.

* Not one of these nobly equipped young men has escaped the restless, exhausting, confusing, debilitating crisis of education. ... He feels that he cannot guide himself, cannot help himself—and then he dives hopelessly into the world of everyday life and daily routine, he is immersed in the ''most trivial'' activity possible, and his limbs grow weak and weary.

*Only by means of such discipline can the young man acquire that physical loathing for the beloved and much-admired 'elegance' of style of our newspaper manufacturers and novelists, and for the 'ornate style' of our literary men; by it alone is he irrevocably elevated at a stroke above a whole host of absurd questions and scruples, such, for instance, as whether Auerbach and Gutzkow are really poets, for his disgust at both will be so great that he will be unable to read them any longer, and thus the problem will be solved for him. Let no one imagine that it is an easy matter to develop this feeling to the extent necessary in order to have this physical loathing; but let no one hope to reach sound æsthetic judgments along any other road than the thorny one of language, and by this I do not mean philological research, but self-discipline in one's mother-tongue. Everybody who is in earnest in this matter will have the same sort of experience as the recruit in the army who is compelled to learn walking after having walked almost all his life as a dilettante or empiricist. It is a hard time: one almost fears that the tendons are going to snap and one ceases to hope that the artificial and consciously acquired movements and positions of the feet will ever be carried out with ease and comfort. It is painful to see how awkwardly and heavily one foot is set before the other, and one dreads that one may not only be unable to learn the new way of walking, but that one will forget how to walk at all. Then it suddenly become noticeable that a new habit and a second nature have been born of the practised movements, and that the assurance and strength of the old manner of walking returns with a little more grace: at this point one begins to realise how difficult walking is, and one feels in a position to laugh at the untrained empiricist or the elegant dilettante. Our 'elegant' writers, as their style shows, have never learnt 'walking' in this sense, and in our public schools, as our other writers show, no one learns walking either. Culture begins, however, with the correct movement of the language: and once it has properly begun, it begets that physical sensation in the presence of 'elegant' writers which is known by the name of '[[Hunter S. Thompson|loathing]].'

=== ''[[w:Dionysian-Dithyrambs|Dionysian-Dithyrambs]]'' (1888) ===
[http://www.thenietzschechannel.com/works-pub/dd/dd.htm ''Dionysian-Dithyrambs''] (1888)
* Only fool! Only poet! Merely speaking colorfully, From fools' masks shouting colorfully, Climbing about on deceptive word-bridges, On misleading rainbows, Between false heavens Rambling, lurking — ''Only fool! Only poet!''

* The desert grows: woe to him in whom deserts hide ...

* Do not forget, man, consumed by lust: you—are the stone, the desert, are death ...

* You sacrifice yourself, your wealth torments you, You give away yourself, You don't take care of yourself, you don't love yourself; Great agony always compels you, The agony of an overflowing barn, an overabundant heart; But no one thanks you any longer ...

* Dionysus: Be clever, Ariadne! ... You have little ears; you have my ears: Put a clever word in them! — Must one not first hate oneself, in order to love oneself? ... I am your labyrinth ...

=== ''[[w:The Will to Power (manuscript)|The Will to Power]]'' (1888) ===
:''Der Wille zur Macht'' (1888) is an anthology of material from Nietzsche's notebooks of the 1880s, edited by his friend Peter Gast, supervised by his sister Elisabeth Nietzsche, and misrepresented by her as his unpublished magnum opus. All but 16 of its 1067 fragments can be traced to source texts in the historical-critical edition of Nietzsche's writings, ''Kritische Gesamtausgabe: Werke'', though 204 of the 1067 sections involve patching together paragraphs not originally juxtaposed by Nietzsche, or dividing continuous passages into multiple "aphorisms" and re-arranging their order, and much of the text has been lightly edited to correct punctuation errors. Because of its misrepresentation of Nietzsche's private notes as an all but finished magnum opus, it has been called a "historic forgery".

* There is nothing to life that has value, except the degree of power—assuming that life itself is the will to power.
** [http://nietzsche.holtof.com/Nietzsche_the_will_to_power/the_will_to_power_book_I.htm Book 1, sec. 55 (10 June 1887)]

* In my opinion, Henrik Ibsen has become very German. With all his robust idealism and "Will to Truth," he never dared to ring himself free from moral-illusionism which says "freedom," and will not admit, even to itself, what freedom is: the second stage in the metamorphosis of the "Will to Power" in him who lacks it. In the '''first stage''', one demands justice at the hands of those who have power. In the '''second''', one speaks of "freedom," that is to say, one wishes to "shake oneself free" from those who have power. In the '''third stage''', one speaks of "equal rights"—that is to say, so long as one is not a predominant personality one wishes to prevent one's competitors from growing in power.
** Friedrich Nietzsche The Will to Power Vol 1 S. 86 p. 71 1914

* This is the ''antinomy'': Insofar as we believe in morality we pass sentence on existence.
**Sec. 6 (Notebook W II 2. Autumn 1887, ''KGW'' VIII, 2.237, ''KSA'' 12.571 [citations are to Nietzsche's manuscripts by archival code, and the page numbers in which the entire section can be found transcribed therefrom, in the hardcover and softcover historical-critical editions]).

* ''Natürlicher ist unsere Stellung in politicis: wir sehen Probleme der Macht, des Quantums Macht gegen ein anderes Quantum. Wir glauben nicht an ein Recht, das nicht auf der Macht ruht, sich durchzusetzen: wir empfinden alle Rechte als Eroberungen.''
** More natural is our position in politics: We see problems of power, of one quantum of power against another. '''We do not believe in any right that is not supported by the power of enforcement''': we feel all rights to be conquests.
*** Sec. 120 (Spring-Fall 1887)

* Moralities and religions are the principal means by which one can make whatever one wishes out of man, provided one possesses a superfluity of creative forces and can assert one's will over long periods of time — in the form of legislation and customs.
**Sec. 144 (Notebook N VII 1. April - June 1885, ''KGW'' VII, 3.198, ''KSA'' 11.478)

* A man as he ought to be: that sounds to us as insipid as "a tree as it ought to be."
**Sec. 332 (Notebook W II 3. November 1887 - March 1888, ''KGW'' VIII, 2.304, ''KSA'' 13.62)

* No more fiction for us: we calculate; but that we may calculate, we had to make fiction first.
** Sec. 624, as translated by [[Tobias Dantzig]] in ''{{w|Number, the Language of Science}}.'' Fourth edition, New York: Doubleday 1954, p 141. [[Talk:Friedrich_Nietzsche#.E2.80.9CNo_more_fiction_for_us:_we_calculate.3B_but_that_we_may_calculate.2C_we_had_to_make_fiction_first..E2.80.9D|See discussion of this entry for details.]]

* The stronger becomes master of the weaker, in so far as the latter cannot assert its degree of independence — here there is no mercy, no forbearance, even less a respect for "laws."
** Sec. 630 (Notebook W I 4. June - July 1885, ''KGW'' VII, 3.283, ''KSA'' 11.559)

* The individual itself as a struggle between parts (for food, space, etc.): its evolution tied to the victory or predominance of individual parts, to an atrophy, a "becoming an organ" of other parts. ... The aristocracy in the body, the majority of the rulers (struggle between cells and tissues). ... Slavery and division of labor: the higher type possible only through the subjugation of the lower, so that it becomes a function.
** Sec. 660 : The Body as a Political Structure

* Morality is: the mediocre are worth more than the exceptions ... I abhore Christianity with a deadly hatred.
** Sec. 685 (Notebook W II 5. Spring 1888, ''KGW'' VIII, 3.95-7, ''KSA'' 13.303-5)

* The states in which we infuse a transfiguration and a fullness into things and poetize about them until they reflect back our fullness and joy in life...three elements principally: sexuality, intoxication and cruelty — all belonging to the oldest festal joys.
** Sec. 801 (Notebook W II 1. Fall 1887, ''KGW'' VIII, 2.57-8, ''KSA'' 12.393-4)

* The beautiful exists just as little as the true. In every case it is a question of the conditions of preservation of a certain type of man: thus the herd-man will experience the value feeling of the true in different things than will the overman.
** Sec. 804 (Notebook W II 2. Fall 1887, ''KGW'' VIII, 2.220-1, ''KSA'' 12.554-5)

* A declaration of war on the masses by higher men is needed! ... Everything that makes soft and effeminate, that serves the end of the people or the feminine, works in favor of universal suffrage, i.e. the domination of the inferior men. But we should take reprisal and bring this whole affair to light and the bar of judgment.
** Sec. 864 (Notebook W II 5. Spring 1888, ''KGW'' VIII, 3.157-62, ''KSA'' 13.365-70)

* The rights a man arrogates to himself are related to the duties he imposes on himself, to the tasks to which he feels equal. The great majority of men have no right to existence, but are a misfortune to higher men.
** Sec. 872 (Notebook W I 1. Spring 1884, ''KGW'' VII, 2.97-8, ''KSA'' 11.101-2)

* The homogenizing of European man ... requires a justification: it lies in serving a higher sovereign species that stands upon the former which can raise itself to its task only by doing this. Not merely a master race whose sole task is to rule, but a race with its own sphere of life, with an excess of strength ... strong enough to have no need of the tyranny of the virtue-imperative.
** Sec. 898 (Notebook W II 1. Fall 1887, ''KGW'' VIII, 2.88-90, ''KSA'' 12.424-6)

* To those human beings who are of any concern to me I wish suffering, desolation, sickness, ill-treatment, indignities — I wish that they should not remain unfamiliar with profound self-contempt, the torture of self-mistrust, the wretchedness of the vanquished: I have no pity for them, because I wish them the only thing that can prove today whether one is worth anything or not — that one endures.
**Sec 910 (Autumn 1887, ''KSA'' 12.513)

* There is only nobility of birth, only nobility of blood. When one speaks of "aristocrats of the spirit," reasons are usually not lacking for concealing something. As is well known, it is a favorite term among ambitious Jews. For spirit alone does not make noble. Rather, there must be something to ennoble the spirit. What then is required? Blood.
** Sec. 942 (Notebook W I 5. August - September 1885, ''KGW'' VII, 3.412, ''KSA'' 11.678)

* The possibility has been established for the production of...a master race, the future "masters of the earth"...made to endure for millennia — a higher kind of men who...employ democratic Europe as their most pliant and supple instrument for getting hold of the destinies of the earth.
** Sec. 960 (Notebook W I 8. Fall 1885 - Fall 1886, ''KGW'' VIII, 1.85-6, ''KSA'' 12.87-8)

=== ''Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the Greeks'' (posthumous) ===
::as translated by Marianne Cowan (1962)

* I tell the story of these philosophers in simplified form: I merely wish to bring out in each system that point which represents a piece of the personality, and which history must preserve as a part of what is irrefutable and indisputable.

* My task is to throw a light on that which we must always love and revere, of which no subsequent knowledge can rob us: man in his greatness.

* The only thing of interest in a refuted system is the personal element. It alone is what is forever irrefutable.
** p. 25

* Whoever wishes to justify [Philosophy] must show ... to what ends a healthy culture uses and has used philosophy.
** p. 27

* Where could we find an instance of cultural pathology which philosophy restored to health? If philosophy ever manifested itself as helpful, redeeming, or prophylactic, it was in a healthy culture. The sick, it made even sicker.
** p. 27

* The very reason [the Greeks] got so far is that they knew how to pick up the spear and throw it onward from the point where others had left it. Their skill in the art of fruitful learning was admirable. We ought to be learning from our neighbors precisely as the Greeks learned from theirs, not for the sake of learned pedantry but rather using everything we learn as a foothold which will take us up as high, and higher, than our neighbor.
** p. 30

* The quest for philosophical beginnings is idle, for everywhere in all beginnings we find only the crude, the unformed, the empty and the ugly. What matters in all things is the higher levels.
** p. 30

* ... the republic of creative minds: each giant calling to his brother through the desolate intervals of time. And undisturbed by the wanton noises of the dwarfs that creep past beneath them, their high spirit-converse continues.
** p. 32

* Philosophy leaps ahead on tiny toeholds; hope and intuition lend wings to its feet. Calculating reason lumbers heavily behind, looking for better footholds, for reason too wants to reach that alluring goal which its divine comrade has long since reached.
** p. 40

* Science rushes headlong, without selectivity, without “taste,” at whatever is knowable, in the blind desire to know all at any cost. Philosophical thinking, on the other hand, is ever on the scent of those things which are most worth knowing, the great and the important insights.
** p. 43

* The concept of greatness is changeable, in the realm of morality as well as in that of esthetics. And so philosophy starts by legislating greatness.
** p. 43

* "Grant me, ye gods, but one certainty," runs Parmenides' prayer, "and if it be but a log's breadth on which to lie. on which to ride upon the sea of uncertainty. Take away everything that comes-to-be, everything lush, colorful, blossoming, illusory, everything that charms and is alive. Take all these for yourselves and grant me but the one and only, poor empty certainty.”
** p. 81

== Attributed ==

* '''Mathematics would certainly have not come into existence if one had known from the beginning that there was in nature no exactly straight line, no actual circle, no absolute magnitude.'''
** As quoted in ''The Puzzle Instinct: The Meaning of Puzzles in Human Life‎'' (2004) by Marcel Danesi, p. 71 from ''Human All-Too-Human''

{{disputed begin}}

== Disputed ==
* Rather than cope with the unbearable loneliness of their condition men will continue to seek their shattered God, and for His sake they will love the very serpents that dwell among His ruins.
** As quoted by [[w:J. P. Stern|J. P. Stern]] in an interview conducted by [[Bryan Magee]] in ''The Great Philosophers : A History of Western Philosophy'' (1987)

* You know these things as thoughts, but your thoughts are not your experiences, they are an echo and after-effect of your experiences: as when your room trembles when a carriage goes past. I however am sitting in the carriage, and often I am the carriage itself.
** Attributed across social media to TSZ. Is actually quoted in TSZ, Penguin Classics, Reg Hollingdale translation, in the introduction pg 12. Attributed to 'posthumously produced notes' [Nachlass?] Hollingdale continues.' In a man who thinks like this, the dichotomy between thinking and feeling, intellect and passion, has really disappeared. He feels his thoughts. He can fall in love with an idea. An idea can make him ill.'

*Nobody is more inferior than those who insist on being equal.
** Often attributed to Nietzsche especially on social media, but no citation is ever given, and the only source I can find that states Nietzche said this was a mock interview by Richard Marshall.

*All things are subject to interpretation; whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not the truth.
** Often attributed to Nietzsche especially on social media, but no citation is ever given. Dr Zuleyka Zevallos explains there is a similar quote on "Notes" (1888), translated in The Portable Nietzsche (edited by Walter Kaufmann) but it doesn't mentions power: https://socialscienceinsights.com/2015/01/20/all-things-are-subject-to-interpretation-whichever-interpretation-prevails-at-a-given-time-is-a-function-of-power/

{{disputed end}}

{{misattributed begin}}

== Misattributed ==

* Most people are not seeking truth; they are searching for comfort in illusions.

* A moral system valid for all is basically immoral.
** Generally attributed to Nietzsche, this is a quotation from Curtis Cate's ''Friedrich Nietzsche: A Biography'' (2003) and is the author's interpretation of Nietzsche's Aphorism 221 (''Beyond Good and Evil'')

* Meaning and morality of one's life come from within oneself. Healthy, strong individuals seek self-expansion by experimenting and by living dangerously. Life consists of an infinite number of possibilities, and the healthy person explores as many of them as possible. Religions that teach pity, self-contempt, humility, self-restraint and guilt are incorrect. The good life is ever-changing, challenging, devoid of regret, intense, creative, and risky.
** Attributed to Nietzsche on quotes sites and on social media, the original quotation is from ''An Introduction to the History of Psychology'' by [[Baldwin Ross Hergenhahn|B. R. Hergenhahn]] (2008, page 226) and is the author's summary of Nietzsche's ideas: "The meaning and morality of one's life come from within oneself. Healthy, strong individuals seek self-expansion by experimenting, by living dangerously. Life consists of an almost infinite number of possibilities, and the healthy person (the superman) explores as many of them as possible. Religions or philosophies that teach pity, humility, submissiveness, self-contempt, self-restraint, guilt, or a sense of community are simply incorrect. [...] For Nietzsche, the good life is ever-changing, challenging, devoid of regret, intense, creative, and risky."

*Those who dance appear insane to those who cannot hear the music.
** First recorded appearance: [[Germaine de Staël]]'s ''[[On Germany]]'' (1813). ". . . sometimes even in the habitual course of life, the reality of this world disappears all at once, and we feel ourselves in the middle of its interests as we should at a ball, where we did not hear the music; the dancing that we saw there would appear insane." There are several other pre-Nietzsche examples, indicating that the phrase was widespread in the nineteenth-century; it was referred to in 1927 as an "old proverb".

* All I need is a sheet of paper and something to write with, and then I can turn the world upside down.
** Commonly attributed to Nietzsche, but is most likely from Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart trilogy.

*If you crush a cockroach, you're a hero. If you crush a beautiful butterfly, you're a villain. Morals have aesthetic criteria.
** [https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/11842662-if-you-crush-a-cockroach-you-re-a-hero-if-you Sometimes attributed to Nietzsche], the quote appears in none of his works, the likely origin is a [https://x.com/samalmightysam/status/278540504386371584 2012 tweet], where it was not attributed to Nietzsche. There are [https://search-new.pullpush.io/?type=submission&q=crush+cockroach+beautiful+butterfly+villain+aesthetic&sort_type=created_utc&sort=asc no earlier examples on reddit] and also none on google books.

* The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.
** Often misattributed to Nietzsche, and was actually said by [[Rudyard Kipling]] during a [https://quoteinvestigator.com/2026/03/02/struggle-keep/#bd78df33-983a-4bb4-88dd-577e032bba7a-link 1935 interview] that was published in ''[[w:Reader's Digest|Reader's Digest]]'' in 1959.

*They muddy the waters to make them look deep.
** A [https://www.google.com/search?q=%22they+muddy+the+waters+to+make%22+%22deep%22&udm=36&tbs=cdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A1800%2Ccd_max%3A2005 google books search with dates restricted to 1800-2005] finds only three sources, the earliest one being [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Spirituality_for_the_Skeptic/tn0eygXx3hsC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22they%20muddy%20the%20waters%20to%20make%22%20%22deep%22&pg=PA11&printsec=frontcover ''Spirituality for the Skeptic: The Thoughtful Love of Life''] by Robert C. Solomon (2002), which attributes it to Nietzsche but gives no specific source.
{{misattributed end}}

== Quotes about Nietzsche ==

===A===

* [[Absolute]] [[nothingness]] is an ultimate ground of a purely apophatic [[mysticism]], and it is even more primal in Mahayana [[Buddhism]], just as it has been resurrected in the deepest expressions of a uniquely modern imagination. Nietzsche is the only Western thinker who has fully thought an absolute nothingness, although that nothingness is a deep even if elusive ground of Hegelian thinking, and of all of the fullest expressions of modern dialectical thinking and vision.
** [[Thomas J. J. Altizer]], ''Godhead and the Nothing'' (2003), Preface

* Only Nietzsche and [[William Blake|Blake]] know a wholly fallen Godhead, a Godhead which is an absolutely alien Nihil, but the full reversal of that Nihil is [[apocalypse]] itself, an apocalypse which is an absolute [[joy]], and Blake and Nietzsche are those very writers who have most evoked that joy.
** [[w:Thomas J. J. Altizer|Thomas J. J. Altizer]], in ''Godhead and the Nothing'' (2003), Preface

* Nietzsche's inverted Platonism, his insistence on life and the sensuously and materially given as against the suprasensuous and transcendent ideas which, since Plato, had been supposed to measure, judge, and give meaning to the given, ended in what is commonly called nihilism. Yet Nietzsche was no nihilist but, on the contrary, was the first to try to overcome the nihilism inherent not in the notions of the thinkers but in the reality of modern life. What he discovered in his attempt at “trans-valuation” was that within this categorical framework the sensuous loses its very raison d'être when it is deprived of its background of the suprasensuous and transcendent. “We abolished the true world: which world has remained? perhaps the world of appearances? . . . But no! together with the true world we abolished the world of appearances.” This insight in its elementary simplicity is relevant for all the turning-about operations in which the tradition found its end.
** [[Hannah Arendt]], ''Between Past and Future'' (1961), Chap. 1 : Tradition and the Modern Age

* Nietzsche seems to have been unaware of the origin as well as of the modernity of the term “value” when he accepted it as a key notion in his assault on tradition. But when he began to devaluate the current values of society, the implications of the whole enterprise quickly became manifest. Ideas in the sense of absolute units had become identified with social values to such an extent that they simply ceased to exist once their value-character, their social status, was challenged. Nobody knew his way better than Nietzsche through the meandering paths of the modern spiritual labyrinth, where recollections and ideas of the past are hoarded up as though they had always been values which society depreciated whenever it needed better and newer commodities. Also, he was well aware of the profound nonsense of the new “value-free” science which was soon to degenerate into scientism and general scientific superstition and which never, despite all protests to the contrary, had anything in common with the Roman historians' attitude of ''sine ira et studio''.
** [[Hannah Arendt]], ''Between Past and Future'' (1961), Chap. 1 : Tradition and the Modern Age

===B===

* It is another matter, and one that objectively considered is to the praise of Nietzsche, that he thus hurled himself against the strongest and not the weakest point in the opposing front. With his discovery of the Crucified and His host he discovered the Gospel itself in a form which was missed even by the majority of its champions, let alone its opponents, in the 19th century. And by having to attack it in this form, he has done us the good office of bringing before us the fact that we have to keep to this form as unconditionally as he rejected it, in self-evident antithesis not only to him, but to the whole tradition on behalf of which he made this final hopeless sally.
** [[Karl Barth]], ''Church Dogmatics'', Ⅲ, 2.(1960), 45. Man in his Determination as the Covenant-partner of God

* It is Nietzsche's merit that he was aware that to philosophize is radically problematic in the cultural, historicist dispensation. He recognized the terrible intellectual and moral risks involved. At the center of his every thought was the question “How is it possible to do what I am doing?” He tried to apply to his own thought the teachings of cultural relativism. This practically nobody else does. For example, [[Freud]] says that men are motivated by desire for sex and power, but he did not apply those motives to explain his own science or his own scientific activity. But if he can be a true scientist, i.e., motivated by love of the truth, so can other men, and his description of their motives is thus mortally flawed. Or if he is motivated by sex or power, he is not a scientist, and his science is only one means among many possible to attain those ends. This contradiction runs throughout the natural and social sciences. They give an account of things that cannot possibly explain the conduct of their practitioners.
** [[Allan Bloom]], ''The Closing of the American Mind'' (New York: 1988), pp. 203-204

* I've come to understand that the quality of memorability and inevitability which I assumed came from intense pleasure may actually have come from a kind of pain. That is to say that one learns from Nietzsche that there is something painful about meaning. Sometimes it is the pain of difficulty, sometimes the pain of being set a standard that one cannot attain.
** [[Harold Bloom]], interview with ''Paris Review'' (Fall 1990)

* Who knew that if you merely represent the thought of Nietzsche or Schopenhauer in a fun way it would find such an audience? Some things, it seems, are always green.
** [[Bronze Age Pervert]], '[https://americanmind.org/salvo/americas-delusional-elite-is-done/ America’s Delusional Elite Is Done]', ''The American Mind'' (22 October 2019)

* Kierkegaard's criticism of actual Christianity is an inner one; he does not confront Christianity, as, for example, Nietzsche does, with an alleged higher value, and test it by that and reject it.
** [[Martin Buber]], criticizing Nietzsche's concept of "Will to Power," ''Between Man and Man'' (1965), p. 61

===C===

* It is Nietzsche's merit to have critically placed the problem of the relationship between life and truth and to have denounced the confusion between truth and what sustains, justifies, and legitimizes. However, the Nietzschean chant to life, the cry for the intensification of life to the detriment of “truth” etc., are simply Nietzsche's choice, not a part of his scientific (specifically, psychological) results. ... The way of truth, if it is really undertaken — and not only “proclaimed” in the apologetic discourse of the philosopher as a “seeker of truth” — must necessarily — so is the goal of my argument — lead to the non-being. ... If Nietzsche frightens you, then take your moral ideas to their last consequences, which will lead one to embrace a negative ethic, that is, an ethic in which truth will have absolute primacy over life.
** [[Julio Cabrera]], ''Project of Negative Ethics'' (1989), [https://misantropiaemelancolia.wordpress.com/2017/10/24/project-of-negative-ethics/ Chapter 1]

* The more exciting life is, the more absurd is the idea of losing it. This is perhaps the secret of that proud aridity felt in Nietzsche's work. In this connection, Nietzsche appears to be the only artist to have derived the extreme consequences of an aesthetic of the Absurd, inasmuch as his final message lies in a sterile and conquering lucidity and an obstinate negation of any supernatural consolation.
** [[Albert Camus]], ''The Myth of Sisyphus'' (1942), translated by Justin O'Brien

* Nietzsche's philosophy, undoubtedly, revolves around the problem of rebellion. More precisely, it begins by being a rebellion. But we sense the change of position that Nietzsche makes. With him, rebellion begins with “God is dead,” which is assumed as an established fact; then it turns against everything that aims at falsely replacing the vanished deity and reflects dishonor on a world which doubtless has no direction but which remains nevertheless the only proving-ground of the gods. Contrary to the opinion of certain of his Christian critics, Nietzsche did not form a project to kill God. He found Him dead in the soul of his contemporaries. He was the first to understand the immense importance of the event and to decide that this rebellion on the part of men could not lead to a renaissance unless it was controlled and directed. Any other attitude toward it, whether regret or complacency, must lead to the apocalypse. Thus Nietzsche did not formulate a philosophy of rebellion, but constructed a philosophy on rebellion.
** [[Albert Camus]], ''The Rebel'' (1951), translated by Anthony Bower

* Our conjecture that metaphysics is a substitute, albeit an inadequate one, for art, seems to be further confirmed by the fact that the metaphysician who perhaps had artistic talent to the highest degree, viz Nietzsche, almost entirely avoided the error of that of confusion. A large part of his work has predominantly empirical content. We find there, for instance, historical analyses of specific artistic phenomena, or an historical psychological analysis of morals, In the work, however, in which he expresses most strongly that which others express through metaphysics or ethics, in ''Thus Spake Zarathustra'', he does not choose the misleading theoretical form, but openly form of art, of poetry.
** [[Rudolf Carnap]], "The Elimination of Metaphysics through Logical Analysis of Language", originally published in ''Erkenntnis, Vol II'' (1932), translated by Arthur Pap, published in A. J. Ayer (ed.), ''Logical Positivism'' (1959)

* Nietzsche follows the path till he reaches a complete and absolute nihilism never perhaps achieved before or since in human thinking. Human action is deprived not merely of any rational motive but of any super-rational motive. It becomes simply the expression of a biological urge to self-assertion ; the will to power. Standing beyond good and evil, and recognizing no conscious ultimate purpose, Nietzsche's superman is the perfect animal. Nietzsche is at the opposite pole to those who subordinate means to ends and hold that the end sanctifies the means. He believes only in action as a good in itself without reference to ends.
** [[E. H. Carr]], ''The New Society'' (1951), Chap. 6 : The Road to Freedom

*Nietzsche's man of noble soul is an ''egoist'' (the very type whom [[Immanuel Kant|Kant]]'s philosophy of morals would seek to rule out a priori), not in the sense that he is "selfish", but in the sense that he feels himself to be a standard, and creator of values. Nietzsche buttresses his idea of the noble soul with an account of what we might call the natural satisfactions of an aristocrat. He describes the "aristocratic value equation" as "good = noble = powerful = happy = beloved of God". The noble morality, with its aggression, cunning, strong drives, its pride, is something to be ''feared''. Nietzsche is not describing the "good" man, at least in any sense which Kant would recognize, but rather the superior specimen, the "great man". He is not a good man because he obeys the moral law, but is a source of values, a superior man, a man born to command, to inspire fear and awe, a man whose sense of his own power is a cause of both pride and nobility.
**[[w:John Casey (academic)|John Casey]], ''Pagan Virtue: An Essay in Ethics'' (1990), p. 81

* If Nietzsche had not ended in imbecility, Nietzscheism would end in imbecility. Thinking in isolation and with pride ends in being an idiot. Every man who will not have softening of the heart must at last have softening of the brain.
** [[G. K. Chesterton]], ''Orthodoxy'' (1908), Chapter III - The Suicide of thought

* Nothing is more irritating than those works which “coordinate” the luxuriant products of a mind that has focused on just about everything except a system. What is the use of giving a so-called coherence to Nietzsche’s ideas, for example, on the pretext that they revolve around a central motif? Nietzsche is a sum of attitudes, and it only diminishes him to comb his work for a will to order, a thirst for unity. A captive of his moods, he has recorded their variations. His philosophy, a meditation on his whims, is mistakenly searched by the scholars for the constants it rejects.
** [[Emil Cioran]], ''The Temptation to Exist''

===D===

* Since Nietzsche frequently intends to shock his readers, they may be in a position to learn from him—providing they admit that what is shocking may also be true, and that one has not refuted a thinker by recognizing the shocking consequences of his thought.
** [[w:Werner J. Dannhauser|Werner J. Dannhauser]], ''Nietzsche’s View of Socrates'' (Ithaca: 1974), p. 21

* [[Socrates]] was the plebeian dissector of an aristocratic society; Nietzsche is the aristocratic dissector of a plebeian society.
** [[w:Werner J. Dannhauser|Werner J. Dannhauser]], ''Nietzsche’s View of Socrates'' (Ithaca: 1974), p. 37

* Nietzsche was a man with a noble vision of man's future. His own delicacy, integrity, and courage shine through his writing. He was also free of the crude racism which was to be an important element of fascism, and he had only contempt for political anti-Semitism. But the fact remains that in various ways Nietzsche influenced fascism. Fascism may have abused the words of Nietzsche, but his words are singularly easy to abuse.
** [[w:Werner J. Dannhauser|Werner J. Dannhauser]], "Nietzsche", in Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey, eds. ''History of political philosophy'' 3rd ed. (1987)

* The spirit of scientific investigation never ceased to impress [Nietzsche] as uniquely favorable not only for achieving knowledge but also for furnishing an atmosphere of dryness and clarity within which a man of genuinely intellectual conscience might function.
** [[w:Arthur Danto|Arthur C. Danto]], ''Nietzsche as Philosopher'' (New York: 1965), p. 70

* Friedrich Nietzsche saw—through the mists of his contempt for all things English—an even more cosmic message in [[Darwin]]: [[God is dead]]. If Nietzsche is the father of [[existentialism]], then perhaps [[Darwin]] deserves the title of grandfather.
** [[Daniel Dennett]], ''Darwin's Dangerous Idea'' (1995), Chap. 3 : Universal Acid

* Nietzsche's Just So Stories are terrific (old-style and new-style). They are a mixture of brilliant and crazy, sublime and ignoble, devastatingly acute history and untrammeled fantasy. If Darwin's imagination was to some degree handicapped by his English mercantile heritage, Nietzsche's was even more handicapped by his German intellectual heritage, but those biographical facts (whatever they are) have no bearing on the current value of the memes whose birth each attended so brilliantly.
** [[Daniel Dennett]], ''Darwin's Dangerous Idea'' (1995), Chap. 16 : On the Origin of Morality

*Only a professor of paradox could rank the obscure and dogmatic fragments of Heraclitus above the mellowed wisdom and the developed art of Plato. With all his philology, Nietzsche never quite penetrated to the spirit of the Greeks; never learned the lesson that moderation and self-knowledge (as taught by the Delphic inscriptions and the greater· philosophers) must bank, without extinguishing, the fires of passion and desire; that Apollo must limit Dionysus. Some have described Nietzsche as a pagan; but he was not that: neither Greek pagan like Pericles nor German pagan like Goethe; he lacked the balance and restraint that made these men strong. “I shall give back to men the serenity which is the condition of all culture,” he writes, but alas, how can one give what one has not? ...Foiled in his search for love, he turned upon woman with a bitterness unworthy of a philosopher, and unnatural in a man; missing parentage and losing friendship, he never knew that the finest moments of life come through mutuality and comradeship, rather than from domination and war. He did not live long enough, or widely enough, to mature his half-truths into wisdom. Perhaps if he had lived longer he would have turned his strident chaos into a harmonious philosophy. Truer of him than of the Jesus to whom he applied them, were his own words: “He died too early; he himself would have revoked his doctrine had he Teached” a riper age; “noble enough to revoke he was!” But death had other plans...He spoke with bitterness, but with invaluable sincerity; and his thought went through the clouds and cobwebs of the modern mind like cleansing lightning and a-rushing wind. The air of European philosophy is clearer and fresher now because Nietzsche wrote.
**[[Will Durant]], The Story of Philosophy

===E===

* In Nietzsche's view, the death of God must also spell the death of Man—that is to say, the end of a certain lordly, overweening humanism—if absolute power is not simply to be transplanted from the one to the other. Otherwise humanism will always be secretly theological. It will be a continuation of God by other means.
** [[Terry Eagleton]], ''Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate'' (2009), Chapter 1. The Scum of the Earth

* Nietzsche sought a new sort of aristocracy of super- or above-men, which would be the ultimate goal of civilized existence. The sources of this Nietzschean idea were several. Darwin's theory of evolution suggested to Nietzsche the notion of humanity as an evolving species, although Nietzsche emphatically rejected the concept of the superman or above-man as the outcome of a biological process; in a sense, the superman or above-man is a spiritualized form of Darwinism.
** [[Alan Ebenstein]], ''Hayek's Journey: The Mind of Friedrich Hayek'' (2003), Ch. 2. German and Viennese Intellectual Thought

===F===

[[File:Blinde.jpg|thumb|right|The degree of introspection achieved by Nietzsche had never been achieved by anyone, nor is it ever likely to be achieved again. ~ [[Sigmund Freud]] ]]

* Nietzsche was the first to release the desire to know from the sovereignty of knowledge itself: to re-establish the distance and exteriority that Aristotle cancelled.
** [[Michel Foucault]], ''Lectures on the Will to Know'' (1970), p. 5

* The degree of introspection achieved by Nietzsche had never been achieved by anyone, nor is it ever likely to be achieved again.
** [[Sigmund Freud]], in remarks (28 October 1908), as reported in ''Freud, Adler, and Jung'' (1980) by [[Walter Kaufmann (philosopher)|Walter Arnold Kaufmann]], p. 265
** Variant: Freud several times said of Nietzsche that he had a more penetrating knowledge of himself than any other man who ever lived or was likely to live.
*** As reported in ''Freud, Adler, and Jung'' (1980) by Walter Arnold Kaufmann, p. 266 (part of this statement has sometimes been taken as a direct quote of Freud, rather than a summation of what he said).

===G===
* Nietzsche was not a social theorist, but a poet, a rebel, and innovator. His [[aristocracy]] was neither of birth nor of purse; it was of the spirit. In that respect Nietzsche was an anarchist, and all true anarchists were aristocrats.
** [[Emma Goldman]], ''Living My Life'', p. 194

*In Vienna one could hear interesting lectures on modern German prose and poetry. One could read the works of the young iconoclasts in art and letters, the most daring among them being Nietzsche. The magic of his language, the beauty of his vision, carried me to undreamed-of heights. [...] I had to do my reading at the expense of much-needed sleep; but what was physical strain in view of my raptures over Nietzsche? The fire of his soul, the rhythm of his song, made life richer, fuller, and more wonderful for me.
**[[Emma Goldman]], ''Living My Life (1931)''

*The most disheartening tendency common among readers is to tear out one sentence from a work, as a criterion of the writer's ideas or personality. Friedrich Nietzsche, for instance, is decried as a hater of the weak because he believed in the Uebermensch. It does not occur to the shallow interpreters of that giant mind that this vision of the Uebermensch also called for a state of society which will not give birth to a race of weaklings and slaves.
**[[Emma Goldman]] Preface to ''Anarchism and Other Essays'' (1911)

===H===

* Nietzsche wanted to explode the framework of Occidental rationalism within which the competitors of Left and Right Hegelianism still moved. His antihumanism, continued by [[Martin Heidegger|Heidegger]] and [[Georges Bataille|Bataille]] in two variations, is the real challenge for the discourse of modernity.
** [[Jürgen Habermas]], ''The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity'' (1985), Lecture 3 : Three Perspectives: Left Hegelians, Right Hegelians, and Nietzsche

* The theory of a will to power operating in every event provides the framework within which Nietzsche explains how the fictions of a world comprised of entities and of goods arise, as well as the illusory identities of knowing and morally acting subjects; how, with the soul and self-consciousness, a sphere of inwardness is constituted; how metaphysics, science, and the ascetic ideal achieved dominance ― and, finally, how subject-centered reason owes this entire inventory to the occurrence of an unsalutary, masochistic inversion of the very core of the will to power. The nihilistic domination of subject-centered reason is conceived as the result and expression of a perversion of the will to power.
** [[Jürgen Habermas]], ''The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity'' (1985), Lecture 4 : The Entry into Postmodernity: Nietzsche as a Turning Point

* If in Nietzsche's thinking the prior tradition of Western thought is gathered and completed in a decisive respect, then the confrontation with Nietzsche becomes one with all Western thought hitherto.
** [[Martin Heidegger]], ''Nietzsche'', D. F. Krell, trans. (New York: 1991), p. 4

* Nietzsche ... does not shy from conscious exaggeration and one-sided formulations of his thought, believing that in this way he can most clearly set in relief what in his vision and in his inquiry is different from the run-of-the-mill.
** [[Martin Heidegger]], ''Nietzsche'', D. F. Krell, trans. (New York: 1991), p. 50

* One indication of the importance of Nietzsche is the pantheon of major twentieth century intellectuals whom he influenced. He was an influence on [[Jean-Paul Sartre]] and [[Hermann Hesse]], major writers, both of whom won Nobel Prizes. He was an influence on thinkers as diverse in their outlooks as [[Ayn Rand]] and [[Michel Foucault]]. Rand's politics are classically liberal -- while Foucault's are far Left, including a stint as a member of the French Communist Party. There is the striking fact that Nietzsche was an atheist, but he was an influence on [[Martin Buber]], one of the most widely-read theologians of the twentieth century. And Nietzsche said harsh things about the Jews ... but he was nonetheless admired by [[w:Chaim Weizman|Chaim Weizmann]], a leader of the Zionist movement and first president of Israel.
** [[w:Stephen Hicks|Stephen Hicks]], ''Nietzsche and the Nazis'' (2006, 2010), Ockham's Razor, ISBN: 9492262049, pp. 51-52

* Nietzsche, the eloquent and menacing prophet of an impending catastrophe whose exact nature he did not quite define, expressed this crisis of expectations better than anyone else. His very mode of literary exposition, by means of a succession of poetic and prophetic aphorisms containing visionary intuitions or unargued truths, seemed a contradiction of the rationalist system-building discourse of philosophy which he claimed to practise. His enthusiastic admirers multiplied among middle-class (male) youth from 1890. For Nietzsche, the ''avant garde'' decadence, pessimism and nihilism of the 1880s was more than a fashion. They were 'the logical end-product of our great values and ideals'. Natural science, he argued, produced its own internal disintegration, its own enemies, an anti-science. The consequences of the modes of thought accepted by nineteenth-century politics and economics were nihilist. The culture of the age was threatened by its own cultural products. Democracy produced socialism, the fatal swamping of genius by mediocrity, strength by weakness - a note also struck, in a more pedestrian and positivistic key, by the eugenists. In that case was it not essential to reconsider all these values and ideals and the system of ideas of which they formed a part, for in any case the 'revaluation of all values' was taking place? Such reflections multiplied as the old century drew to its end. The only ideology of serious calibre which remained firmly committed to the nineteenth-century belief in science, reason and progress was Marxism, which was unaffected by disillusion about the present because it looked forward to the future triumph of precisely those 'masses' whose rise created so much uneasiness among middle-class thinkers.
** [[Eric Hobsbawm]], ''The Age of Empire: 1875–1914'' (1987), pp.258-259

===J===

* If you try to put yourself into the mood of someone who is always alone, as Nietzsche was, you realize that your own consciousness then begins to stare into your own face. You are always your own speaker and your own listener; you are always looking into your own light, into your own eyes. And then you can well personify consciousness as your daily partner.
** [[C. G. Jung]], ''Nietzsche's Zarathustra'' (1988), p. 16

===K===

* The realization that our mental functioning is largely irrational was arrived at by several thinkers at the same time, including Friedrich Nietzsche, ... [[Sigmund Freud|Freud]], who was much influenced by both [[Charles Darwin|Darwin]] and Nietzsche ... was its most profound and articulate exponent.
** [[Eric Kandel]], ''The Age of Insight'' (2012)

* The philosopher [[John Searle]] once told me that reading Nietzsche was like drinking cognac — a sip was good, but you didn't want to drink the whole bottle.
** Gary Kamiya, "[https://www.nytimes.com/books/00/01/23/bookend/bookend.html Falling Out With Superman]", ''The New York Times'', January 23, 2000

* Nietzsche was the first major German philosopher who was not strongly influenced by Kant. Like Hegel and many other German philosophers, he was steeped in Goethe, but he was free of the fateful compulsion to reconcile Goethe with Kant.
** [[Walter Kaufmann]], ''Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Buber'' (1980)

* Nietzsche's attack on belief in rationality and truth, his denial of morality rooted in religious belief, came to seem anything but misplaced. The Churches could not come out of this era untarnished. Yet neither the loss of belief nor fall in the numbers of followers of the main Christian denominations should be exaggerated or pre-dated. After two world wars that influence remained profound. For all their travails the Christian Churches survived the catastrophic first half of the twentieth century remarkably intact. Their main problems would come later.
** [[Ian Kershaw]], ''To Hell and Back: Europe 1914-1949'' (2015)

* Nietzsche may have been seriously wrong in his understanding of modernity: he may have mistaken one part of the story—the rise of secularism—for the whole tale; but few men have struggled as honestly with the problem of [[nihilism]] as he.
** [[w:Roger Kimball|Roger Kimball]], "[http://www.newcriterion.com/articles.cfm/The-perversions-of-M--Foucault-4714 The Perversions of M. Foucault]", ''The New Criterion'', March 1993

* All in all, Nietzsche was an opponent of socialism, an opponent of nationalism, and an opponent of racial thinking. Apart from these bents of mind, he might have made an outstanding Nazi.
** [[w:Ernst Krieck|Ernst Krieck]], Nazi theoretician (1882-1947), as quoted by Max Whyte, “The Uses and Abuses of Nietzsche in the Third Reich: Alfred Baeumler’s ‘Heroic Realism.’” ''Journal of Contemporary History'' Vol 43, no. 2 (2008), p. 188

===L===

* Nietzsche’s arrival in modern philosophy signaled an unprecedented necessity: “probity”, “intellectual conscience”, Enlightenment radicalized by a new bravery that scorns any comforts like God.
** [[Laurence Lampert]], ''Leo Strauss and Nietzsche'' (1997), p. 5

* [[Leo Strauss|Strauss’]] whole study indicates that noble nature as Nietzsche presents it—no, embodies it—replaces divine nature as [[Plato]] presents it.
** [[Laurence Lampert]], ''Leo Strauss and Nietzsche'' (1997), p. 15

* The morality of Nietzsche is a mere innovation. The first is an advance because no one who did not admit the validity of the old maxim could see reason for accepting the new one, and anyone who accepted the old would at once recognize the new as an extension of the same principle. If he rejected it, he would have to reject it as a superfluity, something that went too far, not as something simply heterogeneous from his own ideas of value. But the Nietzschean ethic can be accepted only if we are ready to scrap traditional morals as a mere error and then to put ourselves in a position where we can find no ground for any value judgments at all.
** [[C. S. Lewis]], in ''The Abolition of Man'' (1943) Chapter 2. The Way

* Friederich Nietzsche, the mad philosopher of the nineteenth century of the Christian Era, who caught wild glimpses of truth, but who, before he was done, reasoned himself around the great circle of human thought and off into madness.
** [[Jack London]], in ''The Iron Heel'' (in a footnote written by a future historian)

===M===

*What Nietzsche portrays is aristocratic ''self''-assertion; what [[Homer]] and the sagas show are forms of assertion proper to and required by a certain ''role''. The self becomes what it is in heroic societies only through its role; it is a social creation, not an individual one. Hence when Nietzsche projects back on to the archaic past his own nineteenth-century individualism, he reveals that what looked like an historical enquiry was actually an inventive literary construction. Nietzsche replaces the fictions of the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] individualism, of which he is so contemptuous, with a set of individualist fictions of his own. From this is it does not follow that one could not be an undeceived Nietzschean; and the whole importance of being a Nietzschean does after all lie in the triumph of being finally undeceived, being, as Nietzsche put it, truthful at last. It is simply, one might be tempted to conclude, that any would-be true Nietzschean will after all have to go further than Nietzsche.
**[[Alasdair MacIntyre]], ''[[w:After Virtue|After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory]]'' (1981), p. 122

* There are critics who see in all this proof that Nietzsche showed signs of insanity from early manhood, but as a matter of fact it was his abnormally accurate vision and not a vision gone awry, that made him stand so aloof from his fellows. In the vast majority of those about him he saw the coarse metal of sham and pretense beneath the showy gilding of learning. ... It was inevitable that he should perceive the difference between his own fanatical striving for the truth and the easy dependence upon precedent and formula which lay beneath their booming bombast.
** [[H. L. Mencken]], ''The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche'' (1908), p. 27-28

* The reader who cares to go into the matter further will find Nietzsche elbowing other sages in a multitude of places. […] [[Max Stirner|Stirner's]] chief work, ''[[w:The Ego and Its Own|Der Einzige und sein Eigentum]]'', was first published in 1844, the year of Nietzsche's birth, and in its strong plea for the emancipation of the individual there are many ideas and even phrases that were later voiced by Nietzsche: "What is good and what is evil? I myself am my own rule, and I am neither good nor evil. Neither word means anything to me… Between the two vicissitudes of victory and defeat swings the fate of the struggle—master or slave!… Egoism, not love, must decide." […] But there is a considerable gulf between [[w:Relationship between Friedrich Nietzsche and Max Stirner|Stirner and Nietzsche]], even here. The former's plea is for absolute liberty for all men, great and small. The latter is for liberty only in the higher castes: the [[chandala]] he would keep in chains. Therefore, if Nietzsche actually got anything from Stirner, it certainly did not enter unchanged into the ultimate structure of his system.
** [[H. L. Mencken]], ''The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche'' (1908)

* By the middle of the [Eighteenth] century what Nietzsche was later to call a [[w:Transvaluation_of_values|transvaluation of all values]] was in full blast. Nothing sacred was spared—not even the [[w:Classical_antiquity|classical]] spirit that had been the chief attainment of the Renaissance—and of the ideas and attitudes that were attacked not many survived. It was no longer necessary to give even lip service to the old preposterous certainties, whether theological or political, aesthetic or philosophical. In France, [[Voltaire]], [[Jean-Jacques_Rousseau|Rousseau]] and [[Denis_Diderot|Diderot]] were making a bonfire of all the ancient Christian superstitions; in England [[Edward_Gibbon|Gibbon]] was preparing to revive the long dormant art of history and [[Adam Smith]] was laying the foundations of the new science of economics; in Germany [[Immanuel_Kant|Kant]] was pondering an ethical scheme that that would give the Great Commandment a rational basis.
** [[H. L. Mencken]], ''[[H._L._Mencken#Treatise_on_the_Gods_.281930.29|Treatise on the Gods]]'' (1930), Ch. 5

* Nietzsche's dynamic contradictiousness has served as a source for the kind of static, somnolent, undiscriminating, sceptical tolerance which seems to be expressed by the claim to have stopped believing in sin. Readiness to question everything mutates mysteriously into a pose of equal indifference to all possible answers. Can this be more than pose? That it often is a pose, lasting only till the owner's moral corns happen to be trodden on, is by now a common observation. (The shocked immoralist in Tom Stoppard's play ''Professional Foul'' is a nice case.) But this is not just an unfair joke by satirists. What else could the undiscriminating position be? It is scarcely possible to vindicate it as a stern attempt to stand by one's moral principles, and remain indifferent in the face of all temptation to do otherwise.
** [[Mary Midgley]], ''Wickedness'' (1984), Chap. 2 : Intelligibility and Immoralism

===N===

* In the coarsest sense, to say that Nietzsche's style is important is to say that his writing is unusual and idiosyncratic. This in turn is just to say that his works do not exhibit the features we have been accustomed to expect of philosophical treatises. And, forgetting that philosophical treatises themselves have been written in the most various styles imaginable, this has often been taken to show that Nietzsche's works are not, in some sense, philosophical.
** [[Alexander Nehamas]], ''Nietzsche: Life as Literature'', Ch. 1, The Most Multifarious Art of Style

* The one reaction Nietzsche cannot tolerate is indifference, and this is what his use of hyperbole is designed to eliminate.
** [[Alexander Nehamas]], ''Nietzsche: Life as Literature'' (1985), p. 28

* Loyalty to life, according to Nietzsche, begins in the resolve to seek life's principle with itself and not in something outside it—not, for example, in a God or supernature that, by being conceived as all that life is not—infinite, eternal, changeless, perfect goodness, perfect plenitude—stands as antithetical to life.
** [[w:David L. Norton|David L. Norton]], ''Personal Destinies: A Philosophy of Ethical Individualism'' (1976), p. 80

===O===

* Along with ignoring the [[w:French Revolution|French Revolution]], one of the most telling features of the new books on atheism [cf. [[w:new atheism|new atheism]] ] is their consistent refusal to engage Nietzsche, who, if read correctly, ought to make atheists squirm far more than he has ever caused discomfit to believers. ¶ First, he turned the critical methods of the Enlightenment against their inventors and showed that Enlightened faith in progress was just as illusory as belief in an afterlife. Second, he demanded that a critical philosophy stop pretending to be a substitute religion (he shrewdly called [[Hegel]]ian idealism “insidious theology”). Third, he insisted on the indissoluble bond between Christian doctrine and Christian morality and poured contempt on novelists like [[George Eliot]] for supposing otherwise [...] ¶ Perhaps this why Nietzsche said in ''Ecce Homo'', “the most serious Christians have always been well disposed toward me.” For they at least, unlike [[Richard Dawkins|Dawkins]], [[Sam Harris|Harris]], [[Daniel Dennett]] and [[Christopher Hitchens]], can see that after Nietzsche a moral critique of the Christian God has become impossible, for it denies the very presupposition that makes its own critique possible. Like Abraham asking if the Lord God of justice could not himself do justice, protest atheism must accept the very norms that Nietzsche showed are essential to the meaning of belief. In Nietzsche alone one reads what the world really looks like ''si Deus non sit'' [''if God does not exist''].
** Edward T. Oakes, "[http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2008/01/atheism-and-violence Atheism and Violence]", ''[[w:First Things|First Things]]'', 29 Jan 2008, URL accessed 16 April 2012

* It will be seen by the discriminating that Nietzsche in... bidding his renaissant aristocrats to ignore morality in favour of their own individual needs was, in reality, allotting them a difficult task, and one that from the moral point of view is often commended. Yet the distinction must be insisted upon that an individually determined adjustment of means to ends is contrary to the very spirit of popular morality, however externally it may appear to be high morality. For the aristocrat in determining his own mode of life specifically repudiates any universal value in it. He not only does not accept the common mode of life, but he has no desire to make his own mode common. That, in fact, is the distinction between the aristocrat and the demagogue turned tyrant. The mark of the plebeian raised to power is that he desires his values to become universal. He desires all men to say, do, think and feel as he says, does, thinks and feels. But the true aristocrat desires that all men shall be like himself free, self-ruling, self-choosing. But this reticence and self-denial are also difficult to maintain in the face of popular sophistry. Nietzsche, however, makes it clear that war against popular sophistry is the normal condition of the aristocrat. To develop individual power there is needed a long purpose and a great resistance; and what resistance can be greater than that offered by the multitude? Hence, in one sense, the multitude with their gods are indispensable to the creation of the powerful man. As a sort of battlefield and place of exercise, the populace serve the needs of the aristocrat.
** [[w:Alfred Richard Orage|Alfred Richard Orage]], ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=MS1FAAAAYAAJ Nietzsche in Outline & Aphorism]'' (1910)

===P===

* Friedrich Nietzsche. It's easy to see why his sociopathic ravings would have inspired so many repugnant movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including fascism, Nazism, Bolshevism, the Ayn Randian fringe of libertarianism, and the American alt-Right and neo-Nazi movements today. Less easy to see is why he continues to be a darling of the academic humanities. True, he was a punchy stylist, and, as his apologists note, he extolled the individual superman rather than a master race. But as Bertrand Russell pointed out in A History of Western Philosophy, the intellectual content is slim: it “might be stated more simply and honestly in the one sentence: ‘I wish I had lived in the Athens of Pericles or the Florence of the Medici’.”
** [[Steven Pinker]], quoted in "[https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/twenty-questions-steven-pinker/ Twenty Questions with Steven Pinker]", ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (February 19, 2018); on the question "Which author (living or dead) do you think is most overrated?"

*There is nothing more wrong and misleading than thinking that Nietzsche embodied the bourgeois (or even petty bourgeois) anthropological response to [[Karl Marx|Marx]]'s anthropological solution, defined as proletarian. The anthropological solution that Nietzsche proposes is, on the contrary, consciously post-bourgeois, because it dissolves all the previous 'ethical contents” of bourgeois society itself. [...] Nietzsche's is an ethics of the all-sided valorisation of the individual, and at the same time an ethics that no longer has ethics as its reference point, as in Hegel. Nietzsche no longer has ethics as his reference point, because his proclamation of the death of God is also a proclamation of the demise of any bourgeois or proletarian ethics. His is an ethic of the individual, or rather of the mature (too mature) stage of modern individuality.
:*[[w:Costanzo Preve|Costanzo Preve]], ''[http://www.petiteplaisance.it/ebooks/1001-1030/1008/el_1008.pdf Elogio della filosofia]'', Petite Plaisance (published on Koinè, year X N°1 – January 2003).

===R===

* Nietzsche, the child of a Lutheran pastor, radicalized this argument, painting all of Christianity—indeed all of Western religion, going back to Judaism—as a slave morality, the psychic revolt of the lower orders against their betters. Before there was religion or even morality, there was the sense and sensibility of the master class. The master looked upon his body—its strength and beauty, its demonstrated excellence and reserves of power—and saw and said that it was good. ... The modern residue of that slave revolt, Nietzsche makes clear, is found not in Christianity, or even in religion, but in the nineteenth-century movements for democracy and socialism ...
** [[Corey Robin]], "Garbage and Gravita", ''The Nation'' (June 7, 2010)

* Part of Nietzsche's worry was philosophical: How was it possible in a godless world, naturalistically conceived, to deem anything of value? But his concern was also cultural and political. Because of democracy, which was “Christianity made natural,” the aristocracy had lost “its naturalness”—that is, the traditional vindication of its power. How then might a hierarchy of excellence, aesthetic and political, re-establish itself, defend itself against the mass—particularly a mass of workers—and dominate that mass? [...] Nietzsche's response to that challenge was not to revert or resort to a more objective notion of value: that was neither possible nor desirable. Instead, he embraced one part of the modern understanding of value—its fabricated nature—and turned it against its democratic and Smithian premises. Value was indeed a human creation, Nietzsche acknowledged, and as such could just as easily be conceived as a gift, an honorific bestowed by one man upon another. “Through esteeming alone is there value,” Nietzsche has Zarathustra declare; “to esteem is to create.” Value was not made with coarse and clumsy hands; it was enacted with an appraising gaze, a nod of the head signifying a matchless abundance of taste. It was, in short, aristocratic.
** [[Corey Robin]], "Nietzsche’s Marginal Children: On Friedrich Hayek", ''The Nation'' (May 7, 2013)

* In spite of Nietzsche's criticism of the romantics, his outlook owes much to them; it is that of aristocratic anarchism, like Byron's, and one is not surprised to find him admiring Byron. He attempts to combine two sets of values which are not easily harmonized: on the one hand he likes ruthlessness, war, and aristocratic pride; on the other hand, he loves philosophy and literature and the arts, especially music. Historically, these values coexisted in the Renaissance; Pope Julius II, fighting for Bologna and employing Michelangelo, might be taken as the sort of man whom Nietzsche would wish to see in control of governments. It is natural to compare Nietzsche with Machiavelli, in spite of important differences between the two men. As for the differences: Machiavelli was a man of affairs, whose opinions had been formed by close contact with public business, and were in harmony with his age; he was not pedantic or systematic, and his philosophy of politics scarcely forms a coherent whole; Nietzsche, on the contrary, was a professor, an essentially bookish man, and a philosopher in conscious opposition to what appeared to be the dominant political and ethical trends of his time. The similarities, however, go deeper. Nietzsche's political philosophy is analogous to that of ''The Prince'' (not ''The Discourses''), though it is worked out and applied over a wider field. Both Nietzsche and Machiavelli have an ethic which aims at power and is deliberately anti-Christian, though Nietzsche is more frank in this respect. What Caesar Borgia was to Machiavelli, Napoleon was to Nietzsche: a great man defeated by petty opponents.
** [[Bertrand Russell]], [[A History of Western Philosophy]] (1945), Book Three, Part II, Chapter XXV. Nietzsche

* Nietzsche's objection to Christianity is that it caused acceptance of what he calls 'slave morality'. It is curious to observe the contrast between his arguments and those of the French ''philosophes'' who preceded the Revolution. They argued that Christian dogmas are untrue; that Christianity teaches submission to what is deemed to be the will of God, whereas self-respecting human beings should not bow before any higher Power; and that the Christian Churches have become the allies of tyrants, and are helping the enemies of democracy to deny liberty and continue to grind the faces of the poor. Nietzsche is not interested in the metaphysical truth of either Christianity or any other religion; being convinced that no religion is really true, he judges all religions entirely by their social effects. He agrees with the ''philosophes'' in objecting to submission to the supposed will of God, but he would substitute for it the will of earthly 'artist-tyrants'. Submission is right, except for these supermen, but not submission to the Christian God. As for the Christian Churches' being allies of tyrants and enemies of democracy, that, he says, is the very reverse of the truth. The French Revolution and Socialism are, according to him, essentially identical in spirit with Christianity; to all alike he is opposed, and for the same reason: that he will not treat all men as equal in any respect whatever.
** [[Bertrand Russell]], [[A History of Western Philosophy]] (1945), Book Three, Part II, Chapter XXV. Nietzsche

* Speaking of [[Baruch Spinoza|Spinoza]] he [Nietzsche] says: "How much of personal timidity and vulnerability does this masquerade of a sickly recluse betray!" Exactly the same may be said of him, with the less reluctance since he has not hesitated to say it of Spinoza. It is obvious that in his day-dreams he is a warrior, not a professor; all the men he admires were military. His opinion of women, like every man's, is an objectification of his own emotion towards them, which is obviously one of fear. "[Thou goest to woman?] Forget not thy whip"—but nine women out of ten would get the whip away from him, and he knew it, so he kept away from women, and soothed his wounded vanity with unkind remarks.
** [[Bertrand Russell]], [[A History of Western Philosophy]] (1945), Book Three, Part II, Chapter XXV. Nietzsche

===S===

* Nietzsche was personally more philosophical than his philosophy. His talk about power, harshness, and superb immorality was the hobby of a harmless young scholar and constitutional invalid. He did not crave in the least either wealth or empire. What he loved was solitude, nature, music, books. But his imagination, like his judgment, was captious; it could not dwell on reality, but reacted furiously against it. Accordingly, when he speaks of the will to be powerful, power is merely an eloquent word on his lips. It symbolises the escape from mediocrity. What power would be when attained and exercised remains entirely beyond his horizon. What meets us everywhere is the sense of impotence and a passionate rebellion against it.
** [[George Santayana]], ''Egotism In German Philosophy'' (1915), Chapter XII

* At the University of Basel Professor [[w:Rudolf Christoph Eucken|Eucken]] often served with Nietzsche on the examining committee of candidates for the doctorate in classical philology. On such occasions, if the student appeared to be getting the worst of it in the verbal contest, Nietzsche would be observed to become more and more nervous until, finally, he could contain himself no longer and would break in with leading questions: "I suppose you mean so-and-so?" or "Do you not believe this or that?" until he got the student to say just about what he should have said in the first place. Professor Eucken does not regard the widespread influence of Nietzsche as altogether evil, believing he should not be held responsible for all the vagaries and extravagances of his devotees. The reason of Nietzsche's popularity, according to Eucken, is his strong individualism; for the Germans, in spite of governmental control and the Social Democracy, are pronounced individualists in character. The German will insist upon having his own house, his own seat, his own opinion.
** Six Major Prophets by [[w:Edwin Emery Slosson| Edwin Emery Slosson]] 1917

*I think he sets a certain standard, let's say a standard of seriousness. (Q: Doesn't he seem intolerant to you, even merciless?) Sontag: He's very vehement, yes. [[Kafka]] too was very vehement, and he excluded a great deal, in his life and in his work. These are people whose lives I find exemplary in some respect-their thoughts, their ideas, their work, their seriousness.
**1987 interview in ''Conversations with [[Susan Sontag]]'' edited by Leland Poague (1995)

* Owing to its radical anti-egalitarianism Nietzsche's vision of a possible future is in a sense more profoundly political than Marx' vision. Like the typical Continental European conservative Nietzsche saw in communism only the completion of democratic egalitarianism and of the liberalistic demand for freedom which is not a "freedom for" but only a "freedom from." But in contradistinction to those conservatives he held that conservatism as such is doomed, since all merely defensive positions, all merely backward looking endeavors are doomed. The future seemed to be with democracy and nationalism. Both were regarded by Nietzsche as incompatible with what he held to be the task of the twentieth century.
** [[Leo Strauss]], "Philosophy as Rigorous Science and Political Philosophy", ''Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy'' 2, no. 1 (1971)

* Nietzsche's criticism can be reduced to one proposition: modern man has been trying to preserve biblical morality while abandoning biblical faith. That is impossible.
** [[Leo Strauss]], "Progress or Return? The Contemporary Crisis in Western Civilization", Modern Judaism 1 (1981)

* It is certainly not an overstatement to say that no one has ever spoken so greatly and so nobly of what a philosopher is as Nietzsche.
** [[Leo Strauss]], "Existentialism", lecture delivered in 1956, published in ''Interpretation'', Spring 1995, Vol. 22, No. 3

===T===

* Friedrich Nietzsche, the famous atheist and ardent enemy of religion and Christianity, knew more about the power the idea of God than many faithful Christians.
** [[Paul Tillich]], ''The Shaking of the Foundations'' (1948), Chapter 6. The Escape From God

* Nietzsche knew of the ambiguity in all life. He knew of the creative and destructive elements which are always present in every life process. If you want to find out about his idea of God, do not look first to his statement that "God is dead." Read instead the last fragments of ''The Will to Power'', which is a collection of fragments. It is not a book in itself. The last fragment describes the divine demonic character of life in formulations which show the ambiguity, the greatness, and the destructiveness of life. He asks us to affirm this life in its great ambiguity. Out of this he then has another kind of God, a God in which the demonic underground, the Dionysian underground, is clearly visible. The victory of the element of rationality or of meaning is not as clear as in other philosophers like Kant or Hegel, Hume or Locke, but there is an opening up of vitality, and its half-creative, half-destructive power.
** [[Paul Tillich]], ''A History of Christian Thought'', p. 494

* This divergence and perversion of the essential question is most striking in what goes today by the name of philosophy. There would seem to be only one question for philosophy to resolve: What must I do? Despite being combined with an enormous amount of unnecessary confusion, answers to the question have at any rate been given within the philosophical tradition on the Christian nations. For example, in [[Kant]]'s [[w:Critique of Practical Reason|Critique of Practical Reason]], or in [[Spinoza]], [[Schopenhauer]] and specially [[Rousseau]]. But in more recent times, since [[Hegel]]'s assertion that all that exists is reasonable, the question of what one must do has been pushed to the background and philosophy has directed its whole attention to the investigation of things as they are, and to fitting them into a prearranged theory. This was the first step backwards. The second step, degrading human thought yet further, was the acceptance of the struggle for existence as a basic law, simply because that struggle can be observed among animals and plants. According to this theory the destruction of the weakest is a law which should not be opposed. And finally, the third step was taken when the childish originality of Nietzsche´s half-crazed thought, presenting nothing complete or coherent, but only various drafts of immoral and completely unsubstantiated ideas, was accepted by the leading figures as the final word in philosophical science. In reply to the question: what must we do? the answer is now put straightforwardly as: live as you like, without paying attention to the lives of others. If anyone doubted that the Christian world of today has reached a frightful state of torpor and brutalization (not forgeting the recent crimes committed in the Boers and in China, which were defended by the clergy and acclaimed as heroic feats by all the world powers), the extraordinary success of Nietzsche's works is enough to provide irrefutable proof of this. Some disjointed writings, striving after effect in a most sordid manner, appear, written by a daring, but limited and abnormal German, suffering from power mania. Neither in talent nor in their basic argument to these writings justify public attention. In the days of Kant, [[Leibniz]], or [[Hume]], or even fifty years ago, such writings would not only have received no attention, but they would not even have appeared. But today all the so called educated people are praising the ravings of Mr. N, arguing about him, elucidating him, and countless copies of his works are printed in all languages.
** [[Leo Tolstoy]], ''What is Religion : Of What Does its Essence Consist?'' (1902), Ch. 11

* The whole world knows that virtue consists in the subjugation of one's passions, or in self-renunciation. It is not just the Christian world, against whom Nietzsche howls, that knows this, but it is an eternal supreme law towards which all humanity has developed, including Brahmanism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and the ancient Persian religion. And suddenly a man appears who declares that he is convinced that self-renunciation, meekness, submissiveness and love are all vices that destroy humanity (he has in mind Christianity, ignoring all the other religions). One can understand why such a declaration baffled people at first. But after giving it a little thought and failing to find any proof of the strange propositions, any rational person ought to throw the books aside and wonder if there is any kind of rubbish that would not find a publisher today. But this has not happened with Nietzsche´s books. The majority of pseudo-enlightened people seriously look into the theory of the [[w:übermensch|übermensch]], and acknowledge its author to be a great philosopher, a descendant of [[Descartes]], [[Leibniz]] and [[Kant]]. And all this has come about because the majority of pseudo-enlightened men of today object to any reminder of virtue, or to its chief premise: self-renunciation and love—virtues that restrain and condemn the animal side of their life. They gladly welcome a doctrine, however incoherently and disjointedly expressed, of egotism and cruelty, sanctioning the idea of personal happiness and superiority over the lives of others, by which they live.
** [[Leo Tolstoy]], ''What is Religion : Of What Does its Essence Consist?'' (1902), Ch. 11

* It would certainly not be difficult to unearth in Nietzsche’s voluminous works a few pages which, outside their context, might serve to illustrate any preconceived thesis, particularly within the framework of a global exegesis which, parenthetically, would be quite useful to the works of Nietzsche, which are more obscure than profound. This is what the [[anarchism|anarchists]] of Western Europe did, who hastened to consider Nietzsche one of them and who received a cruel rebuff: the philosopher of the master’s morality rejected them with all the rudeness he was capable of. It is clear to the reader, we hope, that we find sterile such a literary and textual attitude towards the writings rich in paradoxes of the recently deceased German thinker, whose aphorisms are often contradictory and in general allow for dozens of interpretations. The natural road towards a correct clarification of Nietzschean philosophy is the analysis of the social base that gave birth to this complex product. The present article strove to carry out an analysis of this kind. The base revealed itself to be rotten, pernicious, and poisoned. From which this conclusion: let them invite us as much as they want to dive in all confidence into Nietzscheism, to breathe deeply in his works the fresh air of proud [[individualism]]. We will not answer these appeals and, without fearing facile reproaches of narrowness and exclusivism, will reply with skepticism the way Nathaniel did in the gospel: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
** [[Leon Trotsky]], ''On the Philosophy of the Superman'' (1900)

* Probably no one as skillfully as Nietzsche has managed to appeal to the wild instincts that are dormant in man, and on the other hand to outrage at himself all the lofty feelings that we owe to the higher element in us. This way of writing ensured Nietzsche a huge number of readers.
** [[w:Kazimierz Twardowski|Kazimierz Twardowski]], "Fryderyk Nietzsche". In Lewicki, Witold (ed.). ''Przełom'', R. 1, Vienna, 8 June 1885, no. 2-3, p. 77.

===V===

* Nietzsche does not favor reckless, anarchic action. The model of the artist, and more specifically the musician, is important. Rhythm is of the essence; timing of notes, of actions, allows for a style that is cohesive, even if not uniform. The music that emerges comes out over time, it becomes and develops slowly into a whole that is effective if timed well. Again Nietzsche sees that artists, especially musicians and poets, have such a talent. And to the extent that a writer writes poetically, he also shares in this talent.
** Diego A. von Vacano, ''The Art of Power: Machiavelli, Nietzsche and the Making of Aesthetic Political Theory'' (2007, Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books, pp. 99-100)

* In Nietzsche and [Jakob] Burckhardt the German language had its last great voices of the old [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethean]] individualism amid the triumphant [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck]] era of [[statism]] and mechanized material [[power]]. . . . Nietzsche remains unequaled in anticipating out ever-increasing need today for the full, unmechanized personality.
** [[Peter Viereck]], ''The Unadjusted Man'', (1956) p. 56.

* The two leitmotifs of the present writer's ''Metapolitics: From the Romantics to Hitler'', 1941, were the rival outlooks of Nietzsche, [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]]: Nietzsche as the voice warning Germany against [[nationalism]], [[anti-Semitism]], [[Herd mentality|herd-collectivism]]; Wagner as the voice teaching Hitler his Aryan [[racism]], anti-parliamentary [[leadership]]-cult, anti-[[Aristocracy|aristocratic]] cult of the collective "[[folk]]." . . . Nietzsche's was the only voice in the 1880's to say that Richard Wagner's folk-[[romanticism]] and anti-Semitism would make his German nationalist disciples "the destroyers of both German and European [[culture]]."
** [[Peter Viereck]], ''The Unadjusted Man'', pp. 57–58.

===W===

[[File:Nietzschetotenmasksm.jpg|thumb|right|The [[faith]] men formerly invested in [[God]] they would now invest in barbaric "brotherhoods with the aim of the robbery and exploitation of the non-brothers." ~ [[Tom Wolfe]].]]
[[File:Sils Maria 02.JPG|thumb|right|Nietzsche did not think that the ideal of truthfulness went into retirement when its metaphysical origins were discovered, and he did not suppose, either, that truthfulness could be detached from a concern for the truth. Truthfulness as an ideal retains its power, and so far from his seeing truth as dispensable or malleable, his main question is how it can be made bearable. ~ [[Bernard Williams]]]]

* Nietzsche, like other young men of great intellectual gifts, was debilitated by the effects of masturbation.
** [[Richard Wagner]], as quoted by Siegfried Mandel in the Introduction to ''Nietzsche'' by Lou Salmoé (University of Illinois press, 2001), page 55

* In 1870 Nietzsche knew that nihilism stood at the door; now it is with us. Despair for mankind is nearly universal. What hope is there? The current protest of youth is basically a rebellion against a nihilistic society, but what comes next?
** [[Lancelot Law Whyte]], ''The Universe of Experience: A Worldview Beyond Science and Religion'' (1974)

* I don't see Nietzsche as the sort of philosopher whose views you just adopt: there are all sorts of problems with his positive views about the future, about politics, and so on. I see him in the same way that Foucault saw him, as a sort of resource. Foucault said that there isn't any one Nietzsche: everybody gets out of him what they find most helpful. I'm also convinced, from my own experience, that you get most out of him when you've got part of the way there on some path of your own. I think it's arriving at some thoughts of my own which turned out to be not dissimilar to things that Nietzsche had developed in greater depth that has greatly increased my interest in him. I do think that his genealogies are very remarkable constructions, and deserve our attention and respect. But of course they go beyond the metaphysical psychology of Kantian moralism. They also extend much more generally to the sources of our moral conceptions and their associated metaphysical models.
** [[Bernard Williams]], interview in ''Key Philosophers in Conversation'' (1999) edited by Andrew Pyle

* Although Nietzsche was keenly alive to what concerns the deniers, he was an opponent of them. The indifference to truthfulness which they encourage would be for him merely an aspect of nihilism. When he discovered that the values of truth and truthfulness, such as the resistance to self-deception and to comforting mythologies, were not self-justifying and not given simply with the concept of truth—unless the concept of truth is itself inflated into providing some metaphysical teleology of human existence, of the kind that he rejected in Platonism—he did not settle for a demure civic conversation in the style of [[Richard Rorty]]'s ironist, or saunter off with the smug nod that registers a [[deconstruction|deconstructive]] job neatly done. He was aware that his own criticisms and exposures owed both their motivation and their effect to the spirit of truthfulness. His aim was to see how far the values of truth could be revalued, how they might be understood in a perspective quite different from the [[Plato|Platonic]] and [[Christianity|Christian]] metaphysics which had provided their principal source in the West up to now.
** [[Bernard Williams]], ''Truth and Truthfulness'' (2002), Chap. 1 : The Problems

* Anyone who can understand that the Buddhist idea of Nirvana is not merely negative, and that the Buddha himself who (like the Superman) 'looks down on suffering humanity like a hillsman on the planes' is not an atheistic monster, will instantly see how this misses the point. Nietzsche was not an atheist, any more than the [[Buddha]] was. Anyone who reads the Night Song and the Dance Song in Zarathustra will recognize that they spring out of the same emotion as the Vedic or Gathic hymns or the Psalms of David. The idea of the Superman is a response to the need for salvation in precisely the same way that Buddhism was a response to the 'three signs'.
** [[Colin Wilson]] in ''The Outsider'', p. 135

* Nietzsche's great concept of Yea-saying gave him a notion of purpose that is seen as positive. Nietzsche, in short, was a religious mystic.
** [[Colin Wilson]] in ''The Outsider'', p. 275

*Nietzsche was used to being alone. He regarded it as being part of destiny of the man of genius. His hero, Schopenhauer, convinced him of it when he was barely twenty, and although he came later to reject Schopenhauer, he never rebelled against his destiny of aloneness.
** [[Colin Wilson]] in ''The Outsider'', Chapter Five ''The Pain Threshold''

* The rather more dubious side of Nietzsche's 'evolutionism' is his glorification of the warrior -- particularly when, as an exemplification of the warrior-hero, he chooses an archetypal 'spoilt brat' like cesare Borgia. Nietzsche's own physical weakness and consequent inability to escape the atmosphere of the study leads him to take a rather unrealistic view of the man of action.
** [[Colin Wilson]] in ''Rudolf Steiner: The Man and His Vision'', p. 87

*Nietzsche was not an atheist, any more than the Buddha was.
**Colin Wilson in The Outsider, Chapter Five The Pain Threshold

* Both Nietzsche and [[Karl Marx|Marx]] did their greatest work seeking to explain the mystery. The term both used was "decadence." But if there was decadence, what was decaying? Religious faith and moral codes that had been in place since time was, said Nietzsche, who in 1882 made the most famous statement in modern philosophy — "God is dead" — and three startlingly accurate predictions for the twentieth century. He even estimated when they would begin to come true: about 1915. (1) The faith men formerly invested in God they would now invest in barbaric "brotherhoods with the aim of the robbery and exploitation of the non-brothers." Their names turned out, in due course, to be the German Nazis and the Russian Communists. (2) There would be "wars such as have never been waged on earth." Their names turned out to be World War I and World War II. (3) There no longer would be Truth but, rather, "truth" in quotation marks, depending upon which concoction of eternal verities the modem barbarian found most useful at any given moment. The result would be universal skepticism, cynicism, irony, and contempt. The First World War began in 1914 and ended in 1918. On cue, as if Nietzsche were still alive to direct the drama, an entirely new figure, with an entirely new name, arose in Europe: that embodiment of skepticism, cynicism, irony, and contempt, the Intellectual.
** [[Tom Wolfe]], "In the Land of the Rococo Marxists," ''Harpers Monthly'' (June 2000)

===Z===
* In his book ''Modern Times'', the historian Paul Johnson referred to Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini as the three devils of the twentieth century. Interestingly, Nietzshean dogma influenced each of them.
** {{cite book
| author = Ravi Zacharias
| authorlink = Ravi Zacharias
| title = The Real Face of Atheism
| year = 2004
| isbn = 9780801065118
| ol = 3293056M
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=0SD0mYaYz3sC&pg=PA25&dq=%22in+his+book+Modern+Times%22
| page = 25}}

* The tragedy of Friedrich Nietzsche's life was that it happened to be a one-man show, a monodrama wherein no other actor entered upon the stage. As the acts of the play precipitate themselves like an avalanche before our eyes, the solitary fighter stands alone beneath the louring skies of destiny—not a soul is at his side to succour him; no woman is there to soften by her ever-present sympathy the stresses of the atmosphere. Every action takes its birth in him, and its repercussions are felt by him alone. The few figures which, at the outset, creep by in the shadow of his person, accompany his heroic enterprise with gestures of dumb astonishment and fear; soon they glide away and vanish as if faced by some danger. Not one person ventures to enter wholeheartedly into the innermost sanctum of Nietzsche's destiny; the poet-philosopher is doomed to speak, to struggle, to suffer alone. He converses with no one, and no one has anything to say to him. What is even more terrible is that none hearken to his voice.
** [[Stefan Zweig]], ''The Struggle with the Daemon: Holderlin, Kleist, and Nietzsche'' (1925), translated by Eden and Cedar Paul

* Nietzsche was not a poseur, nor was he represented as a hero during his lifetime. Since his death, many who claim to be his disciples have pictured him as an archetypal hero. Defiant carriage of the head; a lofty brow furrowed with sombre thoughts; thick, wavy hair, clustering down to the strong column of the neck; two falcon eyes beneath bushy eyebrows; every feature of this masterful countenance taut with willpower, health and strength—such is the portrait usually given of him. Like a second Vercingetorix, he is shown with a heavy moustache falling manfully over the hard-set lips which surmount a prominent chin, and involuntarily the image called up is that of the barbarian warrior, a Viking of the Teutonic north striding forward sword in hand to victory, his hunting horn slung over his shoulder and a spear within easy reach. It is thus that our sculptors and painters delight in portraying him, a Germanic superman, a Prometheus bound, hoping thereby to render this great recluse more accessible to men of little faith who, corrupted by school books and stage presentations, are incapable of detecting tragedy unless it is draped in theatrical trappings. But genuine tragedy is never theatrical, and the true portrait of Nietzsche is far less picturesque than busts and paintings of him would have us believe.
** [[Stefan Zweig]], ''The Struggle with the Daemon: Holderlin, Kleist, and Nietzsche'' (1925), translated by Eden and Cedar Paul

== See also ==
* [[God is dead]]
* [[Übermensch]]
* [[Nicolás Gómez Dávila]] – sometimes considered the 'Colombian Nietzsche'
* [[H. L. Mencken]] – sometimes considered the 'American Nietzsche'

'''Works about Nietzsche'''
* [[Georg Brandes#An Essay on Aristocratic Radicalism (1889)|Georg Brandes, ''An Essay on Aristocratic Radicalism'' (1889)]]
* [[Laurence Lampert#Leo Strauss and Nietzsche (1996)|Laurence Lampert, ''Leo Strauss and Nietzsche'' (1996)]]
* [[Alexander_Nehamas#Nietzsche:_Life_as_Literature_(1985)|Alexander Nehamas, ''Nietzsche: Life as Literature'' (1985)]]
* [[Sarah Kofman#Nietzsche et la métaphore (1972)|Sarah Kofman, ''Nietzsche et la métaphore'' (1972)]]
* [[Gilles Deleuze#Nietzsche and Philosophy (1962)|Gilles Deleuze, ''Nietzsche and Philosophy'' (1962)]]
* [[Martin Heidegger#Nietzsche (1961)|Martin Heidegger, ''Nietzsche'' (1961)]]
* [[Walter Kaufmann (philosopher)#Nietzsche, Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist (1951)|Walter Kaufmann, ''Nietzsche, Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist'' (1951)]]
* [[Karl Jaspers#Nietzsche (1946)|Karl Jaspers, ''Nietzsche'' (1946)]]
* [[Georges Bataille#On Nietzsche (1945)|Georges Bataille, ''On Nietzsche'' (1945)]]
* [[A History of Western Philosophy#Chapter XXV. Nietzsche|Bertrand Russell, ''A History of Western Philosophy'']]
* [[Brian Leiter#"The_Hermeneutics_of_Suspicion:_Recovering_Marx,_Nietzsche,_and_Freud"|Brian Leiter, "The Hermeneutics of Suspicion: Recovering Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud"]]

{{Conservative intellectuals}}
{{Social and political philosophers}}

==External links==
{{wikipedia}}
{{wikisource author}}
{{Commons|Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche}}
Full texts of Nietzsche's works:
*{{gutenberg author | id=Friedrich_Nietzsche | name=Friedrich Nietzsche}}
* [http://www.fns.org.uk/ac.htm ''The Antichrist'', at the Nietzsche Society]
* [http://www.davemckay.co.uk/philosophy/nietzsche/ Complete Works Online, including selected Letters]
* [[w:Open Directory Project|Open Directory Project]]: [[dmoz:Society/Philosophy/Philosophers/N/Nietzsche,_Friedrich/| Friedrich Nietzsche]]
* [http://www.agellus.org/nietzsche Wiki Nietzsche]
Quotations:
* [http://www.theperspectivesofnietzsche.com/ The perspectives of Nietzsche]
* [http://www.nietzschesource.org/#eKGWB/ Nietzsche Source]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nietzsche, Friedrich}}
[[Category:1844 births]]
[[Category:1900 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century philosophers]]
[[Category:Aphorists]]
[[Category:Composers from Germany]]
[[Category:Criticism of Christianity]]
[[Category:Existentialists]]
[[Category:German atheists]]
[[Category:Journalists from Germany]]
[[Category:Music critics]]
[[Category:Nihilists]]
[[Category:Novelists from Germany]]
[[Category:Philologists]]
[[Category:Philosophers from Germany]]
[[Category:Philosophical idealists]]
[[Category:Philosophical pessimists]]
[[Category:Poets from Germany]]
[[Category:Social critics]]

Sitting Bull

2026-06-21T10:53:37Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ Add more from Eastman

[[File:Sitting Bull.jpg|thumb|The love of possessions is a disease in them. These people have made many rules that the rich may break, but the poor may not! They have a religion in which the poor worship, but the rich will not! They even take tithes from the poor and weak to support the rich and those who rule.]]

'''[[w:Sitting Bull|Sitting Bull]]''' (''c''. [[1831]] – [[15 December]] [[1890]]) was a [[w:Hunkpapa|Hunkpapa]] [[w:Lakota|Lakota]] [[w:Sioux|Sioux]] [[w:holy man|holy man]] and [[w:war chief|war chief]], notable for his role in the defeat of [[w:George Armstrong Custer|George Armstrong Custer]] and the [[w:U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment|U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment]] at the [[w:Battle of Little Bighorn|Battle of Little Bighorn]].

== Quotes ==

[[File:Chief sitting bull.JPG|244px|thumb|right|The white man knows how to make everything, but he does not know how to distribute it.]]
[[File:Sittingbull1883.jpg|thumb|What treaties that the whites have kept, that the red man broken? Not one. What treaties that the white man gave to us they kept? Not one.]]
[[File:Sitting Bull by Caroline Weldon oil on canvas 1890.jpg|thumb|There was a Great Spirit who guided and controlled that battle. I could do nothing. I was sustained by the Great Mysterious One... [Speaking of the Custer fight]]]

* Yet hear me, friends! W have now to deal with another people, small and feeble when our forefathers first met with them, but now great and overbearing. Strangely enough, they have a mind to till the soil, and the love of possessions is a disease in them. These people have made many rules that the rich may break, but the poor may not! They have a religion in which the poor worship, but the rich will not! They even take tithes of the poor and weak to support the rich and those who rule. They claim this mother of ours, the Earth, for their own use, and fence their neighbors away from her, and deface her with their buildings and their refuse. They compel her to produce out of season, and when sterile she is made to take medicine in order to produce again. All this is sacrilege.
** As quoted by [[Charles Eastman]], ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/336 Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains]'' (1918)

* This nation is like a spring freshet; it overruns its banks and destroys all who are in its path. We cannot dwell side by side. Only seven years ago we made a treaty by which we were assured that the buffalo country should be left to us forever. Now they threaten to take that from us also. My brothers, shall we submit? or shall we say to them: ‘First kill me, before you can take possession of my fatherland!’
** As quoted by [[Charles Eastman]], ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/336 Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains]'' (1918)

* Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love! Every seed is awakened, and all animal life. It is through this mysterious power that we too have our being, and we therefore yield to our neighbors, even to our animal neighbors, the same right as ourselves to inhabit this vast land.
** As quoted by [[Charles Eastman]], ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/336 Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains]'' (1918)

* You come here to tell us lies, but we don't want to hear them. If we told you more, you would have paid no attention. That is all I have to say.
** As recorded by reporters covering a speech made by Sitting Bull to U.S. military officers at a conference between the military and the Sioux who had retreated to Canada. Published in Utley, Robert M. ''The Lance and the Shield.'' New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1993. p. 196.

* I hardly sustain myself beneath the weight of white men's blood that I have shed. The whites provoked the war; their injustices, their indignities to our families, the cruel, unheard of and wholly [[w:Sand Creek massacre|unprovoked massacre at Fort Lyon]] … shook all the veins which bind and support me. I rose, tomahawk in hand, and I have done all the hurt to the whites that I could.
** Recorded by the Jesuit priest [[w:Pierre-Jean De Smet|Pierre-Jean De Smet]] after a council with Sitting Bull on June 19,1868. Published in Utley, Robert M. ''The Lance and the Shield.'' New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1993. p. 79-80.

* I have killed, robbed, and injured too many white men to believe in a good peace. They are medicine, and I would eventually die a lingering death. I had rather die on the field of battle.
** Recorded by Charles Larpenteur at Fort Union in [[1867]]. Published in Utley, Robert M. ''The Lance and the Shield.'' New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1993. p. 73.

* Look at me, see if I am poor, or my people either. The whites may get me at last, as you say, but I will have good times till then. You are fools to make yourselves slaves to a piece of fat bacon, some hard-tack, and a little sugar and coffee.
** Also told to Charles Larpenteur at Fort Union in [[1867]]. Published in Utley, Robert M. ''The Lance and the Shield.'' New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1993. p. 73.

* I am nothing, neither a chief nor a soldier.
** Recorded by a reporter after Sitting Bull's retreat to Canada after being defeated in the [[w:Black Hills War|Black Hills War]], originally published in the [[w:New York Herald|New York Herald]] on [[November 16]], [[1877]]. Published in Utley, Robert M. ''The Lance and the Shield.'' New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1993. p. 190.

* This is a good day to die. Follow me!
**Rallying cry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn (25 June 1876), quoted in ''Campaigns of General Custer in the North-west'' by Judson Elliott Walker

* I will remain what I am until I die, a hunter, and when there are no buffalo or other game I will send my children to hunt and live on prairie, for where an Indian is shut up in one place his body becomes weak.
** Recorded by James M. Walsh, inspector in the [[w:Northwest Territory|Northwest Territory]] of the [[w:Royal Canadian Mounted Police|Royal Canadian Mounted Police]], at a conference with Sitting Bull on [[March 23]], [[1879]]. Published in Utley, Robert M. ''The Lance and the Shield.'' New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1993. p. 206.

* I am here by the will of the Great Spirit, and by his will I am chief.… I want to tell you that if the Great Spirit has chosen anyone to be the chief of this country, it is myself.
**''Testimony to the Dawes Commission'' (22 August 1883)

* Because I am a red man. If the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man he would have made me so in the first place. He put in your heart certain wishes and plans; in my heart he put other and different desires. Each man is good in the sight of the Great Spirit. It is not necessary, that eagles should be crows.
**Quoted in Vine Deloria, ''God Is Red: A Native View of Religion''. Golden, Colo: Fulcrum Pub, 2003, cited to Virginia Armstrong, ''I have spoken; American history through the voices of the Indians''. Chicago, Sage Books, 1971.

*For 64 years you have kept me and my people and treated us bad. What have we done that you should want us to stop? We have done nothing. It is all the people on your side that have started us to do all these depredations. We could not go anywhere else, and so we took refuge in this country. It was on this side of the country we learned to shoot, and that is the reason why I came back to it again. I would like to know why you came here. In the first place, I did not give you the country, but you followed me from one place to another, so I had to leave and come over to this country. I was born and raised in this country with the Red River Half-Breeds, and I intend to stop with them. I was raised hand in hand with the Red River Half Breeds, and we are going over to that part of the country, and that; is the reason why I have come over here. That is the way I was raised, in the hands of these people here, and that is the way I intend to be with them. You have got ears, and you have got eyes to see with them, and you see how I live with these people. You see me? Here I am! If you think I am a fool you are a bigger fool than I am. This house is a medicine-house. Yon come here to tell us lies, but we don't want to hear them. I don't wish any such language used to me; that is, to tell me such lies in my great Mother's house. Don't you say two more words. Go back home where you came from. This country is mine, and I intend to stay here, and to raise this country full of grown people. See these people here. We were raised with them.
**[https://www.minotstateu.edu/library/pdf/ecoll_SittingBull.pdf ''Sitting Bull speaking to the U.S. Secretary of War & Secretary of the Interior, as recorded by the Northwest Mounted Police, Fort Walsh, Saskatchewan, Canada'' p. 9 ] (18 October 1877)

== Quotes about Sitting Bull ==

* Sitting Bull gave most of the money away to the band of ragged, hungry boys who seemed to surround him wherever he went. He once told Annie Oakley, another one of the {{w|Wild West Show}}'s stars, that he could not understand how white men could be so unmindful of their own poor. '''"The white man knows how to make everything," he said, "but he does not know how to distribute it."'''
** [[w:Dee Brown (writer)|Dee Brown]], ''{{w|Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee}}'' (1970)

*It is not easy to characterize Sitting Bull, of all Sioux chiefs most generally known to the American people... The man was an enigma at best. He was not impulsive, nor was he phlegmatic. He was most serious when he seemed to be jocose. He was gifted with the power of sarcasm, and few have used it more artfully than he.
*...It was said of him in a joking way that his legs were bowed like the ribs of the ponies that he rode constantly from childhood... It is told that after a buffalo hunt the boys were enjoying a mimic hunt with the calves that had been left behind. A large calf turned viciously on Sitting Bull, whose pony had thrown him, but the alert youth got hold of both ears and struggled until the calf was pushed back into a buffalo wallow in a sitting posture. The boys shouted: "He has subdued the buffalo calf! He made it sit down!" And from this incident was derived his familiar name of Sitting Bull.
*It is a mistake to suppose that Sitting Bull, or any other Indian warrior, was of a murderous disposition. It is true that savage warfare had grown more and more harsh and cruel since the coming of white traders among them, bringing guns, knives, and whisky... It was the degree of risk which brought honor, rather than the number slain, and a brave must mourn thirty days, with blackened face and loosened hair, for the enemy whose life he had taken. While the spoils of war were allowed, this did not extend to territorial aggrandizement, nor was there any wish to overthrow another nation and enslave its people. It was a point of honor in the old days to treat a captive with kindness. The common impression that the Indian is naturally cruel and revengeful is entirely opposed to his philosophy and training...
*...As he talked he seemed to take hold of his hearers more and more. He was bull-headed; quick to grasp a situation, and not readily induced to change his mind. He was not suspicious until he was forced to be so. All his meaner traits were inevitably developed by the events of his later career.
*[His] history has been written many times by newspaper men and army officers, but I find no account of him which is entirely correct. I met him personally in 1884, and since his death I have gone thoroughly into the details of his life with his relatives and contemporaries...
*When Sitting Bull was a boy, there was no thought of trouble with the whites. He was acquainted with many of the early traders...and liked them, as did most of his people in those days. All the early records show this friendly attitude of the Sioux, and the great fur companies for a century and a half depended upon them for the bulk of their trade. It was not until the middle of the last century...
*They [Sitting Bull's people] would not have anything of the white man except his hatchet, gun, and knife. They utterly refused to cede their lands; and as for the rest, they were willing to let him alone as long as he did not interfere with their life and customs, which was not long...
*Sitting Bull joined in the attack on Fort Phil Kearny and in the subsequent hostilities; but he accepted in good faith the treaty of 1868, and soon after it was signed he visited Washington... [He] hoped [for] close adherence to the terms of this treaty to preserve the Big Horn and Black Hills country for a permanent hunting ground. When gold was discovered and the irrepressible gold seekers made their historic dash across the plains into this forbidden paradise, then his faith in the white man's honor was gone forever.
**[http://www.indigenouspeople.net/sittbull.htm ''Sitting Bull as Remembered by Ohiyesa'' (AKA: Charles A. Eastman)] (1918)

*After the Ghost Dance spread across the Rockies to the Plains tribes it ran amok. ...The fervor attacked the Plains tribes virulently, particularly the Sioux, who were at that time the largest and the most intransigent of them all. The Sioux had been forced to submit to a series of land grabs and to indignities that are almost unbelievable when read about today. ...they were being systematically starved into submission—by the White Bureaucracy—on the little that was left of their reservation in South Dakota. ...From Rosebud, the Ghost Dance spread like prairie fire to the Pine Ridge Sioux and finally to Sitting Bull's people at Standing Rock. The Sioux rebelled; the result was the death of Sitting Bull and the massacre of the Indians (despite their ghost shirts) at Wounded Knee in 1890.
**[[Peter Farb]], ''Man's Rise to Civilization'' (1968).

==See Also==

*[[Black Elk]]
*[[Charles Eastman]]
*[[Chief Joseph]]
*[[Crazy Horse]]
*[[Geronimo]]
*[[Red Cloud]]
*[[Tecumseh]]

==External links==
{{wikipedia}}
{{commons}}
* [http://collections.si.edu/search/results.jsp?view=&dsort=&date.slider=&q=Sitting+Bull+drawing+-%22Four+Horns%22&fq=online_visual_material%3Atrue Sitting Bull's ledger drawings], Smithsonian Institution
* [https://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/sittingbull.htm "Sitting Bull"], PBS ''The West''
*[http://www.indigenouspeople.net/sittbull.htm Sitting Bull as Remembered by Ohiyesa AKA: Charles A. Eastman (1918)]
*[https://www.minotstateu.edu/library/pdf/ecoll_SittingBull.pdf https://www.minotstateu.edu/library/pdf/ecoll_SittingBull.pdf page 9...]

[[Category:Native American military leaders]]
[[Category:Lakota]]
[[Category:1830s births]]
[[Category:1890 deaths]]
[[Category:People from South Dakota]]
[[Category:Religious leaders from the United States]]
[[Category:Murdered people]]

Crowfoot

2026-06-21T01:49:30Z

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[[File:Chief Crowfoot.jpg|thumb|right|Crowfoot circa 1885]]
'''[[w:Crowfoot|Crowfoot]]''' (c. [[1830]] – [[25 April]] [[1890]]) or Isapo-Muxika was a chief of the [[w:Siksika_Nation|Siksika]] First Nation in Canada.
{{political-stub}}

== Quotes ==
* What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
** Crowfoot's last words, 1890; reported in ‎Clark Tibbitts, ''Aging in the Modern World: Selections from the Literature of Aging for Pleasure and Instruction'' (1957), p. 222. Also found in ''King Solomon's Mines'' by H. Rider Haggard (1885).

== External links ==
{{wikipedia}}
{{Commons cat|Crowfoot}}

[[Category:First Nations people]]
[[Category:Heads of state]]
[[Category:1890 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Alberta]]

Crowfoot

2026-06-21T01:48:42Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ ce

[[File:Chief Crowfoot.jpg|thumb|right]]
'''[[w:Crowfoot|Crowfoot]]''' (c. [[1830]] – [[25 April]] [[1890]]) or Isapo-Muxika was a chief of the [[w:Siksika_Nation|Siksika]] First Nation in Canada.
{{political-stub}}
== Quotes ==
* What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
** Crowfoot's last words, 1890; reported in ‎Clark Tibbitts, ''Aging in the Modern World: Selections from the Literature of Aging for Pleasure and Instruction'' (1957), p. 222. Also found in ''King Solomon's Mines'' by H. Rider Haggard (1885).

== External links ==
{{wikipedia}}
{{Commons cat|Crowfoot}}

[[Category:First Nations people]]
[[Category:Heads of state]]
[[Category:1890 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Alberta]]

Su Shi

2026-05-26T00:45:12Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ link

[[File:'Su Dongpo' by Tomita Keisen, Honolulu Museum of Art 13215.1.JPG|thumb|[[Life]] passes like a [[spring]] [[dream]] without a trace.]]
'''[[w:Su Shi|Su Shi]]''' (苏轼; [[8 January]] [[1037]] – [[24 August]] [[1101]]), also known as '''Su Dongpo''', was a [[Chinese]] [[writer]], [[poet]], [[painter]], [[w:Chinese calligraphy|calligrapher]], [[w:pharmacologist|pharmacologist]], [[w:gastronome|gastronome]], and a [[wikt:statesman|statesman]] of the [[w:Song dynasty|Song dynasty]].

==Quotes==

[[File:Leifang Pagoda Sunset.jpg|thumb|The brimming waves delight the eye on sunny days; The dimming hills give a rare view in rainy haze. The West Lake looks like the fair lady at her best Whether she is richly adorned or plainly dressed.]]

* 水光潋滟晴方好，山色空蒙雨亦奇。 欲把西湖比西子，淡妆浓抹总相宜。
** The brimming waves delight the eye on sunny days; The dimming hills give a rare view in rainy haze. The [[w:West Lake|West Lake]] looks like the fair lady at her best Whether she is richly adorned or plainly dressed.
*** "The West Lake, the Beauty" (《饮湖上初晴后雨》) (1073), in ''Song of the Immortals: An Anthology of Classical Chinese Poetry'', trans. [[w:Yuanchong Xu|Yuanchong Xu]] (Beijing: New World Press, 1994), p. 200

* 横看成岭侧成峰，远近高低各不同。 不识庐山真面目，只缘身在此山中。
** From the side, a whole range; from the end, a single peak; far, near, high, low, no two parts alike. Why can't I tell the true shape of [[w:Mount Lu|Lu-shan]]? Because I myself am in the mountain.
*** "Written on the Wall at West Forest Temple" (《题西林壁》) (1084), in ''Selected Poems of Su Tung-p'o'', trans. Burton Watson (Port Townsend, Wash.: Copper Canyon Press, 1994), p. 108

[[File:Su Shi.jpg|thumb|For ten long years the living of the dead knows nought. Though to my mind not brought, Could the dead be forgot?]]
* 十年生死两茫茫。不思量，自难忘。
** For ten long years the living of the dead knows nought. Though to my mind not brought, Could the dead be forgot?
*** "Dreaming of My Deceased Wife on the Night of the Twentieth Day of the First Month" (《江城子·乙卯正月二十日夜记梦》), in ''Song of the Immortals: An Anthology of Classical Chinese Poetry'', trans. Yuanchong Xu (Beijing: New World Press, 1994), p. 202

* 清夜无尘，月色如银。酒斟时须满十分。浮名浮利，虚苦劳神。叹隙中驹，石中火，梦中身。虽抱文章，开口谁亲？且陶陶乐尽天真。几时归去，作个闲人，对一张琴，一壶酒，一溪云。
** O the clear moon's speckless, silvery night! When filling thy cup, be sure to fill it quite! Strive not for frothy fame or bubble wealth! A passing dream— A flashing flint— A shadow's flight!O what is knowledge, fine and superfine? To innocent and simple joys resign! To be myself and in contentment face A valley of clouds— a sweet-toned ''[[w:Guqin|ch'in]]''— A jug of wine!
** "Random Thoughts, to the Tune of Shinghsiangtse" (《行香子·述怀》), in ''Lin Yutang Chinese-English Bilingual Edition: Selected Poems and Prose of Su Tungpo'', trans. [[Lin Yutang]] (Taipei: Cheng Chung Book, 2008), p. 145

* 事如春梦了无痕。
** Life is like a spring dream which vanishes without a trace.
*** As quoted in ''[[Six Records of a Floating Life]]'' by [[w:Shen Fu|Shen Fu]], Chapter 1: 'Wedded Bliss'; translated by Lin Yutang in ''The Wisdom of China and India'' (1942), p. 968
*** Variant translation:
**** Life passes like a spring dream without a trace.
***** Lin Yutang, ''The Importance of Living'' (1937), p. 156

* Families when a child is born Hope it will turn out intelligent. I, through intelligence Having wrecked my whole life, Only hope that the baby will prove Ignorant and stupid. Then he'll be happy all his days And grow into a cabinet minister.
** "On the Birth of a Son", translated by [[Arthur Waley]] in ''[[w:Poetry (magazine)|Poetry]]'' (January 1918) and revised, as "On the Birth of his Son", in ''170 Chinese Poems'' (1918) p. 98:
**: Families, when a child is born Want it to be intelligent. I, through intelligence, Having wrecked my whole life, Only hope the baby will prove Ignorant and stupid. Then he will crown a tranquil life By becoming a Cabinet Minister.

* What a ruler has to rely upon is only the human heart. Human hearts are to the ruler what roots are to a tree, what oil is to a lamp, water to fish, fields to a farmer, or money to a merchant.
** As quoted in ''Sources of Chinese Tradition: From Earliest Times to 1600'' (1999), Wm. Theodore De Bary & Irene Bloom

==Quotes about Su Shi==
[[File:Lin Yutang.jpg|thumb|The mention of Su Tungpo always elicits an affectionate and warm admiring smile in China. ~ [[Lin Yutang]]]]
* There had to be one Su Tungpo, but there could not be two.
** [[Lin Yutang]], ''The Gay Genius'' (1947), p. vii

* The mention of Su Tungpo always elicits an affectionate and warm admiring smile in China.
** [[Lin Yutang]], ''The Gay Genius'' (1947), p. vii

==External links==
*{{wikipedia-inline}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Su Shi}}
*[http://www.blackcatpoems.com/s/su_shi.html Poems by Su Shi] at blackcatpoems.com
*[http://www.chinese-poems.com/su.html Su Shi Index] at chinese-poems.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Su, Shi}}
[[Category:11th century births]]
[[Category:12th century deaths]]
[[Category:Poets from China]]
[[Category:Painters from China]]
[[Category:Academics from China]]
[[Category:Politicians from China]]

Matsuo Bashō

2026-05-01T16:08:06Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ add image, remove alt translation

[[File:Basho by Hokusai-small.jpg|thumb|Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.]]

'''[[w:Matsuo Bashō|Matsuo Bashō]]''' (松尾芭蕉, 1644 – 28 November 1694) was a major [[w:Japan|Japanese]] [[w:Poetry|poet]], primarily known for his ''[[w:Haiku|haiku]]'' poems and [[w:Poetic diary|poetic diaries]].

== Quotes ==

===[[w:Oku no Hosomichi|''Oku no Hosomichi - The Narrow Road to the Interior'']] (1702) ===
*'''Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.'''
**Translation of Sam Hamill, ''Narrow Road to the Interior and other writings'' (2000), page 3

[[File:Basho by Buson.jpg|thumb|right|Seek not the paths of the ancients; Seek that which the ancients sought.]]

*行く春や 鳥啼き魚の 目は泪 ''yuku haru ya tori naki uo no me wa namida''
**'''Spring passes and the birds cry out—tears in the eyes of fishes'''
***Matsuo Bashō, ''Narrow Road to the Interior and other writings'', Boston, 2000, p. 4 (Translation: Sam Hamill)
**'''Spring is passing by! Birds are weeping and the eyes Of fish fill with tears.'''
***Matsuo Bashō, ''The Narrow Road to Oku'', Tokyo, 1996, p. 23 (Translation: Donald Keene)

*夏草や 兵どもが 夢の跡 ''natsukusa ya tsuwamonodomo ga yume no ato''
**'''The summer grasses— For many brave warriors The aftermath of dreams.'''
***Donald Keene, ''Travelers of a Hundred Ages'', New York, 1999, p. 316 (Translation: Donald Keene)
**'''The summer grasses— Of brave soldiers' dreams The aftermath.'''
***Matsuo Bashō, ''The Narrow Road to Oku'', Tokyo, 1996, p. 87 (Translation: Donald Keene)

*静けさや 岩に滲み入る 蝉の声 ''shizukesaya iwa ni shimiiru semi no koe''
**'''How still it is! Stinging into the stones, The locusts' trill.'''
***Donald Keene, ''World Within Walls: Japanese Literature of the Pre-Modern Era, 1600-1867'', New York, 1999, p. 89 (Translation: Donald Keene)

===Individual poems===
[[File:Ipomoea tricolor-1.jpg|thumb|I am one Who eats his breakfast, Gazing at [[w:morning glory|morning glories]].]]

*朝顔に 我は飯食ふ 男かな ''asagao ni ware wa meshi kû otoko kana''
**'''I am one Who eats his breakfast, Gazing at [[w:morning glory|morning glories]].'''
*** ''The Way of Silence: The Prose and Poetry of Basho'' (1970), Richard Lewis

*京にても 京なつかしや 時鳥 ''kyou nitemo kyou natsukashi ya hototogisu''
**'''Even in [[w:Kyoto|Kyōto]]— hearing the cuckoo's cry— I long for Kyōto'''
***Robert Hass (1994) ''The Essential Haiku: Versions of Bashō, Buson, and Issa''
**'''Bird of time – in Kyoto, pining for Kyoto.'''
***Basho, ''On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho'', London, 1985, p. 43 (Translation: Lucien Stryk)

*古池や 蛙飛び込む 水の音 ''furu ike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto''
**'''The old pond: A frog jumps in,— The sound of the water.'''
***''Classical Japanese Database'', [http://carlsensei.com/classical/index.php/translation/view/64 Translation #64] (Translation: Reginald Horace Blyth)
**'''At the ancient pond the frog plunges into the sound of water 
***(Translation: Sam Hamill)
**'''Old pond, leap-splash – a frog.'''
***Basho, ''On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho'', London, 1985, p. 58 (Translation: Lucien Stryk)
**'''Breaking the silence Of an ancient pond, A frog jumped into water – A deep resonance.'''
***Matsuo Bashō, ''The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches'', London, 1966, p. 9 (Translation: Nobuyuki Yuasa)

* やがて死ぬ けしきは見えず 蝉の声 ''yagate shinu keshiki wa miezu semi no koe''
**'''Soon to die yet showing no sign the cicada's voice'''
*** [https://haikutopics.blogspot.ca/2006/07/voice-of-animal-xx-no-koe.html] [https://www.tofugu.com/japan/japanese-poetry-crash-course/]

*旅に病で 夢は枯野を かけ廻る ''tabi ni yande yume wa kareno wo kake-meguru''
**'''Sick on a journey, my dreams wander the withered fields.'''
***Bashō's last poem, written while he was dying of a stomach illness. (Translation: Robert Hass)
**'''Sick on a journey – over parched fields dreams wander on.'''
***Basho, ''On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho'', London, 1985, p. 81 (Translation: Lucien Stryk)
**'''Travelling, sick My dreams roam On a withered moor.'''
***(Unknown translator)
**Reported as Basho's [[w:death poem|death poem]].

*Moon almost full I'm thirty-nine a child still.
** Translation of David Young, ''Moon Woke Me Up Nine Times: Selected Haiku of Basho'' (2013)

===Miscellaneous quotations===

*古人の跡を求めず，古人の求めしところを求めよ。 ''kojin no ato wo motomezu, kozjin no motometaru tokoro wo motomeyo''
**'''Seek not the paths of the ancients; Seek that which the ancients sought.'''
***Translation found in Jackson, B. (2014) ''The Inspirational Atheist: Wise Words on the Wonder and Meaning of Life'', where it is cited as being from "Words by a Brushwood Gate"

* I feel lonely as I gaze at the moon. I feel lonely as I think about myself, and I feel lonely as I ponder upon this wretched life of mine. I want to cry out that I am lonely, but no one asks me how I feel.
** ''Basho: The Complete Haiku'' (2013), Jane Reichhold

* '''Even if you have three or four extra syllables—or as many as five or seven—you need not worry as long as the verse sounds right.'''
** From a letter to Takayama Biji, 20 June 1682, as quoted in ''Basho: The Complete Haiku'' (2013) by Jane Reichhold

*It rains during the morning. No visitors today. I feel lonely and amuse myself by writing at random. These are the words: Who mourns makes grief his master. Who drinks makes pleasure his master.
** Robert Hass (1994) ''The Essential Haiku: Versions of Bashō, Buson, and Issa''

* It was a rainy day when I crossed over the [[w:Mt Hakone|Hakone]] Barrier, and all the mountains were veiled in clouds.
<blockquote>''Days like this, when [[w:Mt Fuji|Mt Fuji]] cannot be seen For the misty rain, Have an appeal all on their own.''</blockquote>
** ''The Literature of Mt Fuji: Japanese Classical Literature, 2017, Chuo University; cited as being from "''Nozarashi kiko'' 野ざらし紀行（Bleached Bones in the Field, 1684)"
*** This haiku also translated by Jane Reichhold in ''Basho: The Complete Haiku'' (2013) as: ''misty showers the day one cannot see Mount Fuji it is more attractive''

* Mount Fuji, towering up from the earth, supporting the firmament so high above, seems to rend open the clouds that the sun and moon might shine through. Viewed from any position, the mountain seemingly presents its finest vista, infinitely changing. The poet is at a loss for suitable verses; the scholar finds his words lacking; the painter, throwing down his brushes, scurries off. Even if by chance an immortal should descend from Mount Miǎogūyè, would he be able to compose suitable verses, or paint a faithful picture?
<blockquote>''All in an instant, now amidst clouds, now within mist, One hundred beautiful scenes are revealed.''</blockquote>
** ''The Literature of Mt Fuji: Japanese Classical Literature, 2017, Chuo University; cited as being from "Shiho no san 士峰の賛 (In Praise of Mount Fuji), which is essentially a preface to one of Bashō's poems"

* The fact that [[Saigyō]] composed the poem that begins, "I shall be unhappy without loneliness," shows that he made loneliness his master. He also wrote: <blockquote>''In the mountain village who are you calling, yobuko-bird? I thought you lived alone.''</blockquote>
:There's nothing so intriguing as living alone.
** Robert Hass (1994) ''The Essential Haiku: Versions of Bashō, Buson, and Issa''

*My body, now close to fifty years of age, has become an old tree that bears bitter peaches, a snail which has lost its shell, a bagworm separated from its bag; it drifts with the winds and clouds that know no destination. Morning and night I have eaten traveler's fare, and have held out for alms a pilgrim's wallet.
**''Genjūan no Fu'' ("Prose Poem on the Unreal Dwelling") in Donald Keene, ''Anthology of Japanese Literature'', p. 374 (Translation: Donald Keene)

*The haiku that reveals seventy to eighty percent of its subject is good. Those that reveal fifty to sixty percent, we never tire of.
** As quoted in ''Collected Haiku Theory'', eds. T. Komiya & S. Yokozawa, Iwanami, 1951 (Unknown translator)

*He who creates three to five haiku poems during a lifetime is a haiku poet. He who attains to completes ten is a master.
** As quoted in ''Collected Haiku Theory'', eds. T. Komiya & S. Yokozawa, Iwanami, 1951 (Unknown translator)

==Quotes about==
* ... the sparrow’s chirp, the crow’s caw, the willow’s green, the cherry blossom’s pink, are the truth of the [[Zen]] master and the essence of Basho's style.
** [[Masaoka Shiki]], Janine Beichman, 1982, ''Masaoka Shiki''

{{Disputed begin}}

==Disputed==
*The yellow rose petals—one by one—gone into roaring waterfalls
**Attributed to Basho by [[Arun Shourie]] in ''Preparing: For Death'' (2020)
{{Disputed end}}

==See also==
* [[Saigyo]]
* [[Masaoka Shiki]]
* [[Kobayashi Issa]]
* [[Shotetsu]]

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}
*''[http://carlsensei.com/classical/index.php/author/view/1 Classical Japanese Database]'', featuring various poems by Bashō in original and translation
*[http://www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/basho-frog.htm "Matsuo Bashô: Frog Haiku"], featuring 31 translations and one commentary of the haiku

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basho, Matsuo}}
[[Category:Poets from Japan]]
[[Category:1644 births]]
[[Category:1694 deaths]]
[[Category:Buddhists from Japan]]
[[Category:Gay poets]]

Robert M. La Follette Sr

2026-05-01T06:24:05Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: create redirect

#REDIRECT[[Robert M. La Follette Sr.]]

Saigyo

2026-05-01T00:59:31Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: rearrange

[[File:The Cherry Tree of Priest Saigyo LACMA M.80.219.44 (cropped).jpg|thumb|In a dream I saw the winds of spring scattering the cherry blossoms— and after I woke, the sound was still rustling in my breast.]]

'''[[w:Saigyo|Saigyo]]''' (西行; 1118–1190) was a [[w:Japanese poetry|Japanese poet]] of the late [[w:Heian period|Heian]] and early [[w:Kamakura period|Kamakura period]].

==Quotes==

* The pathway I marked when last year I made my way into [[w:Mount Yoshino|Yoshino]]— I abandon now to visit blossoms I have not yet seen.
** ''Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology'' (1991), Steven D. Carter

* What's to be done? I thought I was past caring for the spring but my frozen water pipe has made me long for it again
** ''Gazing at the Moon: Buddhist Poems of Solitude'' (2021), McKinney, M.

[[File:Salida Luna - Villa Gesell.JPG|thumb|right|Let me not spend my life lamenting the world’s sorrows for above in the wide sky the moon shines pure]]

* Let me not spend my life lamenting the world’s sorrows for above in the wide sky the moon shines pure
** ''Gazing at the Moon: Buddhist Poems of Solitude'' (2021), McKinney, M.

* That spring long ago at Naniwa in Tsu— was it all a dream? Now only dead leaves on the reeds rustle in the passing wind.
** ''Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology'' (1991), Steven D. Carter

[[File:EB1911 Japan - Landscape in snow.jpg|thumb|How I delight in this well-timed snow that buries the mountain path behind me as I enter intent on long seclusion]]

* That one back home whom I promised to think about when I saw the moon: on this night perhaps she too will be soaking her sleeves with tears.
** ''Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology'' (1991), Steven D. Carter

* How I delight in this well-timed snow that buries the mountain path behind me as I enter intent on long seclusion
** ''Gazing at the Moon: Buddhist Poems of Solitude'' (2021), McKinney, M.

* This is what I want: to die in the springtime, beneath the blossoms— midway through the Second Month, when the moon is at the full.
** ''Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology'' (1991), Steven D. Carter

* In a dream I saw the winds of spring scattering the cherry blossoms— and after I woke, the sound was still rustling in my breast.
** ''Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology'' (1991), Steven D. Carter

[[File:Sakura guerdon (cropped).jpg|thumb|The cherries' only fault: the crowds that gather when they bloom.]]

* The cherries' only fault: the crowds that gather when they bloom.
** ''Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, 1600-1900'' (2008)

* It creates a heart even in those among us who think of themselves as indifferent to all things— the world. this first wind of autumn.
** ''Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology'' (1991), Steven D. Carter

* If not for solitude, how dismal my life would be!
** ''Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology'' (1991), Steven D. Carter

* Even a person free of passion would be moved to sadness: autumn evening in a marsh where snipes fly up.
** ''Saigyo: Poems of a Mountain Home'', 1991, Watson, Burton, New York: Columbia University Press, p. 81

[[File:Hokusai-fuji-koryuu.png|thumb|right|Trailing on the wind, the smoke of [[w:Mount Fuji|Mount Fuji]] fades in the sky, moving like my thoughts toward some unknown end]]

* 風になびく 富士の煙の 空にきえて ゆくへも知らぬ わが思ひかな ''kaze ni nabiku fuji no keburi no sora ni kiete yukue mo shiranu waga omoi kana''
** Just as smoke drifts on the winds over [[w:Mount Fuji|Mount Fuji]], Only to vanish – whither no one knows – So, too, does my soul wander on.
*** ''The Literature of Mt Fuji: Japanese Classical Literature'', Chuo University (2017)
** The wisps of smoke from Fuji yield to the wind and lose themselves in sky, in emptiness, which takes as well the aimless passions that through my life burned deep inside.
*** William R. Lafleur, ''Awesome Nightfall: The Life, Times, and Poetry of Saigyō'' (2012)
** Trailing on the wind, the smoke of Mount Fuji fades in the sky, moving like my thoughts toward some unknown end
*** Burton Watson, ''Saigyo: Poems of a Mountain Home'' (1991)

==Quotes about==
* The poet Saigyo Would have written a poem Even for the woman Washing potatoes.
** [[Matsuo Basho]], as quoted in ''Basho, Plodding in Saigyo's Footsteps'' by Meng-hu, Simply Haiku: A Quarterly Journal of Japanese Short Form Poetry, Winter 2005, vol. 3., no. 4

* The fact that Saigyō composed the poem that begins, "I shall be unhappy without loneliness," shows that he made loneliness his master. He also wrote: <blockquote>''In the mountain village who are you calling, yobuko-bird? I thought you lived alone.''</blockquote> There's nothing so intriguing as living alone.
** Matsuo Basho, Robert Hass (1994) ''The Essential Haiku: Versions of Bashō, Buson, and Issa''

* Truly fine poetry sits uncomfortably under any label. Yet, as long as qualifiers do not overwhelm what is universal in the poetry to which they have been attached, they can have value. To forbid any reference to [[Dante]] or [[Milton]] as "Christian poets" would be to deny something of central importance in the sensibilities and writing of both men. And in a similar fashion we may refer to Saigyo as Japan's foremost "Buddhist" poet—and do so without short-changing what is universal in his verse.
** William R. Lafleur, ''Awesome Nightfall: The Life, Times, and Poetry of Saigyō'' (2012)

==See also==
* [[Shotetsu]]
* [[Fujiwara no Teika]]
* [[Basho]]
* [[Kobayashi Issa]]
* [[Masaoka Shiki]]

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}

[[Category:Poets from Japan]]

Fred Hampton

2026-04-29T21:14:33Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: ce

[[File:Fred Hampton speaks at a rally in Grant Park, Chicago, 1969 crop.jpg|thumb|We’re going to fight [[racism]] not with racism, but we’re going to fight with [[solidarity]]. We say we’re not going to fight [[capitalism]] with black capitalism, but we’re going to fight it with [[socialism]].]]

'''[[w:Fred Hampton|Fred Hampton]]''' (August 30, 1948 – December 4, 1969) was chairman of the Illinois [[w:Black Panther Party|Black Panther Party]]. He was assassinated in a predawn raid by the Chicago Police Department, Cook County State's Attorney's Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation, as he slept in bed.

==Quotes==
[[File:Fist.svg|thumb|You can [[jail]] revolutionaries, but you can’t jail the revolution.]]

*If you ever think about me, and if you ain’t gonna do no [[revolutionary]] act, forget about me. '''I don’t want myself on your mind, if you’re not gonna work for the people.''' Like we always said, if you’re asked to make a commitment at the age of twenty and you say I don’t want to make that commitment only because of the simple reason that I’m too [[young]] to [[die]], I wanna live a little bit longer—what you did is, '''you’re dead already.'''
**Excerpt from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7F8RfnDhkA The Murder of Fred Hampton] (1971).

*You have to understand that people have to pay the price for peace. '''If you dare to [[struggle]], you dare to win.''' If you dare not to struggle then god damn it, you don’t deserve to win. Let me say [[peace]] to you, if you’re willing to fight for it.
**Excerpt from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7F8RfnDhkA The Murder of Fred Hampton] (1971).

*'''Why don’t you live for the [[people]]. Why don’t you struggle for the people. Why don’t you die for the people.'''
**Excerpt from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7F8RfnDhkA The Murder of Fred Hampton] (1971).

*So we say—we always say in the {{w|Black Panther Party}} that they can do anything they want to to us. We might not be back. I might be in jail. I might be anywhere. '''But when I leave, you’ll remember I said, with the last words on my lips, that I am a revolutionary.''' And you’re going to have to keep on saying that. You’re going to have to say that I am a [[proletariat]], I am the people. I am not the pigs. You’ve got to make a distinction. And the people are going to have to attack the pigs. The people are going to have to stand up against the pigs. That’s what the Panthers are doing here. That’s what the Panthers are doing all over the world.
** "I am a Revolutionary" [https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/audio/fred-hampton.wav Full speech at marxists.org].

* {{w|Bobby Seale}} is going through all types of physical and [[W:Psychological torture|mental]] [[torture]]. But that’s alright, because we said even before this happened, and we’re going to say it after this and after I’m locked up and after everybody’s locked up, that you can [[jail]] revolutionaries, but you can’t jail the revolution. You might run a liberator like [[w:Eldridge Cleaver|Eldridge Cleaver]] out of the country, but you can’t run liberation out of the country. '''You might murder a {{w|freedom fighter}} like {{w|Bobby Hutton}}, but you can’t murder freedom fighting''', and if you do, you’ll come up with answers that don’t answer, explanations that don’t explain, you’ll come up with conclusions that don’t conclude, and you’ll come up with people that you thought should be acting like pigs that’s acting like people and moving on pigs. And that’s what we’ve got to do. So we’re going to see about Bobby regardless of what these people think we should do, because school is not important and work is not important. '''Nothing’s more important than [[W:Anti-fascism|stopping fascism]], because [[fascism]] will stop us all.'''
** Excerpt from [http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2014/12/4/watch_the_assassination_of_fred_hampton Democracy Now].

*We don’t think you fight [[fire]] with fire best; we think you fight fire with water best. '''We’re going to [[W:Anti-racism|fight racism]] not with [[racism]], but we’re going to fight with [[solidarity]]. We say we’re not going to [[W:Anti-capitalism|fight capitalism]] with {{w|black capitalism}}, but we’re going to fight it with [[socialism]].''' We’ve stood up and said we’re not going to fight {{w|reactionary}} pigs and reactionary state’s attorneys like this and reactionary state’s attorneys like Hanrahan with any other reactions on our part. We’re going to fight their reactions with all of us people getting together and having an [[W:World revolution|international]] [[proletarian revolution]].
** Excerpt from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy1gveC3GVs Fred Hampton - "Political Prisoner" video].

*[[w:François Duvalier|Papa Doc]] in Haiti hated everything white. Man, you couldn't put this white paper in front of Papa Doc's face. But, he moved all the white people out and he took over the oppression, he did. Because, no education. If the people had been educated, they'd have said we don't hate the muthafuckin' white people, we hate the oppressor, whether he be white, black, brown or yellow.
** [https://youtube.com/watch?v=DviCUygm3eM]

* There has to be an educational program - that's very important. As a matter of fact, it is so important to us that a person has to go through six weeks of our political education before he can consider himself a member of [[w:Black Panthers|the party]], able to even [run our] ideology for the party. Why? Because if they don't have an education, then, they're nowhere. You dig what I'm sayin'? They're nowhere; because they don't even know why they doin' what they doin'. You might get people caught up in the emotions of the movement. You understand me? You might get them caught up because they're poor and they want something. And then if he's not educated, they'll want more and before you know it, they'll be capitalist and before you know it we'll have negro imperialism.
** [https://youtube.com/watch?v=DviCUygm3eM]

==Quotes about Hampton==
*'''This system wants Fred Hampton’s tale to remain untold''', his militant memory to fade, his life of service to black folks and the black revolutionary struggle to pass unknown. The media has covered up this recent history, but some remember; perhaps now you will too.

:Remember those who have gone before. Remember those whom the system wants you to forget. Remember those who fought against this system. Remember Chairman Fred Hampton, and his assassins!
:*[[w:Mumia Abu-Jamal|Mumia Abu-Jamal]], ''All Things Censored'' (2001).

* The execution of Fred Hampton was the gravest domestic crime of the [[W:Presidency of Richard Nixon|Nixon administration]].
** [[Noam Chomsky]], as quoted in ''[http://www.hamptonbook.com/Hampton_Book/Advance_Praise.html The Assassination of Fred Hampton]'' by Jeffrey Haas.

* Hampton was instrumental in forming links between the Panthers and organisations of working class Chinese people, whites, Puerto Ricans and Mexicans in what he dubbed the Rainbow Coalition. A revolutionary internationalist, he explained: "We're going to fight racism not with racism, but we're going to fight with solidarity. We say we're not going to fight capitalism with Black capitalism, but we're going to fight it with socialism."
**[https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/books/products/working-class-history-everyday-acts-resistance-rebellion-book ''Working Class History''] (2020)

== External links==
{{Wikipedia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hampton, Fred}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:1969 deaths]]
[[Category:Activists from the United States]]
[[Category:Civil rights activists]]
[[Category:Communists from the United States]]
[[Category:Revolutionaries]]
[[Category:African Americans]]
[[Category:People from Illinois]]
[[Category:Black Panther Party members]]
[[Category:Anti-fascists]]
[[Category:Murdered people]]

Leonardo da Vinci

2026-04-29T20:42:57Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: Undid revision 3934714 by ~2026-25999-20 (talk)

[[File:Leonardo da Vinci - Self-Portrait - WGA12798.jpg|thumb|right|[[Good]] [[culture]] is [[born]] of a good [[disposition]]; and since the [[cause]] is more to be [[praised]] than the effect, I will rather praise a good disposition without culture, than good culture without the disposition.]]
'''[[w:Leonardo da Vinci|Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci]]''' ([[15 April]] [[1452]] – [[2 May]] [[1519]]) was an [[w:Italy|Italian]] [[w:Renaissance|Renaissance]] [[w:painter|painter]], [[w:architect|architect]], [[w:inventor|inventor]], [[w:engineer|engineer]], [[w:scientist|scientist]], [[w:sculptor|sculptor]], and [[w:musician|musician]]. His best known painting is the ''[[w:Mona Lisa|Mona Lisa]]''.
: See also: ''[[Mona Lisa]]''
[[File:Leonardo Da Vinci - Vergine delle Rocce (Louvre).jpg|thumb|right|[[Love]] shows itself more in [[adversity]] than in [[prosperity]]; as [[light]] does, which shines most where the place is [[darkest]].]]
== Quotes ==
[[File:Labor-Pearce-Highsmith-detail-1.jpeg|thumb|right|Thou, O God, dost sell us all good things at the price of labour.]]
[[File:Leonardo study Christ lastsupper.JPG|thumb|right|My works are the issue of [[pure]] and simple [[experience]], who is the one true mistress.]]
[[File:Vitruvian.jpg|thumb|right|Let no man who is not a [[Mathematician]] read the elements of my work.]]
[[File:Leonardo equestrian monument.JPG|thumb|right|I [[know]] that many will call this useless [[work]].]]
[[File:JUL Soul Iris.png|thumb|right|Here forms, here colours, here the character of every part of the [[universe]] are concentrated to a point; and that point is so marvellous a thing … Oh! marvellous, O stupendous [[Necessity]] — by thy [[laws]] thou dost compel every effect to be the direct result of its cause, by the shortest path. ''These'' are [[miracles]]...]]
[[File:Eye Line of sight.jpg|thumb|right|The [[eye]] — which sees all objects reversed — retains the images for some time.]]

* '''[[Painting]] is [[poetry]] which is [[seen]] and not [[heard]], and poetry is a painting which is heard but not seen.''' These two arts, you may call them both either poetry or painting, have here interchanged the [[senses]] by which they penetrate to the [[intellect]].
** ''[[w:Codex Urbinas|A Treatise on Painting]]'' (1651); "The Paragone"; compiled by [[w:Francesco Melzi|Francesco Melzi]] prior to 1542, first published as ''Trattato della pittura'' by Raffaelo du Fresne (1651)

* Oysters open completely when the moon is full; and when the crab sees one it throws a piece of stone or seaweed into it and the oyster cannot close again so that it serves the crab for meat. Such is the fate of him who opens his mouth too much and thereby puts himself at the mercy of the listener.
** As quoted in ''The 48 Laws of Power'' (2000) by Robert Greene, p. 33

*The painter strives and competes with nature...There is nothing in all nature without its reason. If you know the reason, you do not need the experience...

*Look at the grace and sweetness of men and women in the street...
*Thou, O God, sellest us all benefits, at the cost of our toil....
*As a day well spent makes sleep seem pleasant, so a life well employed makes death pleasant. A life well spent is long.
*It is the infinite alone that cannot be attained, for if it could it would become finite.
**[http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29904 ''Thoughts on Art and Life'', by Leonardo da Vinci], (1906)

* Fa vini potenti e assai, … e ‘l vino vale el più uno soldo il boccale e la libbra della vitella un soldo e ‘l sale 10 dinari, e ‘l simile il burro, ed è la loro libbra 30 once, e l’ova un soldo la soldata. ([[Italian language|Modern Italian]])
** He makes powerful and very strong wines, … and the wine is worth more than a penny per jug and the pound of veal a penny and the salt 10 denarii, and so is the butter, and their pound is 30 ounces, and the eggs a penny. (referring to the food products of Valtellina)

* Su per lago di Como di ver Lamagnia (Alemagna, cioè Germania) è valle di Ciavenna dove la Mera fiume mette in esso lago. Qui si truova montagni sterili e altissime chon grandi scogli ... In queste montagnie li uccielli d’acqua dette maragoni. Qui nasscie abeti, larici eppini, daini, stambuche, chamoze e teribili orsi. Non ci si pò montare se none a 4 piedi. Vannoci i villani a tempi delle nevi chon grande ingiegni per fare trabochare gli orsi giù per esse ripe. Queste montagni strette metano i(n) mezo il fiume. Sono a destra e assinistra per isspatio di miglia 20 tutti a detto modo.
** Up Lake Como towards Germany is the Chavenna Valley where the [[River Mera]] enters the lake. Here are barren and very high mountains with large rocks ... In these mountains the water birds called maragon. Here are born firs, larches and pines, fallow deer, ibexes, chamois and terrible bears. It cannot be mounted except by walking on all fours. There go the mountain men in snowy weather with great ingenuity to bring the bears down the mountains. These narrow mountains have the river in between. They are left and right for a space of 20 miles all like this.

[[File:Madonna_z_goździkiem,_Leonardo_da_Vinci.jpg|thumb|A picture or representation of human figures, ought to be done in such a way as that the spectator may easily recognise, by means of their attitudes, the purpose in their minds.]]
=== ''[[s:Codex Arundel|Codex Arundel]]'' (Codex Leonardo, 1478–1519) ===
* '''Subito salse in me due cose: paura e desiderio: paura per la minacciante e scura spelonca, desiderio per vedere se là entro fusse alcuna miracolosa cosa.''' ([[Italian language|Ancient Italian]])
**At once two things came to mind: fear and desire: fear of the threatening dark cave, desire to see if there was anything miraculous within it.(referring to the "Cave of Acquabianca" or "La Ferrera" on Lake Comuntain).

=== ''[[s:Codex Atlanticus|Codex Atlanticus]]'' (Codex Leonardo, 1478–1519) ===
* truovasi di miglio i(n) miglio bone osteriee. ([[Italian language|Ancient Italian]])
** You can find good taverns from mile to mile.
* 3 miglia più in là si trova li edifici della vena del rame e dello argento, presso una terra detta Pra Santo Petro e vene di ferro e cose fantastiche. ([[Italian language|Ancient Italian]])
** 3 miles further on are the buildings of the vein of copper and silver, near a land called Prato San Pietro and veins of iron and fantastic things. (paper F.573)

=== ''[[s:The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci|The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci]]'' (1883) ===
:These quotes are primarily from the published edition of [[w:Jean Paul Richter|Jean Paul Richter]] (1883), as translated into English by Mrs. R. C. Bell and [[w:Edward Poynter|Edward John Poynter]]  
==== I Prolegomena and General Introduction to the Book on Painting ====
* '''Let no man who is not a [[Mathematician]] read the elements of my work.

* As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death.

* Life well spent is long.

* ''Tristo é lo discepolo che non avanza il suo maestro.''
* '''Tristo è quel discepolo che non avanza il suo maestro.''' ([[Italian language|Modern Italian]])
** Poor is the pupil that does not surpass his master.

* Shun those studies in which the work that results dies with the worker.

* '''Whoever in discussion adduces [[authority]] uses not [[intellect]] but rather [[memory]].'''
** Variant translations:
** Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using his intelligence; he is just using his memory.
*** As quoted in ''The Book of Unusual Quotations'' (1957) by Rudolf Flesch, p. 12
** Any one who in discussion relies upon authority uses, not his understanding, but rather his memory.

* '''Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.'''

* It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.

* [[Necessity]] is the mistress and guardian of [[Nature]].

* Human subtlety...will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature, because in her inventions nothing is lacking, and nothing is superfluous.
** Richter II [http://books.google.de/books?id=A7dUhbBfmzMC&pg=PA126 p. 126 no. 837 books.google]

* Mechanics is the paradise of the mathematical sciences because by means of it one comes to the fruits of mathematics.

* I am not to blame for putting forward, in the course of my [[work]] on [[science]], any general [[rule]] derived from a previous conclusion.

* The Book of the [[science]] of Mechanics must precede the Book of useful inventions.

* Seeing that I can find no subject specially useful or pleasing — since the men who have come before me have taken for their own every useful or necessary theme — I must do like one who, being poor, comes last to the fair, and can find no other way of providing himself than by taking all the things already seen by other buyers, and not taken but refused by reason of their lesser value. I, then, will load my humble pack with this despised and rejected merchandise, the refuse of so many buyers; and will go about to distribute it, not indeed in great cities, but in the poorer towns, taking such a price as the wares I offer may be worth.

* I know that many will call this useless work.

* '''Though I may not, like them, be able to quote other authors, I shall rely on that which is much greater and more worthy — on experience, the mistress of their Masters.''' They go about puffed up and pompous, dressed and decorated with [the fruits], not of their own labours, but of those of others. And they will not allow me my own. They will scorn me as an inventor; but how much more might they — who are not inventors but vaunters and declaimers of the works of others — be blamed.

* '''Those men who are inventors and interpreters between Nature and Man, as compared with boasters and declaimers of the works of others, must be regarded and not otherwise esteemed than as the object in front of a mirror, when compared with its image seen in the mirror.''' For the first is something in itself, and the other nothingness. — Folks little indebted to Nature, since it is only by chance that they wear the human form and without it I might class them with the herds of beasts.

* '''Many will think they may reasonably blame me by alleging that my proofs are opposed to the authority of certain men held in the highest reverence by their inexperienced judgments; not considering that my works are the issue of pure and simple experience, who is the one true mistress. These rules are sufficient to enable you to know the true from the false — and this aids men to look only for things that are possible and with due moderation — and not to wrap yourself in ignorance, a thing which can have no good result, so that in despair you would give yourself up to melancholy.'''

* Among all the studies of natural causes and reasons Light chiefly delights the beholder; and among the great features of Mathematics the certainty of its demonstrations is what preeminently (tends to) elevate the mind of the investigator. Perspective, therefore, must be preferred to all the discourses and systems of human learning. In this branch [of science] the beam of light is explained on those methods of demonstration which form the glory not so much of Mathematics as of Physics and are graced with the flowers of both.

* If the Lord — who is the light of all things — vouchsafe to enlighten me, I will treat of Light; wherefore I will divide the present work into 3 Parts... Linear Perspective, The Perspective of Colour, The Perspective of Disappearance.

* These rules are of use only in correcting the figures; since every man makes some mistakes in his first compositions and he who knows them not, cannot amend them. But you, knowing your errors, will correct your works and where you find mistakes amend them, and remember never to fall into them again. But if you try to apply these rules in composition you will never make an end, and will produce confusion in your works.

* These rules will enable you to have a free and sound judgment; since good judgment is born of clear understanding, and a clear understanding comes of reasons derived from sound rules, and sound rules are the issue of sound experience — the common mother of all the sciences and arts. Hence, bearing in mind the precepts of my rules, you will be able, merely by your amended judgment, to criticise and recognise every thing that is out of proportion in a work, whether in the perspective or in the figures or any thing else.

* Those who are in love with practice without knowledge are like the sailor who gets into a ship without rudder or compass and who never can be certain whether he is going. Practice must always be founded on sound theory, and to this Perspective is the guide and the gateway; and without this nothing can be done well in the matter of drawing.

* The painter who draws merely by practice and by eye, without any reason, is like a mirror which copies every thing placed in front of it without being conscious of their existence.

* '''Here forms, here colours, here the character of every part of the universe are concentrated to a point; and that point is so marvellous a thing … Oh! marvellous, O stupendous Necessity — by thy laws thou dost compel every effect to be the direct result of its cause, by the shortest path. ''These'' are miracles...'''
** Of the eye

* '''The eye which turns from a white object in the light of the sun and goes into a less fully lighted place will see everything as dark.'''

* '''The eye — which sees all objects reversed — retains the images for some time.''' This conclusion is proved by the results; because, the eye having gazed at light retains some impression of it. After looking (at it) there remain in the eye images of intense brightness, that make any less brilliant spot seem dark until the eye has lost the last trace of the impression of the stronger light.

==== II Linear Perspective ====
[[File:Orvieto Pozzo San Patrizio 5.JPG|thumb|right|The boundaries of bodies are the least of all things.]]
[[File:Leonardo, Studio per l'Adorazione dei Magi, Uffizi.jpg|thumb|right|Drawing is based upon perspective, which is nothing else than a thorough knowledge of the function of the eye.]]
[[File:פרספקטיבה - הסעודה האחרונה.jpg|thumb|right|The ''Pyramid'' is the name I apply to the lines which, starting from the surface and edges of each object, converge from a distance and meet in a single point.]]
[[File:Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) - The Last Supper (1495-1498).jpg|thumb|right|The instant the atmosphere is illuminated it will be filled with an infinite number of images which are produced by the various bodies and colours assembled in it. And the eye is the target, a lodestone, of these images.]]

* '''A point is not part of a line.'''

* '''The smallest natural point is larger than all mathematical points, and this is proved because the natural point has continuity, and any thing that is continuous is infinitely divisible; but the mathematical point is indivisible because it has no size.'''

* '''Nothing is that which fills no space.''' If one single point placed in a circle may be the starting point of an infinite number of lines, and the termination of an infinite number of lines, there must be an infinite number of points separable from this point, and these when reunited become one again; whence it follows that the part may be equal to the whole.

* '''The point, being indivisible, occupies no space. That which occupies no space is nothing.''' The limiting surface of one thing is the beginning of another.

* '''That which has no limitations, has no form.''' The limitations of two conterminous bodies are interchangeably the surface of each. All the surfaces of a body are not parts of that body.

* '''The line has in itself neither matter nor substance and may rather be called an imaginary idea than a real object; and this being its nature it occupies no space. Therefore an infinite number of lines may be conceived of as intersecting each other at a point, which has no dimensions and is only of the thickness (if thickness it may be called) of one single line.

* '''The boundaries of bodies are the least of all things.''' The proposition is proved to be true, because the boundary of a thing is a surface, which is not part of the body contained within that surface; nor is it part of the air surrounding that body, but is the medium interposted between the air and the body, as is proved in its place.

* '''Drawing is based upon perspective, which is nothing else than a thorough knowledge of the function of the eye.''' And this function simply consists in receiving in a pyramid the forms and colours of all the objects placed before it. I say in a pyramid, because there is no object so small that it will not be larger than the spot where these pyramids are received into the eye. Therefore, if you extend the lines from the edges of each body as they converge you will bring them to a single point, and necessarily the said lines must form a pyramid.

* Perspective is nothing more than a rational demonstration applied to the consideration of how objects in front of the eye transmit their image to it, by means of a pyramid of lines. The ''Pyramid'' is the name I apply to the lines which, starting from the surface and edges of each object, converge from a distance and meet in a single point.

* '''All objects transmit their image to the eye in pyramids, and the nearer to the eye these pyramids are intersected the smaller will the image appear of the objects which cause them.'''

* '''The instant the atmosphere is illuminated it will be filled with an infinite number of images which are produced by the various bodies and colours assembled in it. And the eye is the target, a lodestone, of these images.'''

* That the atmosphere attracts to itself, like a lodestone, all the images of the objects that exist in it, and not their forms merely but their nature may be clearly seen by the sun, which is a hot and luminous body. All the atmosphere, which is the all-pervading matter, absorbs light and heat, and reflects in itself the image of the source of that heat and splendor and, in each minutest portion, does the same. The north pole does the same as the lode stone shows; and the moon and the other planets, without suffering any diminution, do the same.

* '''All bodies together, and each by itself, give off to the surrounding air an infinite number of images which are all-pervading and each complete, each conveying the nature, colour and form of the body which produces it.'''

* Every body in light and shade fills the surrounding air with infinite images of itself; and these, by infinite pyramids diffused in the air, represent this body throughout space and on every side.

* '''The body of the atmosphere is full of infinite radiating pyramids produced by the objects existing in it.''' These intersect and cross each other with independent convergence without interfering with each other and pass through all the surrounding atmosphere; and are of equal force and value — all being equal to each, each to all. And by means of these, images of the body are transmitted everywhere and on all sides, and each receives in itself every minutest portion of the object that produces it.

* '''The air is filled with endless images of the objects distributed in it; and all are represented in all, and all in one, and all in each''', whence it happens that if two mirrors are placed in such a manner as to face each other exactly, the first will be reflected in the second and the second in the first. The first being reflected in the second takes to it the image of itself with all the images represented in it, among which is the image of the second mirror, and so, image within image, they go on to infinity in such a manner as that each mirror has within it a mirror, each smaller than the last and one inside the other. Thus, by this example, it is clearly proved that every object sends its image to every spot whence the object itself can be seen; and the converse: That the same object may receive in itself all the images of the objects that are in front of it.

* '''All objects project their whole image and likeness, diffused and mingled in the whole of the atmosphere, opposite to themselves.''' The image of every point of the bodily surface, exists in every part of the atmosphere. All the images of the objects are in every part of the atmosphere.

* It is impossible that the eye should project from itself, by visual rays, the visual virtue, since, as soon as it opens, that front portion [of the eye] which would give rise to this emanation would have to go forth to the object and this it could not do without time. And this being so, it could not travel so high as the sun in a month's time when the eye wanted to see it.

* All the rays which convey the images of objects through the air are straight lines. Hence, if the images of very large bodies have to pass through very small holes, and beyond these holes recover their large size, the lines must necessarily intersect.

* O neglectful Nature, wherefore art thou thus partial, becoming to some of thy children a tender and benignant mother, to others a most cruel and ruthless stepmother? I see thy children given into slavery to others without ever receiving any benefit, and in lieu of any reward for the services they have done for them they are repaid by the severest punishments.

* The [[w:Medici|Medici]] created and destroyed me.

====III Six books on Light and Shade====
[[File:Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, from C2RMF retouched.jpg|thumb|right|Shadow is the means by which bodies display their form. The forms of bodies could not be understood in detail but for shadow.]]
[[File:Mona Lisa color restoration.jpg |thumb|right|No small hole can so modify the convergence of rays of light as to prevent, at a long distance, the transmission of the true form of the luminous body causing them.]]

* '''Shadow is not the absence of light, merely the obstruction of the luminous rays by an opaque body.''' Shadow is of the nature of darkness. Light is of the nature of a luminous body; one conceals and the other reveals. They are always associated and inseparable from all objects. But shadow is a more powerful agent than light, for it can impede and entirely deprive bodies of their light, while light can never entirely expel shadow from a body, that is from an opaque body.

* '''Shadow is the diminution alike of light and of darkness, and stands between darkness and light.'''

* '''A shadow may be infinitely dark, and also of infinite degrees of absence of darkness. The beginnings and ends of shadow lie between the light and darkness and may be infinitely diminished and infinitely increased. Shadow is the means by which bodies display their form. The forms of bodies could not be understood in detail but for shadow.'''

* '''Shadow partakes of the nature of universal matter.''' All such matters are more powerful in their beginning and grow weaker towards the end, I say at the beginning, whatever their form or condition may be and whether visible or invisible. And it is not from small beginnings that they grow to a great size in time; as it might be a great oak which has a feeble beginning from a small acorn. Yet I may say that the oak is most powerful at its beginning, that is where it springs from the earth, which is where it is largest.

* '''Darkness is absence of light. Shadow is diminution of light.'''

* '''Light is the chaser away of darkness. Shade is the obstruction of light.''' Primary light is that which falls on objects and causes light and shade. And derived lights are those portions of a body which are illuminated by the primary light. A primary shadow is that side of a body on which the light cannot fall.

* The eye can best distinguish the forms of objects when it is placed between the shaded and the illuminated parts.

* The outlines and form of any part of a body in light and shade are indistinct in the shadows and in the high lights; but in the portions between the light and the shadows they are highly conspicuous.

* A single and distinct luminous body causes stronger relief in the object than a diffused light; as may be seen by comparing one side of a landscape illuminated by the sun, and one overshadowed by clouds, and so illuminated only by the diffused light of the atmosphere.

* '''The body which is nearest to the light casts the largest shadow, and why?''' If an object placed in front of a single light is very close to it you will see that it casts a very large shadow on the opposite wall, and the farther you remove the object from the light the smaller will the image of the shadow become.

* If you transmit the rays of the sun through a hole in the shape of a [[star]] you will see a beautiful effect of perspective in the spot where the sun's rays fall.

* '''No small hole can so modify the convergence of rays of light as to prevent, at a long distance, the transmission of the true form of the luminous body causing them.'''

==== IV Perspective of Disappearance====
* I ask how far away the eye can discern a non-luminous body, as, for instance, a mountain. It will be very plainly visible if the sun is behind it; and could be seen at a greater or less distance according to the sun's place in the sky.

* When you represent in your work shadows which you can only discern with difficulty, and of which you cannot distinguish the edges so that you apprehend them confusedly, you must not make them sharp or definite lest your work should have a wooden effect.

* A shadow will appear dark in proportion to the brilliancy of the light surrounding it and conversely it will be less conspicuous where it is seen against a darker background.

* A dark object seen against a bright background will appear smaller than it is. A light object will look larger when it is seen against a background darker than itself.

* A luminous body when obscured by a dense atmosphere will appear smaller; as may be seen by the moon or sun veiled by fogs.

* Of several luminous bodies of equal size and brilliancy and at an equal distance, that will look the largest which is surrounded by the darkest background.

* I find that any luminous body when seen through a dense and thick mist diminishes in proportion to its distance from the eye. Thus it is with the sun by day, as well as the moon and the other eternal lights by night. And when the air is clear, these luminaries appear larger in proportion as they are farther from the eye.

* A luminous body will appear more brilliant in proportion as it is surrounded by deeper shadow.

==== VI Perspective of Colour and Aerial Perspective====
* The variety of colour in objects cannot be discerned at a great distance, excepting in those parts which are directly lighted up by the solar rays.

==== VII On the Proportions and on the Movements of the Human Figure====
* Experience shows us that the air must have darkness beyond it and yet it appears blue. If you produce a small quantity of smoke from dry wood and the rays of the sun fall on this smoke, and if you then place behind the smoke a piece of black velvet on which the sun does not shine, you will see that all the smoke which is between the eye and the black stuff will appear of a beautiful blue colour. And if instead of the velvet you place a white cloth smoke, that is too thick smoke, hinders, and too thin smoke does not produce, the perfection of this blue colour. Hence a moderate amount of smoke produces the finest blue.

* The atmosphere is blue by reason of the darkness above it because black and white make blue.

==== VIII Botany for Painters and Elements of Landscape Painting====
* The sun gives spirit and life to plants and the earth nourishes them with moisture.

====IX The Practice of Painting====
[[File:Leonardo da Vinci - Saint John the Baptist C2RMF retouched.jpg|thumb|right|A picture or representation of human figures, ought to be done in such a way as that the spectator may easily recognise, by means of their attitudes, the [[purpose]] in their [[minds]].]]
[[File:Madonna with the Yarnwinder 1501.jpg |thumb|right|What is fair in men, passes away, but not so in [[art]].]]

* '''Many are they who have a taste and love for drawing, but no talent; and this will be discernible in boys who are not diligent and never finish their drawings with shading.'''

* I myself have proved it to be of no small use, when in bed in the dark, to recall in fancy the external details of forms previously studied, or other noteworthy things conceived by subtle speculation; and this is certainly an admirable exercise, and useful for impressing things on the memory.

* If you are representing a white body let it be surrounded by ample space, because as white has no colour of its own, it is tinged and altered in some degree by the colour of the objects surrounding it.

* '''A picture or representation of human figures, ought to be done in such a way as that the spectator may easily recognise, by means of their attitudes, the purpose in their minds. '''Thus, if you have to represent a man of noble character in the act of speaking, let his gestures be such as naturally accompany good words; and, in the same way, if you wish to depict a man of a brutal nature, give him fierce movements; as with his arms flung out towards the listener, and his head and breast thrust forward beyond his feet, as if following the speaker's hands. Thus it is with a deaf and dumb person who, when he sees two men in conversation — although he is deprived of hearing — can nevertheless understand, from the attitudes and gestures of the speakers, the nature of their discussion.

* '''When you wish to represent a man speaking to a number of people, consider the matter of which he has to treat and adapt his action to the subject.''' Thus, if he speaks persuasively, let his action be appropriate to it. If the matter in hand be to set forth an argument, let the speaker, with the fingers of the right hand hold one finger of the left hand, having the two smaller ones closed; and his face alert, and turned towards the people with mouth a little open, to look as though he spoke; and if he is sitting let him appear as though about to rise, with his head forward. If you represent him standing make him leaning slightly forward with body and head towards the people. These you must represent as silent and attentive, all looking at the orator's face with gestures of admiration; and make some old men in astonishment at the things they hear, with the corners of their mouths pulled down and drawn in, their cheeks full of furrows, and their eyebrows raised, and wrinkling the forehead where they meet.

* '''The motions of men must be such as suggest their dignity or their baseness.'''

* '''Represent your figures in such action as may be fitted to express what purpose is in the mind of each; otherwise your art will not be admirable.'''

* '''What is fair in men, passes away, but not so in [[art]].'''

* If you condemn painting, which is the only imitator of all visible works of nature, you will certainly despise a subtle invention which brings philosophy and subtle speculation to the consideration of the nature of all forms — seas and plains, trees, animals, plants and flowers — which are surrounded by shade and light. And this is true knowledge and the legitimate issue of nature; for painting is born of nature — or, to speak more correctly, we will say it is the grandchild of nature; for all visible things are produced by nature, and these her children have given birth to painting. Hence we may justly call it the grandchild of nature and related to God.

* '''The eye, which is called the window of the soul, is the principal means by which the central sense can most completely and abundantly appreciate the infinite works of nature; and the ear is the second, which acquires dignity by hearing of the things the eye has seen.''' If you, historians, or poets, or mathematicians had not seen things with your eyes you could not report of them in writing. And if you, O poet, tell a story with your pen, the painter with his brush can tell it more easily, with simpler completeness and less tedious to be understood. And if you call painting dumb poetry, the painter may call poetry blind painting. Now which is the worse defect? to be blind or dumb? Though the poet is as free as the painter in the invention of his fictions they are not so satisfactory to men as paintings; for, though poetry is able to describe forms, actions and places in words, the painter deals with the actual similitude of the forms, in order to represent them. Now tell me which is the nearer to the actual man: the name of man or the image of the man. '''The name of man differs in different countries, but his form is never changed but by death.'''

* The painter strives and competes with nature.

====X Studies and Sketches for Pictures and Decorations====
[[File:Bacchus (painting).jpg |thumb|right|[[Truth]] at last cannot be hidden. Dissimulation is of no avail. Dissimulation is to no [[purpose]] before so great a [[judge]]. … [[Nothing]] is hidden under the [[sun]].]]
[[File:Leonardo, san girolamo 2.jpg |thumb|right| Movement will cease before we are weary of being useful.]]

* '''We, by our [[arts]] may be called the grandsons of [[God]].'''

* Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a [[star]] does not change his [[mind]].

* Ivy is of longevity.
** ''Variant'': Ivy is [a type] of longevity.

* '''[[Fire]] destroys falsehood, that is sophistry, and restores [[truth]], driving out [[darkness]].'''

* Fire may be represented as the destroyer of all sophistry, and as the image and demonstration of truth; because it is [[light]] and drives out darkness which conceals all essences [or subtle things].

* Fire destroys all sophistry, that is deceit; and maintains truth alone, that is gold.

* '''[[Truth]] at last cannot be hidden. Dissimulation is of no avail. Dissimulation is to no [[purpose]] before so great a [[judge]]. Falsehood puts on a [[mask]]. [[Nothing]] is hidden under the [[sun]].'''

* Fire is to represent [[truth]] because it destroys all sophistry and lies; and the mask is for lying and falsehood which conceal truth.

* '''Movement will cease before we are weary of being useful.'''

* Movement will fail sooner than usefulness.

* When the sun appears which dispels darkness in general, you put out the light which dispelled it for you in particular for your need and convenience.

* '''Constancy does not begin, but is that which perseveres.'''

* [[Love]], [[Fear]], and Esteem, — Write these on three stones.
** "Of servants"

* [[Fame]] alone raises herself to Heaven, because virtuous things are in favour with [[God]].

* Disgrace should be represented upside down, because all her deeds are contrary to God and tend to [[hell]].

* '''[[Nothing]] is so much to be feared as [[Evil]] Report.

* I am still hopeful. A [[falcon]], [[Time]]. But the coincidence is probably accidental.

* [[Truth]] here makes Falsehood torment lying tongues.

* Such as harm is when it hurts me not, is good which avails me not.

* He who offends others, does not secure himself.

* One's thoughts turn towards [[Hope]].
** By the side of this passage is a sketch of a cage with a bird sitting in it.

====XI The Notes on Sculpture====
[[File:Leonardo da Vinci - Study for an equestrian monument (recto) - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|right|Of the horse I will say nothing because I know the times.]]

* If you wish to make a figure in marble, first make one of clay, and when you have finished it, let it dry and place it in a case which should be large enough, after the figure is taken out of it, to receive also the marble, from which you intend to reveal the figure in imitation of the one in clay.

* Sculptured figures which appear in motion, will, in their standing position, actually look as if they were falling forward.

* To manage the large mould make a model of the small mould, make a small room in proportion.

* '''Of the horse I will say nothing because I know the times.'''
** This relates to a huge equestrian statue that Leonardo had been commissioned to design and create, but which was not cast until over 500 years later, in 1999, when two huge statues based upon his design were finally made. (c.1497)

====XIV Anatomy, Zoology and Physiology====
* The Common Sense, is that which judges of things offered to it by the other senses. The ancient speculators have concluded that that part of man which constitutes his judgment is caused by a central organ to which the other five senses refer everything by means of impressibility; and to this centre they have given the name Common Sense. And they say that this Sense is situated in the centre of the head between Sensation and Memory. And this name of Common Sense is given to it solely because it is the common judge of all the other five senses ''i.e.'' Seeing, Hearing, Touch, Taste and Smell. This Common Sense is acted upon by means of Sensation which is placed as a medium between it and the senses. Sensation is acted upon by means of the images of things presented to it by the external instruments, that is to say the senses which are the medium between external things and Sensation. In the same way the senses are acted upon by objects. Surrounding things transmit their images to the senses and the senses transfer them to the Sensation. Sensation sends them to the Common Sense, and by it they are stamped upon the memory and are there more or less retained according to the importance or force of the impression.

* '''Though human ingenuity may make various inventions which, by the help of various machines answering the same end, it will never devise any inventions more beautiful, nor more simple, nor more to the purpose than Nature does; because in her inventions nothing is wanting, and nothing is superfluous, and she needs no counterpoise when she makes limbs proper for motion in the bodies of animals. But she puts into them the soul of the body, which forms them that is the soul of the mother which first constructs in the womb the form of the man and in due time awakens the soul that is to inhabit it.

* The soul seems to reside in the judgment, and the judgment would seem to be seated in that part where all the senses meet; and this is called the Common Sense and is not all-pervading throughout the body, as many have thought. Rather is it entirely in one part. Because, if it were all-pervading and the same in every part, there would have been no need to make the instruments of the senses meet in one centre and in one single spot; on the contrary it would have sufficed that the eye should fulfil the function of its sensation on its surface only, and not transmit the image of the things seen, to the sense, by means of the optic nerves, so that the soul — for the reason given above — may perceive it in the surface of the eye.

* King of the animals — as thou hast described him — I should rather say king of the beasts, thou being the greatest — because thou hast spared slaying them, in order that they may give thee their children for the benefit of the gullet, of which thou hast attempted to make a sepulchre for all animals; and I would say still more, if it were allowed me to speak the entire truth . But we do not go outside human matters in telling of one supreme wickedness, which does not happen among the animals of the earth, inasmuch as among them are found none who eat their own kind, unless through want of sense.

* Our life is made by the death of others.

====XV Astronomy====
[[File:Leonardo-Earthshine.png|thumb|right|The earth is not in the centre of the Sun's orbit nor at the centre of the universe, but in the centre of its companion elements, and united with them.]]
* '''The earth is not in the centre of the Sun's orbit nor at the centre of the universe, but in the centre of its companion elements, and united with them.''' And any one standing on the moon, when it and the sun are both beneath us, would see this our earth and the element of water upon it just as we see the moon, and the earth would light it as it lights us.

====XVI Physical Geography====
* And if you should say that the shells were carried by the waves, being empty and dead, I say that where the dead went they were not far removed from the living; for in these mountains living ones are found, which are recognisable by the shells being in pairs; and they are in a layer where there are no dead ones; and a little higher up they are found, where they were thrown by the waves, all the dead ones with their shells separated, near to where the rivers fell into the sea, to a great depth; like the Arno which fell from the Gonfolina near to Monte Lupo, where it left a deposit of gravel which may still be seen, and which has agglomerated; and of stones of various districts, natures, and colours and hardness, making one single conglomerate. And a little beyond the sandstone conglomerate a tufa has been formed, where it turned towards Castel Florentino; farther on, the mud was deposited in which the shells lived, and which rose in layers according to the levels at which the turbid Arno flowed into that sea. And from time to time the bottom of the sea was raised, depositing these shells in layers, as may be seen in the cutting at Colle Gonzoli, laid open by the Arno which is wearing away the base of it; in which cutting the said layers of shells are very plainly to be seen in clay of a bluish colour, and various marine objects are found there. And if the earth of our hemisphere is indeed raised by so much higher than it used to be, it must have become by so much lighter by the waters which it lost through the rift between Gibraltar and Ceuta; and all the more the higher it rose, because the weight of the waters which were thus lost would be added to the earth in the other hemisphere. And if the shells had been carried by the muddy deluge they would have been mixed up, and separated from each other amidst the mud, and not in regular steps and layers — as we see them now in our time.

====XVII Topographical Notes====
* Men born in hot countries love the night because it refreshes them and have a horror of light because it burns them; and therefore they are of the colour of night, that is black. And in cold countries it is just the contrary. Therefore you need complementary to find equal balance amongst everything.

====XIX Philosophical Maxims. Morals. Polemics and Speculations.====
[[File:The babe in the womb; Leonardo da Vinci (1511).JPG|thumb|right|Science is the observation of things possible, whether present or past; prescience is the knowledge of things which may come to pass, though but slowly.]]
[[File:Leonardo da vinci, Allegory with wolf and eagle.jpg|thumb|right|The acquisition of any knowledge is always of use to the intellect, because it may thus drive out useless things and retain the good. For nothing can be loved or hated unless it is first known.]]
[[File:Leonardo da Vinci - unknown drawing of androgyn corpus with two heads.jpg|thumb|right|You do ill if you praise, and still worse if you reprove in a matter you do not understand.]]
[[File:Rubens Anghiarischlacht2.jpg |thumb|right|It is easier to contend with evil at the first than at the last.]]

* I obey Thee Lord, first for the love I ought, in all reason to bear Thee; secondly for that Thou canst shorten or prolong the lives of men.

* '''Thou, O God, dost sell us all good things at the price of labour.'''

* O admirable impartiality of Thine, Thou first Mover; Thou hast not permitted that any force should fail of the order or quality of its necessary results.

* '''Necessity is the mistress and guide of nature.'''

* '''Necessity is the theme and the inventress, the eternal curb and law of nature.'''

* In many cases one and the same thing is attracted by two strong forces, namely Necessity and Potency. Water falls in rain; the earth absorbs it from the necessity for moisture; and the sun evaporates it, not from necessity, but by its power.

* Weight, force and casual impulse, together with resistance, are the four external powers in which all the visible actions of mortals have their being and their end.

* '''Our body is dependent on heaven and heaven on the Spirit.'''

* '''The motive power is the cause of all life.'''

* O Man, who will discern in this work of mine the wonderful works of Nature, if you think it would be a criminal thing to destroy it, reflect how much more criminal it is to take the life of a man; and if this, his external form, appears to thee marvellously constructed, remember that it is nothing as compared with the soul that dwells in that structure; for that indeed, be it what it may, is a thing divine. Leave it then to dwell in His work at His good will and pleasure, and let not your rage or malice destroy a life — for indeed, he who does not value it, does not himself deserve it.

* '''The part always has a tendency to reunite with its whole in order to escape from its imperfection.'''

* '''Why does the eye see a thing more clearly in dreams than with the imagination being awake?'''

* The senses are of the earth; Reason, stands apart in contemplation.

* Every action needs to be prompted by a motive. '''To know and to will are two operations of the human mind. Discerning, judging, deliberating are acts of the human mind.'''

* All our knowledge has its origin in our perceptions.

* '''[[Science]] is the [[observation]] of things possible, whether present or past; prescience is the knowledge of things which may come to pass, though but slowly.'''

* Experience, the interpreter between formative nature and the human race, teaches how that nature acts among mortals; and being constrained by necessity cannot act otherwise than as reason, which is its helm, requires her to act.

* '''Wisdom is the daughter of experience.'''

* '''Nature is full of infinite causes that have never occurred in experience.'''

* '''Truth was the only daughter of Time.'''

* '''Experience never errs'''; it is only your judgments that err by promising themselves effects such as are not caused by your experiments.

* '''Experience does not err; only your judgments err by expecting from her what is not in her power.''' Men wrongly complain of Experience; with great abuse they accuse her of leading them astray but they set Experience aside, turning from it with complaints as to our ignorance causing us to be carried away by vain and foolish desires to promise ourselves, in her name, things that are not in her power; saying that she is fallacious. Men are unjust in complaining of innocent Experience, constantly accusing her of error and of false evidence.

* Every instrument requires to be made by experience.

* The man who blames the supreme certainty of mathematics feeds on confusion, and can never silence the contradictions of sophistical sciences which lead to an eternal quackery.

* There is no certainty in sciences where one of the mathematical sciences cannot be applied, or which are not in relation with these mathematics.

* '''Any one who in discussion relies upon authority uses, not his understanding, but rather his memory. Good culture is born of a good disposition; and since the cause is more to be praised than the effect, I will rather praise a good disposition without culture, than good culture without the disposition.'''

* '''Science is the captain, and practice the soldiers.'''

* Those who fall in love with practice without science are like a sailor who enters a ship without a helm or a compass, and who never can be certain whither he is going.

* Now you see that the hope and the desire of returning home and to one's former state is like the moth to the light, and that the man who with constant longing awaits with joy each new spring time, each new summer, each new month and new year — deeming that the things he longs for are ever too late in coming — does not perceive that he is longing for his own destruction. But this desire is the very quintessence, the spirit of the elements, which finding itself imprisoned with the soul is ever longing to return from the human body to its giver. And you must know that this same longing is that quintessence, inseparable from nature, and that man is the image of the world.

* '''O Time! consumer of all things; O envious age! thou dost destroy all things and devour all things with the relentless teeth of years, little by little in a slow death.''' Helen, when she looked in her mirror, seeing the withered wrinkles made in her face by old age, wept and wondered why she had twice been carried away.

* O sleepers! what a thing is slumber! Sleep resembles death. Ah, why then dost thou not work in such wise as that after death thou mayst retain a resemblance to perfect life, when, during life, thou art in sleep so like to the hapless dead?

* '''The knowledge of past times and of the places on the earth is both an ornament and nutriment to the human mind.'''

* '''To lie is so vile, that even if it were in speaking well of godly things it would take off something from God's grace; and Truth is so excellent, that if it praises but small things they become noble.'''

* Beyond a doubt truth bears the same relation to falsehood as light to darkness; and this truth is in itself so excellent that, even when it dwells on humble and lowly matters, it is still infinitely above uncertainty and lies, disguised in high and lofty discourses; because in our minds, even if lying should be their fifth element, this does not prevent that the truth of things is the chief nutriment of superior intellects, though not of wandering wits. But you who live in dreams are better pleased by the sophistical reasons and frauds of wits in great and uncertain things, than by those reasons which are certain and natural and not so far above us.

* '''Avoid studies of which the result dies with the worker.'''

* Men are in error when they lament the flight of time, accusing it of being too swift, and not perceiving that it is sufficient as it passes; but good memory, with which nature has endowed us, causes things long past to seem present.

* '''Learning acquired in youth arrests the evil of old age'''; and if you understand that old age has wisdom for its food, you will so conduct yourself in youth that your old age will not lack for nourishment.

* '''The acquisition of any knowledge is always of use to the intellect, because it may thus drive out useless things and retain the good. For nothing can be loved or hated unless it is first known.'''

* As a day well spent procures a happy sleep, so a life well employed procures a happy death.

* The water you touch in a river is the last of that which has passed, and the first of that which is coming. Thus it is with time present.

* Just as eating against one’s will is injurious to health, so studying without a liking for it spoils the memory, and it retains nothing it takes in.[http://books.google.com/books?id=lFXyZLM1XxYC&pg=PT412&dq=%22Just+as+eating+against+one%E2%80%99s+will+is+injurious+to+health%22&hl=en&ei=GFRbTIjiGoL-8AbytdC4Ag&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Just%20as%20eating%20against%20one%E2%80%99s%20will%20is%20injurious%20to%20health%22&f=false]

* Just as iron rusts unless it is used, and water putrifies or, in cold, turns to ice, so our intellect spoils unless it is kept in use.
** ''Variant'': Just as iron rusts from disuse... even so does inaction spoil the intellect.

* '''You do ill if you praise, and still worse if you reprove in a matter you do not understand.'''

* It seems to me that men of coarse and clumsy habits and of small knowledge do not deserve such fine instruments nor so great a variety of natural mechanism as men of speculation and of great knowledge; but merely a sack in which their food may be stowed and whence it may issue, since they cannot be judged to be any thing else than vehicles for food; for it seems to me they have nothing about them of the human species but the voice and the figure, and for all the rest are much below beasts.

* Some there are who are nothing else than a passage for food and augmentors of excrement and fillers of privies, because through them no other things in the world, nor any good effects are produced, since nothing but full privies results from them.

* '''The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.'''

* Blind ignorance misleads us thus and delights with the results of lascivious joys. Because it does not know the true light. Because it does not know what is the true light. Vain splendour takes from us the power of being .... behold! for its vain splendour we go into the fire, thus blind ignorance does mislead us. That is, blind ignorance so misleads us that... O! wretched mortals, open your eyes.

* '''That is not riches, which may be lost; virtue is our true good and the true reward of its possessor. That cannot be lost; that never deserts us, but when life leaves us. As to property and external riches, hold them with trembling; they often leave their possessor in contempt, and mocked at for having lost them.'''

* Man has much power of discourse which for the most part is vain and false; animals have but little, but it is useful and true, and a small truth is better than a great lie.

*''' He who possesses most must be most afraid of loss.'''

* He who wishes to be rich in a day will be hanged in a year.

* That man is of supreme folly who always wants for fear of wanting; and his life flies away while he is still hoping to enjoy the good things which he has with extreme labour acquired.

* '''We ought not to desire the impossible.'''

* Ask counsel of him who rules himself well.

* ''Chi non punisce il male comanda che si faccia.''
** He who does not punish evil commands it to be done.

*''' The grave will fall in upon him who digs it.'''

* You can have no dominion greater or less than that over yourself.

* ''Chi poco pensa, molto erra.''
** ''' He who thinks little, errs much.'''

* '''It is easier to contend with evil at the first than at the last.'''

* '''Where there is most feeling, there is the greatest martyrdom.

* The memory of benefits is a frail defence against ingratitude.

* '''Reprove your friend in secret and praise him openly.'''

* '''Be not false about the past.'''

* Patience serves us against insults precisely as clothes do against the cold. For if you multiply your garments as the cold increases, that cold cannot hurt you; in the same way increase your patience under great offences, and they cannot hurt your feelings.

* To speak well of a base man is much the same as speaking ill of a good man.

* Envy wounds with false accusations, that is with detraction, a thing which scares virtue.

* We are deceived by promises and time disappoints us...

* '''Fear arises sooner than anything else.'''

* Just as courage imperils life, fear protects it.

* Threats alone are the weapons of the threatened man.

* '''Wherever good fortune enters, envy lays siege to the place and attacks it; and when it departs, sorrow and repentance remain behind.'''

* He who walks straight rarely falls.

* It is bad if you praise, and worse if you reprove a thing, I mean, if you do not understand the matter well.

* It is ill to praise, and worse to reprimand in matters that you do not understand.

* The lover is moved by the beloved object as the senses are by sensual objects; and they unite and become one and the same thing. The work is the first thing born of this union; if the thing loved is base the lover becomes base.

* '''When the thing taken into union is perfectly adapted to that which receives it, the result is delight and pleasure and satisfaction.'''

* When that which loves is united to the thing beloved it can rest there; when the burden is laid down it finds rest there. There will be eternal fame also for the inhabitants of that town, constructed and enlarged by him.

* '''The city will gain beauty worthy of its name and to you it will be useful by its revenues, and the eternal fame of its aggrandizement.'''
** These notes were possibly written in preparation for a letter. The meaning is obscure.

* To preserve Nature's chiefest boon, that is freedom, I can find means of offence and defence, when it is assailed by ambitious tyrants, and first I will speak of the situation of the walls, and also I shall show how communities can maintain their good and just Lords.

* The false interpreters of nature declare that quicksilver is the common seed of every metal, not remembering that nature varies the seed according to the variety of the things she desires to produce in the world.

* Many have made a trade of delusions and false miracles, deceiving the stupid multitude. Pharisees — that is to say, friars.

* '''It is true that impatience, the mother of stupidity, praises brevity, as if such persons had not life long enough to serve them to acquire a complete knowledge of one single subject, such as the human body; and then they want to comprehend the mind of God in which the universe is included, weighing it minutely and mincing it into infinite parts, as if they had to dissect it!'''

* Oh! human stupidity, do you not perceive that, though you have been with yourself all your life, you are not yet aware of the thing you possess most of, that is of your folly? and then, with the crowd of sophists, you deceive yourselves and others, despising the mathematical sciences, in which truth dwells and the knowledge of the things included in them. And then you occupy yourself with miracles, and write that you possess information of those things of which the human mind is incapable and which cannot be proved by any instance from nature. And you fancy you have wrought miracles when you spoil a work of some speculative mind, and do not perceive that you are falling into the same error as that of a man who strips a tree of the ornament of its branches covered with leaves mingled with the scented blossoms or fruit.

* The spirit has no voice, because where there is a voice there is a body, and where there is a body space is occupied, and this prevents the eye from seeing what is placed behind that space; hence the surrounding air is filled by the body, that is by its image.

* '''In order to prove whether the spirit can speak or not, it is necessary in the first place to define what a voice is and how it is generated.'''

* '''Every quantity is intellectually conceivable as infinitely divisible.'''

* '''Amid the vastness of the things among which we live, the existence of nothingness holds the first place; its function extends over all things that have no existence, and its essence, as regards time, lies precisely between the past and the future, and has nothing in the present.''' This nothingness has the part equal to the whole, and the whole to the part, the divisible to the indivisible; and the product of the sum is the same whether we divide or multiply, and in addition as in subtraction; as is proved by arithmeticians by their tenth figure which represents zero; and its power has not extension among the things of Nature.

* '''What is called Nothingness is to be found only in time and in speech.''' In time it stands between the past and future and has no existence in the present; and thus in speech it is one of the things of which we say: They are not, or they are impossible.

* O mighty and once living instrument of formative nature. Incapable of availing thyself of thy vast strength thou hast to abandon a life of stillness and to obey the law which God and time gave to procreative nature.
** Of the lightning in clouds.

* '''O time, swift robber of all created things, how many kings, how many nations hast thou undone, and how many changes of states and of various events have happened since the wondrous forms of this fish perished here in this cavernous and winding recess. Now destroyed by time thou liest patiently in this confined space with bones stripped and bare; serving as a support and prop for the superimposed mountain.'''

====XX Humorous Writings====
[[File:Caladrius.jpg|thumb|right|Like unto this is the love of virtue. It never looks at any vile or base thing, but rather clings always to pure and virtuous things and takes up its abode in a noble heart; as the birds do in green woods on flowery branches.]]
[[File:Briton Rivière - Una and the Lion.jpg|thumb|right|We see the most striking example of humility in the lamb… so that very often it has been seen that the lions forbear to kill them.]]
[[File:Views of a Foetus in the Womb detail.jpg|thumb|right|Things that are separate shall be united and acquire such virtue that they will restore to man his lost memory.]]

* '''The Caladrius is a bird of which it is related that, when it is carried into the presence of a sick person, if the sick man is going to die, the bird turns away its head and never looks at him; but if the sick man is to be saved the bird never loses sight of him but is the cause of curing him of all his sickness. Like unto this is the love of virtue. It never looks at any vile or base thing, but rather clings always to pure and virtuous things and takes up its abode in a noble heart; as the birds do in green woods on flowery branches. And this Love shows itself more in adversity than in prosperity; as light does, which shines most where the place is darkest.'''

* The unicorn, through its intemperance and not knowing how to control itself, for the love it bears to fair maidens forgets its ferocity and wildness; and laying aside all fear it will go up to a seated damsel and go to sleep in her lap, and thus the hunters take it.

* '''We see the most striking example of humility in the lamb which will submit to any animal; and when they are given for food to imprisoned lions they are as gentle to them as to their own mother, so that very often it has been seen that the lions forbear to kill them.'''

* The cock does not crow till it has thrice flapped its wings; the parrot in moving among boughs never puts its feet excepting where it has first put its beak. Vows are not made till Hope is dead.

* A man was desired to rise from bed, because the sun was already risen. To which he replied: "If I had as far to go, and as much to do as he has, I should be risen by now; but having but a little way to go, I shall not rise yet."

* First, of things relating to animals; secondly, of irrational creatures; thirdly of plants; fourthly, of ceremonies; fifthly, of manners; sixthly, of cases or edicts or quarrels; seventhly, of cases that are impossible in nature [paradoxes], as, for instance, of those things which, the more is taken from them, the more they grow. And reserve the great matters till the end, and the small matters give at the beginning.

* '''Men will seem to see new destructions in the sky.''' The flames that fall from it will seem to rise in it and to fly from it with terror. They will hear every kind of animals speak in human language. '''They will instantaneously run in person in various parts of the world, without motion. They will see the greatest splendour in the midst of darkness.''' O! marvel of the human race! What madness has led you thus! You will speak with animals of every species and they with you in human speech. You will see yourself fall from great heights without any harm and torrents will accompany you, and will mingle with their rapid course.
** Of dreams

* There will be many who will eagerly and with great care and solicitude follow up a thing, which, if they only knew its malignity, would always terrify them. Of those men, who, the older they grow, the more avaricious they become, whereas, having but little time to stay, they should become more liberal.

* Many will be busied in taking away from a thing, which will grow in proportion as it is diminished.
** Of a ditch

* Oh! how foul a thing, that we should see the tongue of one animal in the guts of another.
** Of the Tongues of Pigs and Calves in Sausage-skins.

* '''There will be great winds by reason of which things of the East will become things of the West'''; and those of the South, being involved in the course of the winds, will follow them to distant lands.

* There will be many men who will move one against another, holding in their hands a cutting tool. But these will not do each other any injury beyond tiring each other; for, when one pushes forward the other will draw back. But woe to him who comes between them! For he will end by being cut in pieces.

* '''That which was at first bound, cast out and rent by many and various beaters will be respected and honoured, and its precepts will be listened to with reverence and love.'''

* One who by himself is mild enough and void of all offence will become terrible and fierce by being in bad company, and will most cruelly take the life of many men, and would kill many more if they were not hindered by bodies having no soul, that have come out of caverns — that is, breastplates of iron.

* '''One shall be born from small beginnings which will rapidly become vast. This will respect no created thing, rather will it, by its power, transform almost every thing from its own nature into another.'''
** "Of fire"

* All the elements will be seen mixed together in a great whirling mass, now borne towards the centre of the world, now towards the sky; and now furiously rushing from the South towards the frozen North, and sometimes from the East towards the West, and then again from this hemisphere to the other.
** "Of Water, which flows turbid and mixed with Soil and Dust; and of Mist, which is mixed with the Air; and of Fire which is mixed with its own, and each with each."

* '''Men standing in opposite hemispheres will converse and deride each other and embrace each other, and understand each other's language.'''
** "Of Hemispheres, which are infinite; and which are divided by an infinite number of Lines, so that every Man always has one of these Lines between his Feet."

* Many will there be who will give up work and labour and poverty of life and goods, and will go to live among wealth in splendid buildings, declaring that this is the way to make themselves acceptable to God.

* An infinite number of men will sell publicly and unhindered things of the very highest price, without leave from the Master of it; while it never was theirs nor in their power; and human justice will not prevent it.
** "Of Selling Paradise"

* '''Animals will be seen on the earth who will always be fighting against each other with the greatest loss and frequent deaths on each side.''' And there will be no end to their malignity; by their strong limbs we shall see a great portion of the trees of the vast forests laid low throughout the universe; and, when they are filled with food the satisfaction of their desires will be to deal death and grief and labour and wars and fury to every living thing; and from their immoderate pride they will desire to rise towards heaven, but the too great weight of their limbs will keep them down. Nothing will remain on earth, or under the earth or in the waters which will not be persecuted, disturbed and spoiled, and those of one country removed into another. And their bodies will become the sepulture and means of transit of all they have killed. O Earth! why dost thou not open and engulf them in the fissures of thy vast abyss and caverns, and no longer display in the sight of heaven such a cruel and horrible monster.
** "Of the Cruelty of Man"

* There will be many which will increase in their destruction.
** "The Ball of Snow rolling over Snow"

* The East will be seen to rush to the West and the South to the North in confusion round and about the universe, with great noise and trembling or fury.
** "In the East wind which rushes to the West"

* The solar rays will kindle fire on the earth, by which a thing that is under the sky will be set on fire, and, being reflected by some obstacle, it will bend downwards.

* '''Happy will they be who lend ear to the words of the Dead.'''

* Men out of fear will cling to the thing they most fear.

* '''Things that are separate shall be united and acquire such virtue that they will restore to man his lost memory.'''
** Of papyrus

* The bones of the Dead will be seen to govern the fortunes of him who moves them.
** Of Dice

* The vine that has grown old on an old tree falls with the ruin of that tree, and through that bad companionship must perish with it.

* The ball of snow when, as it rolls, it descends from the snowy mountains, increases in size as it falls.

* A vase of unbaked clay, when broken, may be remoulded, but not a baked one.

* '''The image of the sun where it falls appears as a thing which covers the person who attempts to cover it.'''

====XXI Letters. Personal Records. Dated Notes.====
[[File:Old Man with Water Studies.jpg|thumb|right|Tell me if anything was ever done.]]

* I have seen motions of the air so furious that they have carried, mixed up in their course, the largest trees of the forest and whole roofs of great palaces, and I have seen the same fury bore a hole with a whirling movement digging out a gravel pit, and carrying gravel, sand and water more than half a mile through the air.

* Like a whirling wind which rushes down a sandy and hollow valley, and which, in its hasty course, drives to its centre every thing that opposes its furious course... No otherwise does the Northern blast whirl round in its tempestuous progress...

* '''It vexes me greatly that having to earn my living has forced me to interrupt the work and to attend to small matters.'''

* If you meet with any one who is virtuous do not drive him from you; do him honour, so that he may not have to flee from you and be reduced to hiding in hermitages, or caves or other solitary places to escape from your treachery; if there is such an one among you do him honour, for these are our Saints upon earth; these are they who deserve statues from us, and images...

* '''May it please our great Author that I may demonstrate the nature of man and his customs, in the way I describe his figure.'''

* This writing distinctly about the kite seems to be my destiny, because among the first recollections of my infancy, it seemed to me that, as I was in my cradle, a kite came to me and opened my mouth with its tail, and struck me several times with its tail inside my lips.

* '''When I did well, as a boy you used to put me in prison. Now if I do it being grown up, you will do worse to me.'''

* '''Tell me if anything was ever done.'''
** This was written in his notebooks in despair of so many projects that were never completed.

* Do not reveal, if liberty is precious to you; my face is the prison of love.

* I ask at what part of its curved motion the moving cause will leave the thing moved and moveable.

* If any man could have discovered the utmost powers of the cannon, in all its various forms and have given such a secret to the Romans, with what rapidity would they have conquered every country and have vanquished every army, and what reward could have been great enough for such a service! Archimedes indeed, although he had greatly damaged the Romans in the siege of Syracuse, nevertheless did not fail of being offered great rewards from these very Romans; and when Syracuse was taken, diligent search was made for [[Archimedes]]; and he being found dead greater lamentation was made for him by the Senate and people of Rome than if they had lost all their army; and they did not fail to honour him with burial and with a statue.

* '''Reserve the great matters till the end, and the small matters give at the beginning.'''

=== ''The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci'' (1938) ===
:These quotes are from the English translation by Edward MacCurdy (1938)

====I Philosophy====
* Every part is disposed to unite with the whole, that it may thereby escape from its own incompleteness.

* The mind passes in an instant from east to west; and all the great incorporeal things resemble these very closely in speed.

* While I thought I have been learning how to live, I have been learning how to die.

* Intellectual passion drives out sensuality.

* As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death.

* Where there is most power of feeling, there of martyrs is the greatest martyr.

* Science, knowledge of the things that are possible present and past; prescience, knowledge of the things which may come to pass.

* To enjoy—to love a thing for its own sake and for no other reason.

* Life well spent is long.

* Observe the light and consider its beauty. Blink your eye and look at it. That which you see was not there at first, and that which was there is there no more.

* The water which rises in the mountain is the blood which keeps the mountain in life.

* He who does not value life does not deserve it.

* Nature is full of infinite causes which were never set forth in experience.

* Wine is good, but water is preferable at table.

* He who suffers time to slip away and does not grow in virtue the more one thinks about him the sadder one becomes. '''No man has a capacity for virtue who sacrifices honour for gain. Fortune is powerless to help one who does not exert himself. That man becomes happy who follows [[Christ]]. There is no perfect gift without great suffering. Our triumphs and our pomps pass away;''' gluttony and sloth and enervating luxury have banished every virtue from the world; so that as it were wandering from its course our nature is subdued by habit. Now and henceforth it is meet that you cure yourself of laziness. The Master has said that sitting on down or lying under the quilts will not bring thee to fame. He who without it has frittered life away leaves no more trace of himself upon the earth than smoke does in the air or the foam on the water.
** p. 91

====XVII Flight====
* Since the wings are swifter to press the air than the air is to escape from beneath the wings the air becomes condensed and resists the movement of the wings; and the motive power of these wings by subduing the resistance of the air raises itself in a contrary movement to the movement of the wings.

* A bird makes the same use of wings and tail in the air as a swimmer does of his arms and legs in the water.

* ''Every body that is moved continues to move so long as the impression of the force of its mover is retained in it'', therefore the movement of this wing with violence... will come to move the whole bird with it until the impetus of the moved air has been consumed.

* Remember that your bird should have no other model than the bat, because its membranes serve as an armour or rather as a means of building together the pieces of its armour, that is the framework of the wings.

* If you take as your pattern the wings of feathered birds, these are more powerful in structure of bone and sinew because they are penetrable, that is to say the feathers are separated from one another and the air passes through them. But the bat is aided by its membrane, which binds the whole together and is not penetrated by the air.

* You will perhaps say that the sinews and muscles of a bird are incomparably more powerful than those of a man... But the reply to this is that such great strength gives it a reserve of power beyond what it ordinarily uses...

* Swimming upon water teaches men how birds do upon the air.

* The air which is struck with most swiftness by the movable thing is compressed to the greatest degree in itself.

* The function which the wing performs against the air when the air is motionless is the same as that of the air moved against the wings when these are without motion.

* It is always the under side of the branches of any plant that show themselves to the wind which strikes it, and one leans against the other.

* That part of the air which is nearest to the wing which presses on it, will have the greatest density.

* The properties of the air are such that it may become condensed or rarefied.

* No impetus created by any movement whatever can be immediately consumed, but if it finds an object which has a great resistance it consumes itself in a reflex movement.

* Impetus is a power of the mover applied in a movable thing which causes the movable thing to move after it is separated from its mover.

====XXIX Precepts of the Painter====
* Painting is concerned with all the ten attributes of sight, namely darkness and brightness, substance and colour, form and place, remoteness and nearness, movement and rest; and it is with these attributes that this my small book will be woven, recalling to the painter by what rules and in what way he ought by his art to imitate all things that are the work of nature and the adornment of the world.

* Whenever you make a figure of a man or of some graceful animal remember to avoid making it seem wooden; that is it should move with counterpoise and balance in such a way as not to seem a block of wood.

* I give the degrees of things seen by the eye as the musician does of the sounds heard by the ear.

* When you have drawn the same thing so many times that it seems that you know it by heart try to do it without the model; but having a tracing made of the model upon a thin piece of smooth glass and lay this upon the drawing you have made without the model. ...where you find that you have erred bear it in mind in order not to make the mistake again. ...if you cannot procure smooth glass to make a tracing... take a piece of very fine parchment well oiled and then dried, and when you have used it for for one drawing you can wipe this out with a sponge and do a second.

* Take a piece of glass of the size of a half sheet of royal folio paper, and fix it... between your eye and the object you wish to portray. Then move it away until your eye is two-thirds of a braccio away from the piece of glass, and fasten your head by means of an instrument in such a way as to prevent any movement of it whatsoever. Then close or cover up one eye, and with a brush or a piece of red chalk finely ground mark out on the glass what is visible beyond it; afterwards, copy it by tracing on paper from the glass, then prick it out upon paper of a better quality and paint it if you so desire, paying special attention to the aerial perspective.

* If you wish to thoroughly accustom yourself to correct and good positions for your fingers, fasten a frame or a loom divided into squares by threads between your eye and the nude figure which you are representing, and then make the same squares upon the paper where you wish to draw the said nude but very faintly. You should then put a pellet of wax on a part of the network to serve as a mark which as you look at your model should always cover the pit of the throat, or if he should have turned his back make it cover one of the vertebrae of the neck. ...The squares you draw may be as much smaller than those of the network in proportion as you wish your figure to be less than life size...

* When you wish to see whether the general effect of your picture corresponds with that of the object represented after nature, take a mirror and set it so that it reflects the actual thing, and then compare the reflection with your picture, and consider carefully whether the subject of the two images is in conformity with both, studying especially the mirror. The mirror ought to be taken as a guide... you see the picture made upon one plane showing things which appear in relief, and the mirror upon one plane does the same. The picture is on one single surface, and the mirror is the same. ...if you but know well how to compose your picture it will also seem a natural thing seen in a great mirror.

* You know that in an atmosphere of uniform density the most distant things seen through it, such as the mountains, in consequence of the great quantity of atmosphere which is between your eye and them, will appear blue. Therfore you should make the building... wall which is more distant less defined and bluer. ...five times as far away make five times as blue.

* Painting embraces and contains within itself all the things which nature produces or which results from the fortuitous actions of men... he is but a poor master who makes only a single figure well.

* Surely when a man is painting a picture he ought not refuse to hear any man's opinion... Since men are able to form a true judgement as to the works of nature, how much more does it behoove us to admit that they are able to judge our faults. Therefore you should be desirous of hearing patiently the opinions of others, and consider and reflect carefully whether or no he who censures you has reason for his censure; and correct your work if you find that he is right, but if not, then let it seem that you have not understood him, or, in case he is a man whom you esteem, show him by argument why it is that he is mistaken.

====XLV Prophecies====
* Happy will be those who give ear to the words of the dead:—The reading of good works and the observing of their precepts.

* Feathers shall raise men towards the heaven even as they do the birds:—That is by the letters written by their quills.

* Things severed shall be united and shall acquire of themselves such virtue that they shall restore to men their lost memory:—That is the papyrus sheets, which are formed out of several strips and preserve the memory of the thoughts and deeds of men.

* Men will deal rude blows to that which is the cause of their life:—They will thrash the grain.

* The wind which passes through the skins of animals will make men leap up:—That is the bagpipes, which cause men to dance.

{{Disputed begin}}

== Disputed ==
* '''Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.'''
** Used as an early slogan at Apple Computer in 1977, but the earliest occurence of this exact phrase is found in the 1952 article ''Simplicity Marks New Dining Room'' by Elizabeth Hillyer. Earliest known attribution to Leonardo da Vinci is in ''Wisdom Through the Ages : Book Two'' (2003) by Helen Granat, p. 225, where it is attributed without any citation. The quotation '''"The height of sophistication is simplicity."''' is found in [[Clare Boothe Luce]]'s ''Stuffed Shirts'' (1931) [https://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/04/02/]

* '''Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.'''
** No published occurrence of such an attribution has yet been located prior to one in [http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2411/pg2411.html Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre — Band 3] by [[w:Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]]
:: Es ist nicht genug, zu wissen, man muß auch anwenden; es ist nicht genug, zu wollen, man muß auch tun.

{{Disputed end}}
{{Misattributed begin}}

== Misattributed ==
* Once you have tasted [[flight]], you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.
** This quotation, which cannot be found in any of da Vinci's writings, was first used in print (and misattributed to Leonardo da Vinci) in a science fiction story published in 1975, ''The Storms of Windhaven.'' One of the authors, [[w:Lisa Tuttle|Lisa Tuttle]], remembers that the quote was suggested by science fiction writer [[w:Ben Bova|Ben Bova]], who says he believes he got the quote from a TV documentary narrated by [[w:Fredric_March|Fredric March]], presumably ''I, Leonardo da Vinci,'' written by [[w:John H. Secondari|John H. Secondari]] for the series ''Saga of Western Man,'' which aired on 23 February 1965. Bova incorrectly assumed that he was quoting da Vinci. The probable author is [[w:John H. Secondari|John Hermes Secondari]] (1919-1975), American author and television producer.

* I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men.
** Quoted allegedly "From da Vinci`s ''Notes''" in [[Jon Wynne-Tyson]]: ''The Extended Circle. A Dictionary of Humane Thought''. Centaur Press 1985, [http://books.google.de/books?id=1mMbAQAAIAAJ&q=murder p. 65 books.google].
** Actually the quote is not authentic but made up from a novel by Dmitri Merejkowski ([[w:Dmitry Merezhkovsky]]) entitled "The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci" (''La Résurrecton de Dieux'' 1901), translated from Russian into English by Herbert Trench. G.P. Putnam's Sons New York and London, The Knickerbocker Press. There, in ''Book'' (i.e. chapter) ''VI'', entitled ''The Diary of [[w:Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio|Giovanni Boltraffio]]'', one finds the following:
** The master [Leonardo da Vinci] permits harm to no living creatures, not even to plants. [http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommaso_Masini Zoroastro] tells me that from an early age he has abjured meat, and says that the time shall come when all men such as he will be content with a vegetable diet, and will think on the murder of animals as now they think on the murder of men ([http://books.google.de/books?id=g_pa0OaYX64C&pg=PA226 p. 226 books.google]).
**However, despite the quote's false attribution, da Vinci was in fact a vegetarian.

* Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then you do something else. The trick is the doing something else.
** ''Quote is actually from [[Tom Peters]]: The Best Corporate Strategy? None, Of Course. [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-07-11/business/9407110026_1_silicon-graphics-customers-richard-branson Chicago Tribune July 11, 1994]

* I awoke, only to find that the rest of the world is still asleep.
** This derives from a comment about him written by [[Sigmund Freud]], in ''Leonardo Da Vinci'' (1916): '''He was like a man who awoke too early in the [[darkness]], while the others were all still [[asleep]].'''

{{Misattributed end}}

== Quotes about Leonardo da Vinci==
:Sorted alphabetically by author or source

* Studying Leonardo... will not only allow us to recognize his science as a solid body of knowledge. It will also show why it cannot be understood without his art, nor his art without the science.
** [[Fritjof Capra]], ''The Science of Leonardo'' (2007), Preface, p. xviii

* For Leonardo, painting is both an art and a science...
** [[Fritjof Capra]], ''The Science of Leonardo'' (2007), Introduction, p. 3

* Leonardo is the hamlet of art history whom each of us must recreate for ourselves.
** [[Kenneth Clark]], ''Leonardo da Vinci'' (1939)

*The genius of Leonardo as a painter came through unfolding the [[mystery]] of life..."Look at the grace and sweetness of men and women in the street," he wrote. The most ordinary functions of life and nature amazed him most. He observed of the eye how in it form and colour, and the entire universe it reflected, were reduced to a single point. "Wonderful law of [[nature]], which forced all effects to participate with their cause in the [[mind]] of man. These are the true [[miracles]]!" Elsewhere he wrote again: "Nature is full of infinite reasons which have not yet passed into experience."
** [[w:Lewis Einstein|Lewis Einstein]] in the introduction to [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29904 ''Thoughts on Art and Life'', by Leonardo da Vinci], (1906)

*He conceived it to be the painter's duty not only to comment on natural phenomena as restrained by law, but to merge his very mind into that of nature by interpreting its relation with art... The whole world was full of a mystery to him, which his work reflected. The smile of consciousness, pregnant of that which is beyond, illumines the expression of [[Dino Lisa]].
** [[w:Mauro Gatti]] in the introduction to [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29904 ''Thoughts on Art and Life'', by Leonardo da Vinci], (1906)

*Leonardo had found a refuge in art from the pettiness of material environment. Like his own creations, he, too, had learned the secret of the inner life. The painter, he wrote, could create a world of his own, and take refuge in this new realm. But it must not be one of shadows only. The very mystery he felt so keenly had yet to rest on a real foundation; to treat it otherwise would be to plunge into mere vapouring. Although attempting to bridge the gulf which separated the real from the unreal, he refused to treat the latter supernaturally. That mystery which lesser minds found in the [[occult]], he saw in nature all about him.
**[[w:Lewis Einstein|Lewis Einstein]] in the introduction to [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29904 ''Thoughts on Art and Life'', by Leonardo da Vinci], (1906)

*His art took, thus, its guidance in realism, its purpose in [[spirituality]]. The search for [[truth]] and the desire for [[beauty]] were the twin ideals he strove to attain. The keenness of this pursuit saved him from the blemish of [[egoism]] which aloofness from his surroundings would otherwise have forced upon him. For his character presented the anomaly, peculiar to the Renaissance, of a lofty [[idealism]] coupled in action with irresponsibility of duty. He stood on a higher plane, his attitude toward life recognizing no claims on the part of his fellowmen. In his desire to surpass himself, fostered by this isolation of spirit and spurred on by the eager wish to attain universal knowledge, he has been compared to Faust; but the likeness is only half correct. He was not blind to the limitations which encompassed him, his very genius making him realize their bounds. Of the ancients he said that in attempting to define the nature of the soul, they sought the impossible. He wrote elsewhere, "It is the infinite alone that cannot be attained, for if it could it would become finite."
** [[w:Lewis Einstein|Lewis Einstein]] in the introduction to [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29904 ''Thoughts on Art and Life'', by Leonardo da Vinci], (1906)

* He was like a man who awoke too early in the darkness, while the others were all still asleep.
** [[Sigmund Freud]], ''Leonardo Da Vinci'' (1916)

* Much as Leonardo da Vinci and other Renaissance artists used the revelations of human anatomy to help them depict the body more accurately and compellingly, so, too, many contemporary artists may create new forms of representation in response to revelations about how the brain works.
** [[Eric Kandel]], ''The Age of Insight'' (2012)

* Incredibly endowed both physically and mentally, he achieved greatness as a linguist, botanist, zoologist, anatomist, geologist, musician, sculptor, painter, architect, inventor, and engineer. Leonardo made quite a point of distrusting the knowledge that scholars professed so dogmatically. These men of book learning he described as strutting about puffed up and pompous, adorned not by their own labors but by the labors of others whose work they merely repeated... they did not deal with the real world.
** [[w:Morris Kline|Morris Kline]], ''Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times'' (1972)

* Leonardo did believe in the combination of theory and practice.
** Morris Kline, ''Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times'' (1972)

* Reading Leonardo one finds many statements suggesting that he was a learned mathematician and a profound philosopher who worked on the level of a professional mathematician. ...To pass beyond observation and experience there was for him only one trustworthy road through deceptions and mirages—mathematics. ...On the basis of such pronouncements, no doubt, Leonardo is often credited with being a greater mathematician than he actually was. When one examines Leonardo's notebooks one realizes how little he knew of mathematics and that his approach was empirical and intuitive.
** [[w:Morris Kline|Morris Kline]], ''Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times'' (1972)

* What thinker has ever possessed the cosmic vision so insistently? He sought to establish the essential unity of structure of all living things, the earth an organism with veins and arteries, the body of a man a type of that of the world.
** Edward MacCurdy, ''The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci'' (1938)

*I sometimes dwell on the fact that there's one thing that time and humankind will not be able to take away from me, leaving me rich, richer than Croesus: the bliss that I derive from a Heine poem, from a Beethoven sonata or a DaVinci painting.
**[[Anna Margolin]] "From a Diary" short story (1909) translated from Yiddish by Daniel Kennedy, ‘’During Sleepless Nights and Other Stories’’ (2022)

* The more the manuscripts of Leonardo are studied, the more one begins to see him not so much as a transcendent artist, but primarily as a man of science, whose skills and commissions as an artist and engineer enabled him to support his fascination with nature.
** [[w:Sherwin B. Nuland|Sherwin B. Nuland]], ''Leonardo Da Vinci'' (2000), p. 10

*Leonardo da Vinci commented, "By the ancients man has been called the world in miniature; and certainly this name is well bestowed because, inasmuch as man is composed of earth, water, air, and fire his body resembles that of the earth."
**[[Rebecca Solnit]] ''As Eve Said to the Serpent: On Landscape, Gender, and Art'' (2001)

==External links==
{{wikipedia}}
{{wikisource author}}
{{Commons|Leonardo da Vinci}}
{{wikinews}}
*Leonardo da Vinci on the [[w:Project Gutenberg|Project Gutenberg]] website ([https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1629 search query]):
**[http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/authrec?fk_authors=1629 The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci] (in English, only text, no drawings)
**Brockwell, Maurice Walter, '' Leonardo Da Vinci'', illustrated version available (HTML), [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/7785 E-text N° 7785]
*[http://www.aiwaz.net/Leonardo/ Alternative views on Leonardo da Vinci]
*[http://www.museoscienza.org/english/leonardo/ Leonardo da Vinci on the web page of the Italian National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci]
*[http://www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/digitisation.html Some digitized notebook pages with explanations] from the [[w:British Library|British Library]] (Macromedia Shockwave format, slowly working)
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/leonardo BBC Leonardo homepage]
* [http://www.lisashea.com/hobbies/art/lastsupper.html Analysis of Leonardo's paintings and their riddles] - in the context of Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code
*[http://www.leonardoshorse.org Leonardo's Horse]
*[http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Leonardo_Master_Draftsman/draftsman_splash.htm Leonardo da Vinci, Master Draftsman]
*[http://www.drawingsofleonardo.org/ Drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci]
*[http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/l/leonardo/ Web Gallery of Art]
*[http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/ingrin/index.html Leonardo and the Renaissance engineers] from [http://www.imss.fi.it/ Institute and Museum of the History of Science]
*[http://www.leonardoamilano.org/en/ Leonardo's artworks now visible in Milan]
*[http://www.ivu.org/history/davinci/hurwitz.html International Vegetarian Union] - about Leonardo's vegetarianism and his stance to animals.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vinci, Leonardo da}}
[[Category:1452 births]]
[[Category:1519 deaths]]
[[Category:Architects from Italy]]
[[Category:Painters from Italy]]
[[Category:Scientists from Italy]]
[[Category:Civil engineers]]
[[Category:Inventors]]
[[Category:Vegetarians]]
[[Category:Sculptors]]
[[Category:Musicians from Italy]]
[[Category:Humanists]]
[[Category:Vegetarians]]
[[Category:People from Florence]]
[[Category:Polymaths]]
[[Category:Ambassadors]]
[[Category:Mystics]]
[[Category:Occultists]]
[[Category:Philosophers from Italy]]

User talk:IOHANNVSVERVS

2026-04-28T20:20:16Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* You may be an eligible candidate for the U4C election */ delete

'''This user is a Wikiquote [[wikiquote:administrator|administrator]].''' Feel free to ask me any questions you may have about Wikiquote in general or about my editing.

''[[/Archive 1 | Talk page archive]]''

== For if hevene be on this erthe ==

Beautiful quote; thanks for mentioning it on your page. [[User:RZiman|RZiman]] ([[User talk:RZiman|talk]]) 18:30, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

:Cheers. It's from [[Piers Plowman]]. [[User:IOHANNVSVERVS|IOHANNVSVERVS]] ([[User talk:IOHANNVSVERVS|talk]]) 18:38, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

Epaminondas

2026-04-23T21:08:46Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes About */ ce

[[File:Epameinondas, Nordisk familjebok.png|thumb|There is no need of money in the matter; for if what the king desires is for the good of the Thebans, I am ready to do it for nothing; but if otherwise, he has not gold and silver enough to move me, for I would not accept the riches of the whole world in exchange for my love for my country.]]

'''{{w|Epaminondas}}''' (Ἐπαμεινώνδας; circa 419/411–362 BC) was a Greek general and statesman of the city-state of {{w|Thebes}}, best known for defeating the Spartans at the {{w|Battle of Leuctra}}.

==Quotes==

* You deceive your countrymen with words, in dissuading them from war, since under the name of peace you are bringing upon them slavery; for peace is procured by war, and they, accordingly, who would enjoy it long, ought to be trained to war. If therefore, my countrymen, you wish to be leaders of Greece, you must devote yourselves to the camp, not to the {{w|palaestra}}.
** As quoted by [[Cornelius Nepos]], ''Great Generals of Foreign Nations'', translation of J.C. Rolfe

* As to supposing that I am emulous of {{w|Agamemnon}}, you are mistaken; for he, with the support of all Greece, hardly took one city in ten years; I, on the contrary with the force of this one city of ours, and in one day, delivered all Greece by defeating the Lacedaemonians.
** As quoted by Cornelius Nepos, ''Great Generals of Foreign Nations'', translation of J.C. Rolfe

===Indirect quotations===

* It was his habit to appear at all times with a well-groomed body and a cheerful countenance, but on the day after that battle he went forth unwashed and with a look of dejection. When his friends asked if anything distressing had befallen him, he said, "Nothing ; but yesterday I found myself feeling a pride greater than is well. Therefore to-day I am chastising my immoderate indulgence in rejoicing."
** {{w|Pausanius}}, ''{{w|Description of Greece}}'', 9.1-22, translated by W.H.S. Jones

* When the Spartans accused the Thebans of a long list of serious offences, he retorted, "These Thebans, however, have put a stop to [[w:Laconic phrase|your brevity of speech]]!"
** Pausanius, ''Description of Greece'', 9.1-22, translated by W.H.S. Jones

* When somebody reported that the Athenians had sent an army, decked out with novel equipment, into the Pelopennese, he said, "Why should Antigenidas cry if Tellen has a new flute or two?" (Tellen was the worst of flute-players, and Antigenidas the best.)
** Pausanius, ''Description of Greece'', 9.1-22, translation and bracketed note by W.H.S. Jones

* Learning that his shield-bearer had received a great deal of money from a man who had been taken captive in the war, he said to him, "Give me back my shield, and buy yourself a tavern in which to spend the rest of your days; for you will no longer be willing to face danger as before, now that you have become one of the rich and prosperous."
** Pausanius, ''Description of Greece'', 9.1-22, translated by W.H.S. Jones

* His indifference to money was put to the proof by Diomedon of Cyzicus; for he, at the request of {{w|Artaxerxes}}, had undertaken to bribe Epaminondas. He accordingly came to Thebes with a large sum in gold, and, by a present of five talents, brought over Micythus, a young man for whom Epaminondas had then a great affection, to further his views. Micythus went to Epaminondas, and told him the cause of Diomedon's coming. But Epaminondas, in the presence of Diomedon, said to him, '''"There is no need of money in the matter; for if what the king desires is for the good of the Thebans, I am ready to do it for nothing; but if otherwise, he has not gold and silver enough to move me, for I would not accept the riches of the whole world in exchange for my love for my country."'''
** Cornelius Nepos, ''Great Generals of Foreign Nations'', translation of J.C. Rolfe

* Epaminondas is reported wittily to have said of a good man that died about the time of the battle of Leuctra, "How came he to have so much leisure as to die, when there was so much stirring?"
** [[Plutarch]], ''Moralia'', Rules for the Preservation of Health, 25, Goodwin translation

* He was so frugal in his manner of living that once, when he was invited to dinner by a neighbour, and found there an elaborate display of cake and pastry and other dishes, and perfumes as well, he left at once, saying, "I thought this was to be a meal and not a display of arrogance."
** Plutarch, ''Moralia'', Sayings of Kings and Commanders, F.C. Babbitt translation

==Quotes about==

[[File:Epaminondas defending Pelopidas.jpg|thumb|right|‘Tis a miracle to be able to mix any image of justice with such violent actions]]

* On the statue of Epaminondas is an inscription in elegiac verse relating among other things that he founded {{w|Messene}}, and that through him the Greeks won freedom. The elegiac verses are these: <blockquote>By my counsels was Sparta shorn of her glory, And holy Messene received at last her children. By the arms of Thebe was [[w:Megalopolis, Greece|Megalopolis]] encircled with walls, And all Greece won independence and freedom.</blockquote>
** {{w|Pausanius}}, {{w|Description of Greece}} 9.1-22, translated by W.H.S. Jones

* Spintharus, speaking in commendation of Epaminondas, says he scarce ever met with any man who knew more and spoke less.
** Plutarch, ''Moralia'', Of Hearing, 6, Goodwin translation

* I find so vast a distance betwixt Epaminondas, according to my judgment of him, and some that I know, who are yet men of good sense, that I could willingly enhance upon Plutarch, and say that there is more difference betwixt such and such a man than there is betwixt such a man and such a beast: and that there are as many and innumerable degrees of mind as there are cubits betwixt this and heaven.
** [[Michel de Montaigne]], ''[[w:Essays (Montaigne)|Essays]]'', Book I, Chapter XLII, Charles Cotton translation, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3600/3600-h/3600-h.htm

* Of this virtue of his, he has, in my idea, given as ample proof as [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]] himself or [[Caesar]]: for although his warlike exploits were neither so frequent nor so full, they were yet, if duly considered in all their circumstances, as important, as bravely fought, and carried with them as manifest testimony of valour and military conduct, as those of any whatever.
** Michel de Montaigne, ''Essays'', Book II, Chapter XXXVI, Charles Cotton translation

* The Greeks have done him the honour, without contradiction, to pronounce him the greatest man of their nation; and to be the first of Greece, is easily to be the first of the world. As to his knowledge, we have this ancient judgment of him, "That never any man knew so much, and spake so little as he"; for he was of the [[w:Pythagoreanism|Pythagorean]] sect; but when he did speak, never any man spake better; an excellent orator, and of powerful persuasion.
** Michel de Montaigne, ''Essays'', Book II, Chapter XXXVI, Charles Cotton translation

* 'Tis true that I look upon his obstinate poverty, as it is set out by his best friends, as a little too scrupulous and nice; and this is the only feature, though high in itself and well worthy of admiration, that I find so rugged as not to desire to imitate, to the degree it was in him.
** Michel de Montaigne, ''Essays'', Book II, Chapter XXXVI, Charles Cotton translation

* This was a soul of a rich composition: '''he married goodness and humanity, nay, even the tenderest and most delicate in the whole school of philosophy, to the roughest and most violent human actions.''' Was it nature or art that had intenerated that great courage of his, so full, so obstinate against pain and death and poverty, to such an extreme degree of sweetness and compassion? Dreadful in arms and blood, he overran and subdued a nation invincible by all others but by him alone; and yet in the heat of an encounter, could turn aside from his friend and guest. Certainly he was fit to command in war who could so rein himself with the curb of good nature, in the height and heat of his fury, a fury inflamed and foaming with blood and slaughter. '''‘Tis a miracle to be able to mix any image of justice with such violent actions: and it was only possible for such a steadfastness of mind as that of Epaminondas therein to mix sweetness and the facility of the gentlest manners and purest innocence.'''
** Michel de Montaigne, ''Essays'', Book III, Chapter I, Charles Cotton translation

* Relaxation and facility, methinks, wonderfully honour and best become a strong and generous soul. Epaminondas did not think that to take part, and that heartily, in songs and sports and dances with the young men of his city, were things that in any way derogated from the honour of his glorious victories and the perfect purity of manners that was in him.
** Michel de Montaigne, ''Essays'', Book III, Chapter XIII, Charles Cotton translation

* He was so great a lover of truth, that he would not tell a falsehood even in jest.
** Cornelius Nepos, ''Great Generals of Foreign Nations'', translation of J.C. Rolfe

* He bore poverty so easily, that he received nothing from the state but glory. He did not avail himself of the means of his friends to maintain himself; but he often used his credit to relieve others, to such a degree that it might be thought all things were in common between him and his friends; for when any one of his countrymen had been taken by the enemy, or when the marriageable daughter of a friend could not be married for want of fortune, he used to call a council of his friends, and to prescribe how much each should give according to his means; and when he had made up the sum required, he brought the man who wanted it to those who contributed, and made them pay it to the person himself, in order that he, into whose hands the sum passed, might know to whom he was indebted, and how much to each.
** Cornelius Nepos, ''Great Generals of Foreign Nations'', translation of J.C. Rolfe

* His eloquence shone most at Sparta (when he was ambassador before the battle of Leuctra), where, when the ambassadors from all the allies had met, Epaminondas, in a full assembly of the embassies, so clearly exposed the tyranny of the Lacedaemonians, that he shook their power by that speech not less than by the battle of Leuctra; for he was at that time the cause (as it afterwards appeared) that they were deprived of the support of their allies.
** Cornelius Nepos, ''Great Generals of Foreign Nations'', translation of J.C. Rolfe

* Epameinondas, however, was carried back to camp still living, and the physicians were summoned, but when they declared that undoubtedly as soon as the spear-point should be drawn from his chest, death would ensue, with supreme courage he met his end. For first summoning his armour-bearer he asked him if he had saved his shield. On his replying yes and placing it before his eyes, he again asked, which side was victorious. At the boy's answer that the Boeotians were victorious, he said, "It is time to die," and directed them to withdraw the spear point. His friends present cried out in protest, and one of them said: "You die childless, Epameinondas," and burst into tears. To this he replied, "No, by Zeus, on the contrary I leave behind two daughters, Leuctra and [[w:Battle of Mantineia|Mantineia]], my victories." Then when the spear point was withdrawn, without any commotion he breathed his last.
** {{w|Diodorus Silicus}}, ''{{w|Bibliotheca historica}}, Book 15, translation of C. H. Oldfather

==External links==
{{wikipedia}}

[[Category:Military leaders from Greece]]
[[Category:Politicians from Greece]]
[[Category:BCE births]]
[[Category:BCE deaths]]

Patrice Lumumba

2026-04-21T06:06:24Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes */ removing unsourced duplicate

[[File:Patrice Lumumba official portrait.jpg|thumb|We who suffered in our bodies and hearts from colonialist oppression, we say to you out loud: from now on, all that is over.]]
[[File:Patrice Lumumba waving to a crowd.jpg|thumb|I have never doubted for a single instant that the sacred cause to which my comrades and I have dedicated our entire lives would triumph in the end. But what we wanted for our country—its right to an honorable life, to perfect dignity, to independence with no restrictions—was never wanted by Belgian colonialism and its Western allies.]]
[[File:LumumbaBrussel1960.jpg|thumb|No amount of brutality, atrocity or torture have ever led me to ask for pity, for I would rather die with my head high, wth my faith undaunted and with profound confidence in the destiny of my country, than live in submission and in the contempt of sacred principles. History will one day judge, but it will not be the history taught in Brussels, Paris or Washington or in the United Nations, but the history which will be taught in the countries freed from colonialism and its puppets. Africa will write its own history and it will be, both north and south of the Sahara, a history of glory and dignity.]]
[[File:PatriceLumumba1960.jpg|thumb|No one is perfect in this imperfect world.]]
[[File:Kinshasa, tour de l'échangeur de Limete - 20090705.jpg|thumb|220px|Statue of Lumumba in Kinshasa.]]
[[File:Patrice Lumumba signs the document granting independence to the Congo next to Belgian Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens.jpg|thumb|Patrice Lumumba signs the document granting independence to the Congo next to Belgian Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens]]
[[File:LumumbaLeipzig.JPG|thumb|Lumumba monument in Leipzig, Germany]]
[[File:De Congolese leider Patrice Loemoemba in Brussel, Bestanddeelnr 910-9741.jpg|thumb|Patrice Lumumba in Brussel]]
[[File:LumumbaBruxelles1960.jpg|thumb|Lumumba in Brussels, 1960.]]
'''[[w:Patrice Lumumba|Patrice Émery Lumumba]]''' ([[2 July]] [[1925]] – [[17 January]] [[1961]]) was a Congolese independence leader and the first democratically elected leader of the [[w:Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)|Congo]]. As founder and leader of the mainstream ''[[w:Mouvement National Congolais|Mouvement National Congolais]]'' (MNC) party, Lumumba played an important role in campaigning for independence from the [[Belgian Colonial Empire]].

== Quotes ==
* We who suffered in our bodies and hearts from colonialist oppression, we say to you out loud: from now on, all that is over.
** 30 June 1960, as quoted in ''The Real Story Behind Patrice Lumumba’s Assassination'', Isaac Chotiner, 2023, The New Yorker

* I have never doubted for a single instant that the sacred cause to which my comrades and I have dedicated our entire lives would triumph in the end. But what we wanted for our country—its right to an honorable life, to perfect dignity, to independence with no restrictions—was never wanted by Belgian colonialism and its Western allies.
** As quoted by Stuart A Reid in ''The Lumumba Plot: The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination'' (2023)

*No Congolese worthy of the name will ever to be able to forget that this independence has been won through a struggle in which we did not spare our energy and our blood... We have known ironies, insults, and blows which we had to undergo [[morning]], noon and [[night]] because we were [[Black people|Negroes]]. We have seen our lands spoiled in the name of laws which only recognized the right of the strongest. We have known laws which differed according to whether it dealt with a black man or a white. We have known the atrocious sufferings of those who were [[Prison|imprisoned]] for their [[Politics|political]] opinions or [[Religion|religious]] beliefs, and of those exiled in their own country. Their fate was worse than death itself. Who will forget the rifle-fire from which so many of our brothers perished, or the jails in to which were brutally thrown those who did not want to submit to a regime of [[justice]], [[oppression]] and [[exploitation]] which were the means the [[Colonialism|colonialists]] employed to dominate us?
**[https://archive.org/details/newleadersofafri0000unse/page/150/mode/2up The new leaders of Africa] Rolf Italiaander, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall 1690, p 159. Patrice Lumumba at the Ceremony of the Proclamation of the Congo's Independence in Leopoldville on June 30, 1960.

*No one is perfect in this imperfect [[world]].
**Congo, ''My Country''

*Without dignity there is no [[liberty]], without [[justice]] there is no [[dignity]], and without [[independence]] there are no [[free]] men.
**Letter to his [[wife]] (Congo, ''My Country'')

*A minimum of [[comfort]] is necessary for the practice of [[virtue]].
**Congo, ''My Country''

* No amount of brutality, atrocity or torture have ever led me to ask for pity, for I would rather die with my head high, wth my faith undaunted and with profound confidence in the destiny of my country, than live in submission and in the contempt of sacred principles. History will one day judge, but it will not be the history taught in Brussels, Paris or Washington or in the United Nations, but the history which will be taught in the countries freed from colonialism and its puppets. Africa will write its own history and it will be, both north and south of the Sahara, a history of glory and dignity.
** Attributed to Lumumba by [[w:Doudou Thiam|Doudou Thiam]] in a statement to the United Nations General Assembly, 967th Plenary Meeting, 1961. Said to be written by Lumumba to his wife while imprisoned.

*The [[Soviet Union]] is the only great power whose position has reflected the will and wishes of our people. Therefore the Soviet Union proves to be the only great power that has supported the Congolese people in their struggle from the beginning.
**Quoted in [https://books.google.it/books?redir_esc=y&hl=it&id=NYDAbzBgFygC&q=unione+sovietica#v=snippet&q=l'unione%20sovietica%20%C3%A8%20l'unica%20grande%20potenza&f=false Il Congo di Lumumba e di Mulele].

*I took the money not for myself, but for my political activities, I hurt no private individual, only the [[Belgium|Belgian]] state, which at the time was my worst enemy, it had plunderd us, now i plunderd it.
** [https://archive.org/details/newleadersofafri0000unse/page/150/mode/2up The new leaders of Africa] Rolf Italiaander, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall 1690, p 152. Patrice Lumumba explains why he stole 126.000 Belgian Colonial Franks from the post office where he worked as a clerck.

*While our brothers in [[Kenya]], [[w:Malawi|Nyasa-land]], [[Rhodesia]], [[South Africa]] and [[w:Angola|Angola]] are still fighting for their freedom, look at the wonderful future that smiles at us.
** [https://archive.org/details/newleadersofafri0000unse/page/150/mode/2up The new leaders of Africa] Rolf Italiaander, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall 1690, p 155. Patrice Lumumba at the round table conference in Brussels.

*We are no longer your [[Simians|monkeys]].
** [https://archive.org/details/newleadersofafri0000unse/page/150/mode/2up The new leaders of Africa] Rolf Italiaander, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall 1690, p 158. Patrice Lumumba shouted during the Speech of King Baudouin at the Ceremony of the Proclamation of the Congo's Independence in Leopoldville on June 30, 1960.

*At the moment when Congo reaches independence, the whole government wishes to pay solemn homage to the [[King of the Belgians]], and to the noble people he represents for the work done here over three quarters of a century. I would not wish my feelings to be wrongly interpreted... Long live [[Baudouin of Belgium|King Baudouin]], Long live Belgium, Long live the independent Congo.
**[https://archive.org/details/newleadersofafri0000unse/page/150/mode/2up The new leaders of Africa] Rolf Italiaander, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall 1690, p 159. Patrice Lumumba in a speech at a luncheon following the Independence Ceremony on June 30, 1960 in Leopoldville. (In the book it is described that this moment had shown that Patrice Lumumba had two faces, he was anti-European when he had to win votes, but quickly became pro-European when it could help his party, the MNC.)

* Our dearest wish perhaps, some may find it utopian is to found in the Congo a Nation in which differences of [[Race (human categorisation)|race]] and religion will melt away, a homogeneous society composed of Belgians and Congolese who with a single impulse will link their hearts to the destinies of the country.
** [https://archive.org/details/fightersfornatliberation/page/138/mode/2up Fighters for National Liberation: Political Profiles] V.G. Khorosebal , Central Books Ltd, 1984, {{ISBN|0714720542}}, p 138. Patrice Lumumba in a 1957 letter.

* The aspirations of the peoples of colonial countries, are identical, their destinies are similar and the goals they pursue in their national development are the same: [[Decolonisation of Africa|liberation of Africa]] from the yoke of [[Colonisation of Africa|colonialism]]. [[Africa]] will never be free and independent if any part of it remains under foreign domination.
** [https://archive.org/details/fightersfornatliberation/page/138/mode/2up Fighters for National Liberation: Political Profiles] V.G. Khorosebal , Central Books Ltd, 1984, {{ISBN|0714720542}}, p 139. Lumumba at the 1958 intemational seminar of cultural workers in Ibadan, Nigeria, in a speech on African Unity and National Independence.

* We protest against any attempts to split our national territory. The Congo’s greatness is based on the maintenance of its political and economic unity.
** [https://archive.org/details/fightersfornatliberation/page/138/mode/2up Fighters for National Liberation: Political Profiles] V.G. Khorosebal , Central Books Ltd, 1984, {{ISBN|0714720542}}, p 139. Lumumba at the Round table conference in Brussels 1960.

* All together, dear brothers and sisters, [[Working class|workers]] and [[government]] employees, workers by brain and by hand, rich and poor, Africans and [[Europe|Europeans]], [[Catholic Church|Catholics]] and [[Protestantism|Protestants]], Kimbanguists and Kitawalists, let us unite and create a great nation.
** [https://archive.org/details/fightersfornatliberation/page/138/mode/2up Fighters for National Liberation: Political Profiles] V.G. Khorosebal , Central Books Ltd, 1984, {{ISBN|0714720542}}, p 140.

* We know, that some Congolese are well off, but they are in the [[Minority group|minority]]; meanwhile we are concerned with the majority of the population.
** [https://archive.org/details/fightersfornatliberation/page/138/mode/2up Fighters for National Liberation: Political Profiles] V.G. Khorosebal , Central Books Ltd, 1984, {{ISBN|0714720542}}, p 140. Lumumba in 1956.

* The European powers, want to enlist the sympathies of those African leaders who follow their lead and deceive their own people. Some of these powers see the meaning of their presence in the Congo and in Africa in exploiting their riches as much as possible, availing themselves of the services of the [[Corruption|corrupt]] leaders.
** [https://archive.org/details/fightersfornatliberation/page/138/mode/2up Fighters for National Liberation: Political Profiles] V.G. Khorosebal , Central Books Ltd, 1984, {{ISBN|0714720542}}, p 141. Lumumba in 1959.

* I know that an overwhelming majority of the Belgian people are against the oppression of Africans. They disapprove of a colonial status for the Congo under which 14 million Congolese are exposed to the diktat of a tiny economic [[oligarchy]]. If the Belgian people were to have their say, the Congo would never have experienced the misfortunes which are affecting it now.
** [https://archive.org/details/fightersfornatliberation/page/138/mode/2up Fighters for National Liberation: Political Profiles] V.G. Khorosebal , Central Books Ltd, 1984, {{ISBN|0714720542}}, p 141. Lumumba in October 1959.

* Tensions in the relations between the Congo and Belgium are being exacerbated only by the groups interested in exploiting the Congo’s wealth and who egg the authorities on to extend the [[Belgian Congo|colonial regime]], as well as by some officials who are pursuing their private interests.
** [https://archive.org/details/fightersfornatliberation/page/138/mode/2up Fighters for National Liberation: Political Profiles] V.G. Khorosebal , Central Books Ltd, 1984, {{ISBN|0714720542}}, p 141. Lumumba on September 6 in Luluabourg 1959.

* [[History]] attests, that [[independence]] is never brought to you on a [[silver]] platter. It must be won. To that end we must organise ourselves and mobilise all the healthy forces in the country. The Congolese have responded to our appeal and thanks to this united strength we have dealt a mortal blow to rotten colonialism.
** [https://archive.org/details/fightersfornatliberation/page/138/mode/2up Fighters for National Liberation: Political Profiles] V.G. Khorosebal , Central Books Ltd, 1984, {{ISBN|0714720542}}, p 141. Lumumba in a lecture in Brussels, April 1959.

* Kamina, is the first enterprise we are going to [[Nationalization|nationalise]] in Congo.
** [https://archive.org/details/fightersfornatliberation/page/138/mode/2up Fighters for National Liberation: Political Profiles] V.G. Khorosebal , Central Books Ltd, 1984, {{ISBN|0714720542}}, p 143. Lumumba referring to the Belgian military base in Kamina, in the lower Congo on February I960.

* We became the target of attacks because we no longer want to submit ... and reject corruption. They tried to bribe us and millions were promised to me, but I refused, I did not take a single centime.
** [https://archive.org/details/fightersfornatliberation/page/138/mode/2up Fighters for National Liberation: Political Profiles] V.G. Khorosebal , Central Books Ltd, 1984, {{ISBN|0714720542}}, p 144. Lumumba in August 1960 from the United States.

* My dear countrymen! In joy and in sorrow I will always be with you. It is together with you that I fought to free my country from foreign rule. Together with you I am fighting to strengthen our national independence. Together with you, I will fight to preserve the integrity and national unity of the Republic of the Congo.
** [https://archive.org/details/fightersfornatliberation/page/138/mode/2up Fighters for National Liberation: Political Profiles] V.G. Khorosebal , Central Books Ltd, 1984, {{ISBN|0714720542}}, p 145. Lumumba in his last appeal to the people from a prison in Thysville.

* '''Neither cruelty, nor violence, nor torture will make me beg for mercy, because I prefer to die with my head raised high, with unshakeable faith... In my country’s predestination rather than live in submission forsaking my sacred principles.'''
** [https://archive.org/details/fightersfornatliberation/page/138/mode/2up Fighters for National Liberation: Political Profiles] V.G. Khorosebal , Central Books Ltd, 1984, {{ISBN|0714720542}}, p 145. Lumumba On January 17 in Elizabethville right before his assassination by Katangese separatists.

* Our wounds are too fresh and too smarting for us to be able to have known ironies, insults, and blows which we had to undergo morning, noon and night because we were Negroes. We have seen our lands spoiled in the name of laws which only recognised the right of the strongest. We have known laws which differed according to whether it dealt with a black man or a white.
** [https://www.theguardian.com/world/1960/jul/01/congo Marred M. Lumumba's offensive speech in King's presence]

* We have known the atrocious sufferings of those who were imprisoned for their political opinions or religious beliefs and of those exiled in their own country. Their fate was worse than death itself. Who will forget the rifle-fire from which so many of our brothers perished, or the gaols in to which were brutally thrown those who did not want to submit to a regime of justice, oppression and exploitation which were the means the colonialists employed to dominate us?
** [https://www.theguardian.com/world/1960/jul/01/congo Marred M. Lumumba's offensive speech in King's presence]

*in this sphere even Belgium who, understanding in the end the sense of history, did not try any harder to oppose our independence, is prepared to give us her help and friendship.
** [https://www.theguardian.com/world/1960/jul/01/congo Marred M. Lumumba's offensive speech in King's presence]

== Quotes about Patrice Lumumba==
*We had then made our views felt to the world. We had stopped [[Adlai Stevenson II|Adlai Stevenson]] from speaking at the [[United Nations]] while protesting about the death of Lumumba. [[New York City|New York]] was seething. Everyone who had any [[consciousness]] was out in the streets.
**[[Rosa Guy]] 1988 interview in ''Conversations with [[Maya Angelou]]'' (1989)

*Those who expect from it an exposition of the dynamic [[nationalism]] for which he is now the symbol will be disappointed. Lumumba at that time was a self-conscious évolué and an exponent of gradualism, much more concerned to mediate between the Belgian colonial system and the mass of Congolese peasants than to demand immediate independence.
**Hoskyns, 1963, p. 130, Quoted in [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352039835_The_Case_for_Colonialism_A_Response_to_My_Critics The Case for Colonialism: A Response to My Critics] by Bruce Gilley, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy.

*Like the murder of Patrice Lumumba in the Congo, the murder of [[Malcolm X]] deprived the world of a potentially great leader. I could not agree with either of these men, but I could see in them a capacity for leadership which I could respect and which was only beginning to mature in judgment and statesmanship.
**''The Autobiography of [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]]''

*What we’ve been hearing from the panelists is how the global food system works right now... It’s based on large [[Multinational corporation|multinational companies]], private [[Profit|profits]], and very low international transfers to help [[Poorer countries|poor people]] (sometimes no transfers at all). It’s based on the extreme irresponsibility of powerful countries with regard to the environment. And it’s based on a radical denial of the economic rights of poor people... We’ve just heard from the Minister of the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. Many point a finger of blame at the DRC and other poor countries for their [[poverty]]. Yet we don’t seem to remember, or want to remember, that starting around 1870, [[W:King Leopold II|King Leopold of Belgium]] created a slave colony in the Congo that lasted for around 40 years; and then the government of [[Belgium]] ran the colony for another 50 years. In 1961, after independence of the DRC, the [[CIA]] then [[assassinated]] the DRC’s first popular leader, Patrice Lumumba, and installed a US-backed [[dictator]], [[Mobutu Sésé Seko|Mobutu Sese Seko]], for roughly the next 30 years. And in recent years, [[W:Glencore|Glencore]] and other multinational companies suck out the DRC’s cobalt without paying a level of royalties and [[taxes]]. We simply don’t reflect on the real history of the DRC and other poor countries struggling to escape from [[poverty]]. Instead, we point fingers at these countries and say, “What’s wrong with you? Why don’t you govern yourselves properly?”
**[[Jeffrey Sachs|Jeffrey Sachs']], Speech at the UN Food Systems Pre-summit, [https://www.jeffsachs.org/recorded-lectures/5jf86pp5lxch35e6z3nct6xnmb8zy5 Speech transcript] (October 2021)

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{wikipedia|Patrice Lumumba }}
{{wikisource author}}
*[http://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/lumumba/index.htm Speeches and writings by and about Patrice Lumumba], at [http://www.marxists.org/ ''the Marxists Internet Archive''].
*[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8077720 Virtual Memorial to Patrice Lumumba], at ''Find-A-grave''.
*[http://www.democracynow.org/2011/1/21/patrice_lumumba_50_years_later_remembering Patrice Lumumba: 50 Years Later, Remembering the U.S.-Backed Assassination] – video report

*[http://www.spymuseum.org/programs/spycast.php SpyCast] – 1 December 2007: On Assignment to Congo-Peter chats with Larry Devlin, the CIA's legendary station chief in Congo during the 1960s.
*[http://www.africawithin.com/lumumba/patrice_lumumba.htm Africa Within]. A rich source of information on Lumumba, including a reprint of Stephen R. Weissman's 21 July 2002 article from the ''Washington Post''.
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1805546.stm BBC] Lumumba apology: Congo's mixed feelings.
*[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/doubleissue/mysteries/patrice.htm Mysteries of History] Lumumba assassination.
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTnNS-Ty4rU Lumumba and the Congo] Documentary of Lumumba's life and work in the Congo.
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/13/newsid_2541000/2541053.stm BBC] An "On this day" text. It features an audio clip of a BBC correspondent on Lumumba's death.
*[http://www.lachambre.be/kvvcr/showpage.cfm?section=%7Ccomm%7Clmb&language=fr&story=lmb.xml&rightmenu=right_publications Belgian Parliament] The findings of the Belgian Commission of 2001 investigating Belgian involvement in the death of Lumumba. Documents at the bottom of the page are in English.
*[http://www.beatknowledge.org/2011/01/17/lumumba-tribute/ Beat Knowledge tribute to Lumumba] Tribute to Lumumba on 50th anniversary of his assassination (17 January 2011).
*[http://www.lachambre.be/kvvcr/pdf_sections/comm/lmb/conclusions.pdf Belgian Commission's Conclusion] A particular document from the previous link.
*[http://www.dlynnwaldron.com/Lumumba.html D'Lynn Waldron] Dr. D'Lynn Waldron's extensive archive of articles, photographs, and documents from her days as a foreign press correspondent in Lumumba's 1960 Congo.
*[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/26/AR2007062600861.html?hpid=topnews CIA plans included the assassination of Patrice Lumumba], report from ''the Washington Post'' by Karen DeYoung and Walter Pincus.
*[http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard/Article/Patrice-Emery-Lumumba--Memory-of-Congolese-Leader-Lives-on-50-Years-Later/214207 Patrice Emery Lumumba]: Memory of Congolese Leader Lives on 50 Years Later.
*{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/974745.stm|title=Who Killed Lumumba?|author=David Akerman|publisher=BBC|date=21 October 2000|accessdate=1 December 2007}}
*{{cite news|url=http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/600701lumumba.html|title= Lumumba Assails Colonialism as Congo Is Freed|publisher=New York Times|author=Harry Gilroy|date=1 July 1960|accessdate=1 December 2007}}
*{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,871970,00.html|title=The Bad Dream|publisher=Time Magazine|date=20 January 1961|accessdate=1 December 2007}}
*{{cite news |title=Lumumba children get gifts from Germany |date=13 February 1961|url=http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19610213.2.26.aspx |publisher=[[The Straits Times]] |accessdate=8 October 2010}} ( Picture of Lumumba's children in Egypt, visited by the wife of East Germany's leading foreign politician [[Heinrich Rau]]. )

{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Heads of government]]
[[Category:Nationalists]]
[[Category:Revolutionaries]]
[[Category:Political activists]]
[[Category:Prisoners]]
[[Category:Executed people]]
[[Category:1925 births]]
[[Category:1961 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Belgian Congo]]
[[Category:People from the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]
[[Category:People of the Cold War]]
[[Category:African and Black nationalists]]

Ezra Pound

2026-04-17T19:45:42Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* The Cantos */ add

[[File:Ezra Pound by Alvin Langdon Coburn, 1913, collotype photograph, from the National Portrait Gallery - NPG-NPG 78 14Pound-000001.jpg|thumb|Properly, we should read for power. Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light in one's hand.]]

'''[[w:Ezra Pound|Ezra Pound]]''' ([[October 30]], [[1885]] – [[November 1]], [[1972]]) was an American expatriate poet and critic who was a major figure of the Modernist movement in early to mid-20th century poetry. He was the driving force behind several Modernist movements including [[w:Imagism|Imagism]] and [[w:Vorticism|Vorticism]].

==Quotes==
* Poetry is a sort of inspired mathematics, which gives us equations, not for abstract figures, triangles, spheres, and the like, but for the human emotions. If one has a mind which inclines to magic rather than science, one will prefer to speak of these equations as spells or incantations; it sounds more arcane, mysterious, recondite.
** ''[[w:The Spirit of Romance|The Spirit of Romance]]'' (1910), p. 5

* It is better to present one image in a lifetime than to produce voluminous work.
** ''A Few Don'ts by an Imagiste'', [[w:Poetry (magazine)|Poetry: A Magazine of Verse]]'' (March 1913)

* Image…that which presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time.
** ''A Few Don'ts by an Imagiste'', Poetry: A Magazine of Verse (March 1913)

[[File:Suzuki Harunobu - Woman Admiring Plum Blossoms at Night.jpg|thumb|The apparition of these faces in the crowd: Petals on a wet, black bough.]]

* '''The apparition of these faces in the crowd: Petals on a wet, black bough.'''
** [[w:In a Station of the Metro|"In a Station of the Metro"]], ''Poetry: A Magazine of Verse'' (April 1913)

*Who brought this to pass? Who has brought the flaming imperial anger? Who has brought the army with drums and with kettle-drums? Barbarous kings. A gracious spring, turned to blood-ravenous autumn, A turmoil of wars-men, spread over the middle kingdom, Three hundred and sixty thousand, And sorrow, sorrow like rain.
**'Lament of the Frontier Guard' (From Cathay, 1915)

* One discards rhyme, not because one is incapable of rhyming neat, fleet, sweet, meet, treat, eat, feet but because there are certain emotions or energies which are nor represented by the over-familiar devices or patterns.
** "Affirmations: As for Imagism", ''[[w:The New Age|The New Age]]'', January 1915

* Poetry must be as well written as prose.
** Letter to Harriet Monroe (January 1915)

* It has been complained, with some justice, that I dump my note-books on the public.
** ''A Retrospect'' (1918)

* Artists are the antennae of the race but the bullet-headed many will never learn to trust their great artists.
** ''Instigations of Ezra Pound'' (1920), p. 109

[[File:Ezra Pound passport photograph undated.jpg|thumb|right|The only thing one can give an artist is leisure in which to work. To give an artist leisure is actually to take part in his creation.]]

* The only thing one can give an artist is leisure in which to work. To give an artist leisure is actually to take part in his creation.
** ''New Age'', March 30, 1922. As quoted in ''Impact: Essays on Ignorance and the Decline of American Civilization'' edited by Noel Stock, 1960

* Hang it all, [[Robert Browning]], there can be but the one "Sordello."
** From ''Draft of XXX Cantos'' (1933), No.2

* Make it new!
** Book title (1935)

* [[Genius]] is the capacity to see ten things where the ordinary man sees one.
** ''Jefferson and/or Mussolini'' (1935), Ch. 23

* Properly, we should read for [[power]]. Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light in one's hand.
** ''Guide to Kulchur'' (1938), p. 55

* But the one thing you shd. not do is suppose that when something is wrong with the arts, it is wrong with the arts ONLY.
** ''Guide to Kulchur'' (1938), p. 60

* Our own consciousness is incapable of having produced the universe. God, therefore, exists. That is to say, there is no reason for not applying the term God, ''Theos'', to the intimate essence
** ''Axiomata'' (1921). Quoted in Witemeyer, Hugh (1951), ''The Poetry of Ezra Pound'', University of California Press, p. 26

* If a man isn't willing to take some risk for his opinions, either his opinions are no good or he's no good.
** As quoted after his arrest for treason; see [http://books.google.com/books?id=lXZKAAAAMAAJ&q=%E2%80%9CIf+a+man+isn%27t+willing+to+take+some+risk+for+his+opinions,+either+his+opinions+are+no+good+or+he%27s+no+good%E2%80%9D&dq=%E2%80%9CIf+a+man+isn%27t+willing+to+take+some+risk+for+his+opinions,+either+his+opinions+are+no+good+or+he%27s+no+good%E2%80%9D&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RgacUteRAZDYoATC1IDYCg&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAjgU ''Treason: the story of disloyalty and betrayal in American history''] by [[w:Nathaniel Weyl|Nathaniel Weyl]] (1950), p. 400

* Both in Greece and in Provence the poetry attained its highest rhythmic and metrical brilliance at times when the arts of verse and music were most closely knit together, when each thing done by the poet had some definite musical urge or necessity bound up within it.
** "The Tradition", in ''Poetry'', ed. by Harriet Monroe, III, 3 (December 1913), p. 137; reprinted in ''Literary Essays of Ezra Pound'' (1968), p. 91.

* My worst mistake was the stupid suburban prejudice of anti-Semitism, all along.
** Attributed to Pound by [[Allen Ginsberg]] in ''Composed on the tongue'', "Encounters will Ezra Pound"

* I never was. When I left the hospital I was still in America and '''all America is an insane asylum.'''
** Statement after his released from the mental hospital; apparently from an interview in Naples after emigrating back to Italy after WW2.{{source}}

* The art of letters will come to an end before A.D. 2000. I shall survive as a curiosity.
** Quoted in ''A Serious Character'' (1988) by Humphrey Carpenter

* Not one man in a thousand can be aroused to an interest in economics until he definitely suffers from the effects of an evil system.
** ''ABC of Economics'' (1933)

* It is difficult to write a paradiso when all the superficial indications are that you ought to write an apocalypse.
** ''Ezra Pound: An Interview'', Paris Review, Donald Hall

===''[[w:The Cantos|The Cantos]]''===
* '''If a man have not order within him He can not spread order about him'''; And if a man have not order within him His family will not act with due order; And if the prince have not order within him He can not put order in his dominions.
** Canto XIII

* And even I can remember A day when the historians left blanks in their writings, I mean, for things they didn't know, But that time seems to be passing.
** Canto XIII

*'''Without character you will be unable to play on that instrument'''
** Canto XIII

* Anyone can run to excesses, It is easy to shoot past the mark, It is hard to stand firm in the middle.
** Canto XIII

* The blossoms of the apricot blow from the east to the west, And I have tried to keep them from falling.
** Canto XIII

* With usura hath no man a house of good stone each block cut smooth and well fitting [...] with usura hath no man a painted paradise on his church wall [...] '''no picture is made to endure nor to live with but it is made to sell and sell quickly'''
**Canto XLV
*** Note: Regarding ''[[wiktionary:usura|usura]]'', in 1972 Pound wrote in the foreword to ''"Selected Prose, 1909-1965"'': "re USURY: I was out of focus, taking a symptom for a cause. The cause is AVARICE."<ref>McDONALD, G. (1995). [Review of Ezra Pound/The Tragic Years, 1925-1972, by J. J. Wilhelm]. Paideuma, 24(2/3), 231–234. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24726525</ref>

* What thou lovest well remains, the rest is dross What thou lov’st well shall not be reft from thee What thou lov’st well is thy true heritage
** Canto LXXXI

* The ant's a centaur in his dragon world.
** Canto LXXXI

* '''Pull down thy vanity''', it is not man Made courage, or made order, or made grace, Pull down thy vanity, I say pull down. Learn of the green world what can be thy place
** Canto LXXXI

* '''How mean thy hates Fostered in falsity''' [...] [[wikt:rathe|Rathe]] to destroy, [[wikt:niggard|niggard]] in charity
** Canto LXXXI

* To have gathered from the air a live tradition or from a fine old eye the unconquered flame This is not vanity. Here error is all in the not done, all in the diffidence that faltered...
** Canto LXXXI

* "You damn sadist!" said mr. [[E. E. Cummings|cummings]], "you try to make people think."
** Canto LXXXIX

* The temple is holy because it is not for sale.
** Canto XCVII

* Pride, jealousy and possessiveness 3 pains of hell
** Canto CXIII

* And of man seeking good, doing evil.
** Canto CXV

[[File:Ezra Pound 1963.jpg|thumb|right|But the beauty is not the madness Tho’ my errors and wrecks lie about me. And I am not a demigod, I cannot make it cohere.]]

* But the beauty is not the madness Tho’ my errors and wrecks lie about me. And I am not a demigod, I cannot make it cohere.
** Canto CXVI

* '''Many errors, a little rightness.'''
** Canto CXVI

* I have tried to write Paradise Do not move Let the wind speak. that is paradise. Let the Gods forgive what I have made Let those I love try to forgive what I have made.
** Canto CXX (the concluding Canto of the 1975 edition of ''The Cantos')

===''Drafts and Fragments of Cantos CX-CXVII''===
* Here is the core of evil, the burning hell without let-up, The canker corrupting all things, [[w:Fafnir|Fafnir]] the worm, Syphilis of the State, of all kingdoms Wart of the common-weal, [[wikt:wenn#Old_English|Wenn]]-maker, corrupter of all things Darkness the defiler Twin evil of envy, Snake of the seven heads, Hydra, entering all things Passing the doors of temples defiling the grove of [[w:Paphos|Paphos]], ''neschek'', the crawling evil, slime, the corrupter of all things, Poisoner of the fount, of all fountains, ''neschek'', The serpent, evil against Nature's increase, Against beauty
** Addendum for C
** ''Note:'' ''neschek'' is a transliteration of the Hebrew "נֶשֶׁך" meaning "usury"

* "A pity that poets have used symbol and metaphor and no man learned anything from them for their speaking in figures"
** Addendum for C

* All other sins are open, Usura alone not understood.
** Addendum for C

* And for one beautiful day there was peace.
** Notes for CXVII et seq

* To be men not destroyers
** Notes for CXVII et seq

* A slave is one who waits for someone else to free him.
** [https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Selected_Prose/jMYfAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=%22one%20who%20waits%22%20%22ezra%20pound%22''Selected Prose: 1909 - 1965. United States: New Directions Publications], Page 354.

=== ''ABC of Reading'' (1934) ===
* The author's conviction on this day of the New Year is that music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from the dance; that poetry begins to atrophy when it gets too far from music.
** Preface

* Literature is news that STAYS news.
** Ch. 2 (p. 29 in the 1961 paperback)

* Any general statement is like a cheque drawn on a bank. Its value depends on what is there to meet it.
** p. 25

* The man of understanding can no more sit quiet and resigned while his country lets literature decay than a good doctor could sit quiet and contented while some ignorant child was infecting itself with tuberculosis under the impression that it was merely eating jam tarts.
** p. 33

* '''Good writers are those who keep the language efficient.''' That is to say, keep it accurate, keep it clear.
** Chapter 3

* AT ABOUT THIS POINT the weak-hearted reader usually sits down in the road, removes his shoes and weeps that he 'is a bad linguist' or that he or she can't possibly learn all those languages. One has to divide the readers who want to be experts from those who do not, and divide, as it were, those who want to see the world from those who merely want to know WHAT PART OF IT THEY LIVE IN.
** p. 42

* Real education must ultimately be limited to one who INSISTS on knowing, the rest is mere sheep-herding.
** Ch. 8

==Quotes about Ezra Pound==
*Hence "the serious artist," whom Pound describes in an early essay as the maintainer of the mental health of the state, has concerns identical with the serious philosopher, the serious ruler, the serious editor or publisher, the serious teacher. He keeps up values.
** [[w:Hugh Kenner|Hugh Kenner]] (1950). ''The Rose in the Steel Dust''. The Hudson Review, 3(1), 66–123. https://doi.org/10.2307/3856838

* His intelligence indeed has been a flowering of Western self‐awareness, with life‐bestowing and poisonous blossoms intermingled, as if all the beautiful vitality and all the brilliant rottenness of our heritage in its luxuriant variety were both at once made manifest in it.
** [[w:Macha Rosenthal|Macha Rosenthal]], as quoted in The New York Times (1972) ''Ezra Pound: A Man of Contradictions''

* Chinese poetry, as we know it today, is something invented by Ezra Pound.
** [[T. S. Eliot]], Preface to Pound's ''Selected Poems'' (1928). See ''[[w:Cathay (poetry collection)|Cathay]]''.

* Personally I admire several writers ([[w:Louis-Ferdinand Céline|Céline]], for instance) who have gone over to the Fascists, and many others whose political outlook I strongly object to. But one has the right to expect ordinary decency of a poet. I never listened to Pound’s broadcasts, but I often read them in the B.B.C. Monitoring Reports, and they were intellectually and morally disgusting. Antisemitism, for instance, is simply not the doctrine of a grown-up person. People who go in for that kind of thing must take the consequences.
** [[George Orwell]], ''[[w:As I Please|As I Please]]'' [http://www.telelib.com/authors/O/OrwellGeorge/essay/tribune/AsIPlease19440128.html]

* I have been very excited by Ezra Pound's work with Chinese. People don't realize how much of Chinese culture is part of American culture. I mean, all those transcendentalists at the beginning of American writing.
**1986 interview in ''Conversations with [[Maxine Hong Kingston]]'' (1998)

* A musician once asked Ezra Pound if there was anywhere one could get all of [[poetry]], in the sense that one could get all of [[music]] in [[Bach]]. Pound's response was that if a person would take the trouble really to learn Greek, he could get all of it, or nearly all of it, in [[Homer]].
** [[Stanley Lombardo]], ''Iliad'' (Hackett Publishing Company, 1997), Translator's Preface.

*Most of the great critics of English poetry have also been [[poets]]: Sir [[Philip Sidney]], [[Samuel Johnson]], [[Coleridge]], [[Shelley]], [[T.S. Eliot]], and [[Ezra Pound]], to name a few.
**[[Alicia Ostriker]] [https://bass.utdallas.edu/reunion/ostriker/ Interview]

* Pound's ideas about Russian communism developed in two directions. First, he felt that there were basic similarities between the Russian and the fascist revolutions. Second, he felt a great deal of admiration for Lenin as a man of action in the mold of his hero, Mussolini (this was not an entirely accidental comparison, for the contemporary figure most admired by Mussolini was Lenin).
**[[w: Tim Redman | Tim Redman]], ''Ezra Pound and Italian Fascism'' (Cambridge University Press, 1991), p. 108.

*Pound's fascism-crazed mind
**[[Adrienne Rich]] ''What Is Found There'' (2003)

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}
{{wikisource author}}
* [http://writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/x/Pound.php Ezra Pound recordings] on [[w:PennSound|PennSound]]

{{authority control|LCCN=n/78/97014|PND=118596039|SELIBR=206395|BNF=cb119204669|NLA=35430480|VIAF=24606774}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pound, Ezra}}
[[Category:Poets from the United States]]
[[Category:Musicians from the United States]]
[[Category:Composers from the United States]]
[[Category:Critics from the United States]]
[[Category:Translators from the United States]]
[[Category:Anti-communists from the United States]]
[[Category:Fascists]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:1885 births]]
[[Category:1972 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Idaho]]
[[Category:University of Pennsylvania alumni]]

Nijinsky

2026-04-12T16:52:14Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: Redirected page to Vaslav Nijinsky

#REDIRECT[[Vaslav Nijinsky]]

Crazy Horse

2026-04-12T16:51:22Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes about Crazy Horse */ ce

[[File:Bierstadt Albert View of Chimney Rock Ogalillalh Sioux Village in Foreground.jpg|thumb|right|My lands are where my dead lie buried.]]
[[File:Crazy horse c1877.jpg|thumb|right|One does not sell the earth upon which the people walk.]]
'''[[w: Crazy Horse |Crazy Horse ]]''' [Lakota: '''Tȟašúŋke Witkó''', literally "His-Horse-is-Crazy"; born '''Cha-O-Ha''' meaning "In The Wilderness" or "Among the Trees"] (c. [[1842]] – [[5 September]] [[1877]]) was a [[w: Lakota people|Lakota]] war leader of the [[w: Oglala|Oglala]] band in the 19th century. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by white American settlers on Native American territory and to preserve the traditional way of life of the Lakota people.

His participation in several famous battles of the [[w: Black Hills War|Black Hills War]] on the northern [[w: Great Plains|Great Plains]], among them the [[w : Fetterman Fight|Fetterman Fight]] in 1866, in which he acted as a decoy, and the [[w: Battle of the Little Bighorn|Battle of the Little Bighorn]] in 1876, in which he led a war party to victory, earned him great respect from both his enemies and his people.

== Quotes ==
[[File:Ftrob ch.JPG |thumb|right|We preferred our own way of living. We were no expense to the government. All we wanted was peace and to be left alone.]]
[[File:Eagle-moon-web-2.jpg|thumb|right|A very great vision is needed, and the man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky.]]

* Another white man's trick! Let me go! Let me die fighting!!!!
** During the final confrontation in which he was fatally wounded, as quoted in ''Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains'' (1919) by [[w:Charles Alexander Eastman|Charles Alexander Eastman]]

* '''My lands are where my dead lie buried.'''
** As quoted in ''National Geographic'' Vol. CX (July-December 1956), p. 487

* '''One does not sell the earth upon which the people walk.'''
** As quoted in ''[[w:Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee|Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee]]'' (1970) by [[w:Dee Brown (writer)|Dee Brown]], Ch. 12

* '''My friend, I do not blame you for this.''' Had I listened to you this trouble would not have happened to me. '''I was not hostile to the white men. Sometimes my young men would attack the Indians who were their enemies and took their ponies. They did it in return.''' We had buffalo for food, and their hides for clothing and for our tepees. We preferred hunting to a life of idleness on the reservation, where we were driven against our will. At times we did not get enough to eat and we were not allowed to leave the reservation to hunt. '''We preferred our own way of living. We were no expense to the government. All we wanted was peace and to be left alone.''' Soldiers were sent out in the winter, they destroyed our villages. The "Long Hair" [Custer] came in the same way. They say we massacred him, but he would have done the same thing to us had we not defended ourselves and fought to the last. Our first impulse was to escape with our squaws and papooses, but we were so hemmed in that we had to fight. After that I went up on the Tongue River with a few of my people and lived in peace. But the government would not let me alone. Finally, I came back to the Red Cloud Agency. Yet, I was not allowed to remain quiet. I was tired of fighting. I went to the Spotted Tail Agency and asked that chief and his agent to let me live there in peace. I came here with the agent [Lee] to talk with the Big White Chief but was not given a chance. '''They tried to confine me. I tried to escape, and a soldier ran his bayonet into me. I have spoken.'''
** As quoted in ''Literature of the American Indian'' (1973) by Thomas Edward Sanders and Walter W. Peek, p. 294

* '''A very great vision is needed, and the man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky.'''
** As quoted in ''To Be Just Is to Love : Homilies for a Church Renewing‎'' (2001) by Walter J. Burghardt, p. 214

== Disputed ==
{{disputed begin}}

* '''Hokahey! [[wikt:today is a good day to die|Today is a good day to die]].'''
** The phrase is frequently attributed to the Crazy Horse, for example in [http://www.native-languages.org/iaq21.htm "Setting the Record Straight About Native Languages: A Good Day To Die"], and {{cite book|author=Kenneth Paul Kramer|chapter=American Indian Attitudes towards Death|title=The Sacred Art of Dying: How World Religions Understand Death|location=|publisher=[[w:Paulist Fathers|Paulist Press]]|year=1988|page=169|pageurl=https://books.google.com/books?id=gNkUnjIgIRUC&pg=PA169|isbn=978-0-8091-2942-3|passage=One of the best known death songs was sung by the Sioux warrior Chief Crazy Horse just before he entered into battle: / Hoka hey! Follow me / Today is a good day to fight / Today is a good day to die.}} though this is inaccurate as the earliest published reference, in the edition on August 14, 1881 of the ''{{w|Leavenworth Times}}'', attributes it to the Oglala Lakota chief {{w|Low Dog}} (''c.'' 1846 – 1894). The phrase appeared in an interview with Low Dog which was in a newspaper despatch sent from [[w:Fort Yates, North Dakota|Fort Yates]], [[North Dakota]], USA, on 30 July 1881 and published in the ''{{w|Leavenworth Times}}'' two weeks later: see {{cite book|editor=Richard G. Hardorff|chapter=The Low Dog Interview|quotee={{w|Low Dog}}|title=Indian Views of the Custer Fight: A Sourcebook|location=Norman, Okla.|publisher={{w|University of Oklahoma Press}}|year=2003|pages=63 and 65|pageurl=https://books.google.com/books?id=QM_R7y5tAoIC&pg=PA65|isbn=978-0-8061-3690-5|passage=We retreated until our men got all together, and then we charged upon them. I called to my men, ‘This is a good day to die: follow me.’}}

* Upon suffering beyond suffering; the Red Nation shall rise again and it shall be a blessing for a sick world. A world filled with broken promises, selfishness and separations. A world longing for light again. I see a time of seven generations when all the colors of mankind will gather under the sacred Tree of Life and the whole Earth will become one circle again. In that day there will be those among the Lakota who will carry knowledge and understanding of unity among all living things, and the young white ones will come to those of my people and ask for this wisdom. I salute the light within your eyes where the whole universe dwells. For when you are at that center within you and I am that place within me, we shall be as one.
** It is often claimed that Crazy Horse prophetized this days before his death, however [https://acikbilim.yok.gov.tr/bitstream/handle/20.500.12812/69363/yokAcikBilim_313758.pdf?sequence=-1&isAllowed=y the earliest publication of it dates back to 1980, by the Kahnawake Survival School in Quebec].

{{disputed end}}

== Quotes about Crazy Horse ==

* Crazy Horse dreamed and went into the world where there is nothing but the spirits of all things. That is the real world that is behind this one, and everything we see here is something like a shadow from that one. He was on his horse in that world, and the horse and himself on it and the trees and the grass and the stones and everything were made of spirit, and nothing was hard, and everything seemed to float. His horse was standing still there, and yet it danced around like a horse made only of shadow''', and that is how he got his name, which does not mean that his horse was crazy or wild, but that in his vision it danced around in that queer way. It was this vision that gave him his great power, for when he went into a fight, he had only to think of that world to be in it again, so that he could go through anything and not be hurt.''' Until he was killed at the Soldiers' Town on White River, he was wounded only twice, once by accident and both times by some one of his own people when he was not expecting trouble and was not thinking; never by an enemy. He was fifteen years old when he was wounded by accident; and the other time was when he was a young man and another man was jealous of him because the man's wife liked Crazy Horse. They used to say that he carried a sacred stone with him, like one he had seen in some vision, and that when he was in danger, the stone always got heavy and protected him somehow. That, they used to say, was the reason that no horse he ever rode lasted very long. I do not know about this; maybe people only thought it; but '''it is a fact that he never kept one horse long. They wore out.''' I think it was only the power of his great vision that made him great.
** [[Black Elk]], in ''Black Elk Speaks : Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Ogalala Sioux'' (1961) as told to [[w:John Neihardt|John Neihardt]]

*What drew me to those two people was that both of them wanted peace and insisted on working toward peace. Both of them believed in life. [[Nijinsky|Nijinski]] believed that his body was god, and it was. [[Crazy Horse]] knew that god was in everything, and it was. They had a knowledge we all need to have.
**[[Linda Hogan (writer)]] about her poem “The Sand Roses.” Interview in ''Journal of Ethnic Studies'' (1988)

=== Charles A. Eastman ===
:[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/336/336-h/336-h.htm#link2H_4_0014 Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa) in ''Indian Heroes & Great Chieftains'' (1918)] 

*For some time he held out, but the rapid disappearance of the buffalo, their only means of support, probably weighed with him more than any other influence. In July, 1877, he was finally prevailed upon to come in to Fort Robinson, Nebraska, with several thousand Indians...on the distinct understanding that the government would hear and adjust their grievances.

* At this juncture General Crook proclaimed Spotted Tail, who had rendered much valuable service to the army, head chief of the Sioux, which was resented by many. The attention paid Crazy Horse was offensive to Spotted Tail and the Indian scouts, who planned a conspiracy against him. They reported to General Crook that the young chief would murder him at the next council, and stampede the Sioux into another war. He was urged not to attend the council and did not, but sent another officer to represent him. Meanwhile the friends of Crazy Horse discovered the plot and told him of it. His reply was, “Only cowards are murderers.”

*His wife was critically ill at the time, and he decided to take her to her parents at Spotted Tail agency, whereupon his enemies circulated the story that he had fled, and a party of scouts was sent after him. They overtook him riding with his wife and one other but did not undertake to arrest him, and after he had left the sick woman with her people he went to call on Captain Lea, the agent for the Brules, accompanied by all the warriors of the Minneconwoju band. This volunteer escort made an imposing appearance on horseback, shouting and singing, and in the words of Captain Lea himself and the missionary, the Reverend Mr. Cleveland, the situation was extremely critical. Indeed, the scouts who had followed Crazy Horse from Red Cloud agency were advised not to show themselves, as some of the warriors had urged that they be taken out and horsewhipped publicly.

*Under these circumstances Crazy Horse again showed his masterful spirit by holding these young men in check. He said to them in his quiet way: “It is well to be brave in the field of battle; it is cowardly to display bravery against one’s own tribesmen. These scouts have been compelled to do what they did; they are no better than servants of the white officers. I came here on a peaceful errand.”

*The captain urged him to report at army headquarters to explain himself and correct false rumors, and on his giving consent, furnished him with a wagon and escort... He went of his own accord, either suspecting no treachery or determined to defy it.

*When he reached the military camp, Little Big Man walked arm-in-arm with him, and his cousin and friend, Touch-the-Cloud, was just in advance. After they passed the sentinel, an officer approached them and walked on his other side. He was unarmed but for the knife which is carried for ordinary uses by women as well as men. Unsuspectingly he walked toward the guardhouse, when Touch-the-Cloud suddenly turned back exclaiming: “Cousin, they will put you in prison!”

*“Another white man’s trick! Let me go! Let me die fighting!” cried Crazy Horse. He stopped and tried to free himself and draw his knife, but both arms were held fast by Little Big Man and the officer. While he struggled thus, a soldier thrust him through with his bayonet from behind. The wound was mortal, and he died in the course of that night, his old father singing the death song over him and afterward carrying away the body, which they said must not be further polluted by the touch of a white man. They hid it somewhere in the Bad Lands, his resting place to this day.

*Thus died one of the ablest and truest American Indians. His life was ideal; his record clean. He was never involved in any of the numerous massacres on the trail, but was a leader in practically every open fight. Such characters as those of Crazy Horse and Chief Joseph are not easily found among so-called civilized people. The reputation of great men is apt to be shadowed by questionable motives and policies, but here are two pure patriots, as worthy of honor as any who ever breathed God’s air in the wide spaces of a new world.

== See also ==
*[[Black Elk]]
*[[Charles Eastman]]
*[[Chief Joseph]]
*[[Geronimo]]
*[[Red Cloud]]
*[[Sitting Bull]]
*[[Tecumseh]]

==External links==
{{wikipedia}}
*[http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/crazyhorse.htm PBS Biography]
*[http://www.emayzine.com/lectures/CRAZYHOR.html A timeline of his life]
*[http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/archive/28164089.html Indian Country Today: Trimble: What did Crazy Horse look like?]
*[http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/dl_crosscollex/brbldl/oneITEM.asp?pid=2007524&iid=1039539&srchtype= Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscript Library of William Bordeaux's Crazy Horse sketch at Yale University]
*[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/336/336-h/336-h.htm#link2H_4_0014 Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa) in Indian Heroes & Great Chieftains (1918)]
*[http://www.astonisher.com/archives/museum/crazy_horse_surrender.html Complete Crazy Horse Surrender Ledger]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5139 Profile at Findagrave.com]

[[Category:Oglala Lakota]]
[[Category:Native American military leaders]]
[[Category:1840s births]]
[[Category:1877 deaths]]
[[Category:Murdered people]]
[[Category:People from South Dakota]]

Martin Luther King Jr.

2026-04-10T22:03:16Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Strength to Love (1963) */ bold

{{People-cleanup}}
[[File:Martin Luther King, Jr..jpg|thumb|We must discover the [[power]] of [[love]], the power, the [[Redemption|redemptive]] power of love. And when we discover that we will be able to make of this old [[world]] a new world. We will be able to make [[men]] [[better]]. Love is the only way.]]
Dr. '''[[w:Martin Luther King Jr.|Martin Luther King Jr.]]''' ([[January 15|15 January]] [[1929]] – [[April 4|4 April]] [[1968]]) was an [[United States|American]] [[w:Baptist|Baptist minister]], [[w:Civil rights movement|civil rights activist]], and recipient of the [[w:1964 Nobel Peace Prize|Nobel Peace Prize of 1964]]. He was the husband of [[Coretta Scott King]], and father of [[Yolanda King]] and [[Martin Luther King III]].

== Quotes ==
[[File:Martin Luther King Jr NYWTS.jpg|thumb|[[Injustice]] anywhere is a threat to [[justice]] everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of [[destiny]]. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.]]
[[File:Martin Luther King Jr NYWTS 2.jpg|thumb|We are reaching out for the daybreak of [[freedom]] and [[justice]] and [[equality]].]]

=== 1950s ===
[[File:Martin Luther King Jr NYWTS 5.jpg|thumb|True [[peace]] is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of [[justice]].]]
[[File:Cristo Redentor Distant View.jpg|thumb|Men often [[hate]] each other because they [[fear]] each other; they fear each other because they don't [[know]] each other; they don't know each other because they cannot [[communicate]]; they cannot communicate because they are separated.]]
[[File:Der Kuß von Gerechtigkeit und Friede.jpg|thumb|Justice is love correcting that which revolts against love.]]
[[File:Castle Romeo.jpg|thumb|It is no longer a choice between [[violence]] and nonviolence in this [[world]]; it's nonviolence or nonexistence.]]
[[File:Deerfire.jpg|thumb|The absence of freedom is the presence of death. Any nation or government that deprives an individual of freedom is in that moment committing an act of moral and spiritual murder. Any individual who is not concerned about his freedom commits an act of moral and spiritual suicide.]]
:There are often multiple sources for some famous statements by King; as a professional speaker and minister he used some significant phrases with only slight variation many times in his essays, books, and his speeches to different audiences.

* You [[know]] my [[friends]], there comes a [[time]] when people get tired of being trampled by the iron feet of oppression. There comes a time my friends, when people get tired of being plunged across the abyss of humiliation, where they experience the bleakness of nagging [[despair]]. There comes a time when people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight of life's [[July]] and left standing amid the piercing chill of an alpine [[November]]. There comes a time.
** [http://www.blackpast.org/?q=1955-martin-luther-king-jr-montgomery-bus-boycott Montgomery Bus Boycott speech, at Holt Street Baptist Church (5 December 1955)]

* We, the disinherited of this [[land]], we who have been oppressed so long, are tired of going through the long [[night]] of captivity. And now '''we are reaching out for the daybreak of [[freedom]] and [[justice]] and [[equality]].'''
** Montgomery Bus Boycott speech, at Holt Street Baptist Church (5 December 1955)

* We are here, we are here this evening because we're tired now. And I want to say that we are not here advocating violence. We have never done that. I want it to be known throughout Montgomery and throughout this nation that we are [[Christian]] people. We believe in the Christian religion. We believe in the teachings of [[Jesus]]. '''The only weapon that we have in our hands this evening is the weapon of protest. That's all.'''
** Montgomery Bus Boycott speech, at Holt Street Baptist Church (5 December 1955)

* We are not [[wrong]], we are not wrong in what we are doing. If we are wrong, the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] of this nation is wrong. If we are wrong, the [[United States Constitution|Constitution of the United States]] is wrong. And if we are wrong, [[God]] Almighty is wrong. If we are wrong, [[Jesus|Jesus of Nazareth]] was merely a [[Utopia|utopian]] dreamer that never came down to [[Earth]]. If we are wrong, [[justice]] is a lie, [[love]] has no [[meaning]]. And we are determined here in Montgomery to [[work]] and fight until "justice runs down like [[water]], and [[righteousness]] like a mighty stream."
** [http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/mia_mass_meeting_at_holt_street_baptist_church/ Address to the first Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) Mass Meeting, at Holt Street Baptist Church (5 December 1955)]. "Justice runs down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream" is a quotation of [[w:Book of Amos|Amos]] 5:24 in the [[Bible]].

* Whatever we do, we must keep [[God]] in the forefront. Let us be Christian in all of our actions. But I want to tell you this evening that it is not enough for us to talk about [[love]], love is one of the pivotal points of the Christian face, [[faith]]. '''There is another side called [[justice]]. And justice is really love in calculation. Justice is love correcting that which revolts against love.'''
** [http://www.blackpast.org/?q=1955-martin-luther-king-jr-montgomery-bus-boycott Montgomery Bus Boycott speech, at Holt Street Baptist Church (5 December 1955)]

* '''True [[peace]] is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of [[justice]].'''
** In a 1955 response to an accusation that he was "disturbing the peace" by his activism during the [[w:Montgomery Bus Boycott|Montgomery Bus Boycott]] in Montgomery, Alabama, as quoted in ''Let the Trumpet Sound : A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr'' (1982) by Stephen B. Oates

* '''Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.'''
** Sermon at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church (Montgomory, Alabama 6 Nov 1956)https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/most-durable-power-excerpt-sermon-dexter-avenue-baptist-church-6-november-1956#fn1

* '''If you have weapons, take them home; if you do not have them, please do not seek to get them. We cannot solve this problem through retaliatory [[violence]].''' We must meet violence with nonviolence. Remember the words of Jesus: "He who lives by the [[sword]] will perish by the sword." We must love our white brothers, no matter what they do to us. We must make them know that we love them. [[Jesus]] still cries out in words that echo across the centuries: "Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; pray for them that despitefully use you." This is what we must live by. We must meet [[hate]] with love. Remember, if I am stopped, this movement will not stop, because [[God]] is with the movement. Go home with this glowing [[faith]] and this radiant assurance.
** King's words after a bomb was thrown into his house in Alabama, on 30 January 1956, in ''Stride Toward Freedom'' (1958)

* The apparent apathy of the Negro ministers presented a special problem. A faithful few had always shown a deep concern for social problems, but too many had remained aloof from the area of social responsibility. Much of this indifference, it is true, stemmed from a sincere feeling that ministers were not supposed to get mixed up in such earthly, temporal matters as social and economic improvement; they were to "preach the gospel" and keep men's minds centered on "the heavenly." But however sincere, this view of religion, I felt, was too confined. Certainly, otherworldly concerns have a deep and significant place in all religions worthy of the name. '''Any religion that is completely earthbound sells its birthright for a mess of naturalistic pottage. Religion at its best, deals not only with man's preliminary concerns but with his inescapable ultimate concern. When religion overlooks this basic fact it is reduced to a mere ethical system in which eternity is absorbed into time and God is relegated to a sort of meaningless figment of the human imagination. But a religion true to its nature must also be concerned about man's social conditions. Religion deals with both earth and heaven, both time and eternity. [[Religion]] operates not only on the vertical plane but also on the horizontal. It seeks not only to integrate men with God but to integrate men with men and each man with himself.''' This means, '''at bottom, that the Christian Gospel is a two-way road. On the one hand, it seeks to change the souls of men, and thereby unite them with God; on the other hand, it seek to change the environmental conditions of men so that soul will have a chance after it is changed.''' Any religion that professes to be concerned with the souls of men and is not concerned with the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, and the social conditions that cripple them is a dry-as-dust religion. Such a religion is the kind the Marxists like to see — an opiate of the people.
** ''Stride Toward Freedom'' (1958), pp. 28-29

* We believe firmly in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. I can see no conflict between our devotion to Jesus Christ and our present action. In fact, I can see a necessary relationship. If one is truly devoted to the religion of Jesus he will seek to rid the earth of social evils. The gospel is social as well as personal.
** ''Stride Toward Freedom'' (1958)

* The decision which we must make now is whether we will give our allegiance to outmoded an unjust customs we owe our ultimate allegiance to God and His will, rather than to man and his folkways
** ''Stride Toward Freedom'' (1958)

* "We too know the [[Jesus]] that the minister referred to. We have had an experience with him and we believe firmly in the revelation of God in [[Christ|Jesus Christ]]. I can see no conflict between our devotion to Jesus Christ and our present action. In fact, I can see a necessary relationship. If one is truly devoted to the religion of Jesus he will seek to rid the earth of social evils. The gospel is social as well as personal.."
** ''Stride Toward Freedom'' (1958); also quoted in ''The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.'' (1982), by Stephen B. Oates, pp. 81-82

* The decision we must make now is whether we will give our [[allegiance]] to outmoded and unjust customs or to the ethical demands of the [[universe]]. As Christians we owe our allegiance to God and His will, rather than to man and his folkways"
** ''Stride Toward Freedom'' (1958)

* '''I feel that [[Racial segregation|segregation]] is totally unchristian, and that it is against everything the Christian religion stands for.'''
** In his letter to Sally Canada (19 September 1956), as quoted in ''The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr'' (1992), by Carson & Holloran, Volumes 2-3, p. 373

* '''In the struggle for [[human rights]] and [[justice]], Negros will make a mistake if they become bitter and indulge in hate campaigns.'''
** Speech delivered in Finney Chapel at Oberlin College (7 February 1957), as reported in [http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2008/01/21/when-mlk-came-to-oberlin/ "When MLK came to Oberlin" by Cindy Leise (The Chronicle-Telegram; January 21, 2008)]

* '''The non-violent Negro is seeking to create the beloved community. He directs his attack on the [[forces]] of [[evil]] rather than on [[individuals]].''' The tensions are not between the races, but between the forces of [[justice]] and [[injustice]]; between the forces of [[light]] and [[darkness]].
** Speech delivered in Finney Chapel at Oberlin College (7 February 1957), as reported in [http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2008/01/21/when-mlk-came-to-oberlin/ "When MLK came to Oberlin" by Cindy Leise, in ''The Chronicle-Telegram'' (21 January 2008)]

*Your problem is not at all an uncommon one. However, it does require careful attention. The type of feeling that you have toward boys is probably not an innate tendency, but something that has been culturally acquired. Your reasons for adopting this habit have now been consciously suppressed or unconsciously repressed. Therefore, it is necessary to deal with this problem by getting back to some of the experiences and circumstances that lead to the habit. In order to do this I would suggest that you see a good psychiatrist who can assist you in bringing to the forefront of conscience all of those experiences and circumstances that lead to the habit. You are already on the right road toward a solution, since you honestly recognize the problem and have a desire to solve it.
**[https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/advice-living-4 "Advice For Living"] (January 1958)

* Although the Montgomery council never had a large membership, it played an important role. As the only truly interracial group in Montgomery, it served to keep the desperately needed channels of communication open between the races. '''Men often [[hate]] each other because they [[fear]] each other; they fear each other because they don't [[know]] each other; they don't know each other because they can not [[communicate]]; they can not communicate because they are separated.''' In providing an avenue of communication, the council was fulfilling a necessary condition for better race relations in the South.
** In reference to the ''Alabama Council on Human Relations'', an organization which was joined by King, whose church's meeting room was used to hold monthly meetings for the Montgomery chapter the council. ''[[w:Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story|Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story]]'' (1958)

* '''Man is man because he is free to operate within the framework of his [[destiny]]. He is free to deliberate, to make [[decisions]], and to choose between alternatives. He is distinguished from animals by his freedom to do evil or to do good and to walk the high road of [[beauty]] or tread the low road of ugly degeneracy.'''
** ''[[:s:en:The Measure of a Man (King)|The Measures of Man]]'' (1959)

* '''Today it is no longer a choice between [[violence]] and [[nonviolence]]; it is either nonviolence or nonexistence.''' It may not be that [[Mahatma Gandhi]] is [[God]]'s appeal to this age, an age drifting to its doom. And that warning, and that appeal is always in the form of a warning: "He who lives by the [[sword]] will perish by the [[sword]]." [[Jesus]] said it years ago. Whenever men follow that and see that way, new horizons begin to emerge and a new world unfolds. Who today will follow [[Christ]] in his way and follow it so much that we'll be able to do greater things even than he did because we will be able to bring about the peace of the world and mobilize hundreds and thousands of men to follow the way of Christ?
** [http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/palm_sunday_sermon_on_mohandas_k_gandhi/ Palm Sunday Sermon on Mohandas K. Gandhi, Delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church (22 March 1959)]

* [[Tolstoy]], the Russian writer, said in ''[[War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)|War and Peace]]'': "''I cannot conceive of a man not being free unless he is dead''." While this statement sounds a bit exaggerated, it gets at a basic truth. What Tolstoy is saying in substance is that '''the absence of [[freedom]] is the presence of [[death]]. Any nation or government that deprives an individual of freedom is in that moment committing an act of moral and spiritual murder. Any individual who is not concerned about his freedom commits an act of moral and spiritual suicide.'''
** [http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/primarydocuments/Vol5/17July1959_AddressattheFiftiethAnnualNAACPConvention.pdf Address at the Fiftieth Annual NAACP Convention (17 July 1959)]

==== Rediscovering Lost Values (1954) ====
[[File:North America from low orbiting satellite Suomi NPP.jpg|thumb|The great [[problem]] facing modern [[Humanity|man]] is that, that the means by which we live have outdistanced the [[spiritual]] ends for which we live.]]
[[File:Flag of the United Nations.svg|thumb|The real problem is that through our [[scientific]] [[genius]] we've made of the world a [[neighborhood]], but through our [[moral]] and [[spiritual]] genius we've [[failed]] to make of it a [[brotherhood]].]]

[[File:Meditating in Madison Square Park.jpg|thumb| We've got to rediscover these precious values that we've left behind.]]
[[File:Lynching of Laura Nelson and her son 1.jpg|thumb|Some things are right and some things are wrong. ... Eternally so, absolutely so. ]]

[[File:Flickr - USCapitol - Dr. King gave "I have a dream" speech ^onthisday in 1963, view his bust in Rotunda..jpg|thumb|The thing that we need in the world today is a group of men and women who will stand up for right and to be opposed to wrong, wherever it is.]]
[[File:1963 march on washington.jpg|thumb|It is not enough to know that two and two makes four, but we've got to know somehow that it's right to be honest and just with our brothers. It's not enough to know all about our philosophical and mathematical disciplines, but we've got to know the simple disciplines of being honest and loving and just with all humanity. If we don't learn it, we will destroy ourselves by the misuse of our own powers.]]
[[File:Crepuscular Rays at Noon in Saint Peters Basilica, Vatican City (5939069865).jpg|thumb|It's possible to affirm the existence of God with your lips and deny his existence with your life. The most dangerous type of atheism is not theoretical atheism, but practical atheism ... And the world, even the church, is filled up with people who pay lip service to God and not life service.]]
[[File:Job Confessing His Presumption to God Who Answers from the Whirlwind, object 1 (Butlin 461).jpg|thumb|We have so many conveniences and luxuries and all of that, there is the danger that we will unconsciously forget about God. I'm not saying that these things aren't important; we need them, we need cars, we need money; all of that's important to live. But whenever they become substitutes for God, they become injurious.]]
: [https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/rediscovering-lost-values-0 "Rediscovering Lost Values", a sermon delivered at Detroit's Second Baptist Church (28 February 1954)]

* '''There is something wrong with our world, something fundamentally and basically wrong.''' I don't think we have to look too far to see that. I'm sure that most of you would agree with me in making that assertion. And when we stop to analyze the cause of our world's ills, many things come to mind. We begin to wonder if it is due to the fact that we don't know enough. But it can't be that. Because in terms of accumulated knowledge we know more today than men have known in any period of human history. We have the facts at our disposal. We know more about [[mathematics]], about [[science]], about [[social science]], and [[philosophy]] than we've ever known in any period of the world's history. So it can't be because we don't know enough. And then we wonder if it is due to the fact that our scientific genius lags behind. That is, if we have not made enough progress scientifically. Well then, it can't be that. For our scientific progress over the past years has been amazing. Man through his scientific genius has been able to dwarf distance and place time in chains, so that today it's possible to eat breakfast in [[New York City]] and supper in [[London]], [[England]]. Back in about 1753 it took a letter three days to go from New York City to [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]], and today you can go from here to [[China]] in less time than that. It can't be because man is stagnant in his scientific progress. Man's scientific genius has been amazing. I think we have to look much deeper than that if we are to find the real cause of man's problems and the real cause of the world's ills today. If we are to really find it I think we will have to look in the hearts and souls of men.

* The trouble isn't so much that we don't know enough, but it's as if we aren't good enough. '''The trouble isn't so much that our scientific genius lags behind, but our moral genius lags behind. The great problem facing modern man is that, that the means by which we live have outdistanced the spiritual ends for which we live.''' So we find ourselves caught in a messed-up world. The problem is with man himself and man's soul. We haven't learned how to be just and honest and kind and true and loving. And that is the basis of our problem. '''The real problem is that through our scientific genius we've made of the world a neighborhood, but through our moral and spiritual genius we've failed to make of it a brotherhood.''' And the great danger facing us today is not so much the atomic bomb that was created by physical science. Not so much that atomic bomb that you can put in an [[Airplane|aeroplane]] and drop on the heads of hundreds and thousands of people — as dangerous as that is. But the real danger confronting civilization today is that [[Nuclear weapons|atomic bomb]] which lies in the hearts and souls of men, capable of exploding into the vilest of hate and into the most damaging selfishness — that's the atomic bomb that we've got to fear today. Problem is with the men. Within the heart and the souls of men. That is the real basis of our problem.

* My friends, all I'm trying to say is that if we are to go forward today, we've got to go back and rediscover some mighty precious values that we've left behind. That's the only way that we would be able to make of our world a better world, and to make of this world what God wants it to be and the real purpose and meaning of it.

* Sometimes, you know, it's necessary to go backward in order to go forward. That's an analogy of life. I remember the other day I was driving out of New York City into [[Boston]], and I stopped off in [[w:Bridgeport,_Connecticut|Bridgeport]], [[w:Connecticut|Connecticut]], to visit some friends. And I went out of New York on a [[highway]] that's known as the [[w:Merritt_Parkway|Merritt Parkway]], it leads into Boston, a very fine parkway. And I stopped in Bridgeport, and after being there for two or three hours I decided to go on to Boston, and I wanted to get back on the Merritt Parkway. And I went out thinking that I was going toward the Merritt Parkway. I started out, and I rode, and I kept riding, and I looked up and I saw a sign saying two miles to a little town that I knew I was to bypass — I wasn't to pass through that particular town. So I thought I was on the wrong road. I stopped and I asked a gentleman on the road which way would I get to the Merritt Parkway. And he said, "The Merritt Parkway is about twelve or fifteen miles back that way. You've got to turn around and go back to the Merritt Parkway; you are out of the way now." In other words, before I could go forward to Boston, I had to go back about twelve or fifteen miles to get to the Merritt Parkway. May it not be that modern man has gotten on the wrong parkway? And if he is to go forward to the city of salvation, he's got to go back and get on the right parkway. [...] Now that's what we've got to do in our world today. We've left a lot of precious values behind; we've lost a lot of precious values. And if we are to go forward, if we are to make this a better world in which to live, we've got to go back. We've got to rediscover these precious values that we've left behind.

* The first principle of [[Value (ethics)|value]] that we need to rediscover is this: that all [[reality]] hinges on moral foundations. In other words, that this is a moral [[universe]], and that there are moral laws of the universe just as abiding as the physical laws. I'm not so sure we all believe that.

* We have adopted in the modern world a sort of a [[Relativism|relativistic]] ethic ... Most people can't stand up for their convictions, because the majority of people might not be doing it. See, everybody's not doing it, so it must be wrong. And since everybody is doing it, it must be right. So a sort of numerical interpretation of what's right. But I'm here to say to you this morning that some things are right and some things are wrong. Eternally so, absolutely so. It's wrong to [[Hatred|hate]]. It always has been wrong and it always will be wrong. It's wrong in [[America]], it's wrong in [[Germany]], it's wrong in [[Russia]], it's wrong in [[China]]. It was wrong in 2000 B.C., and it's wrong in 1954 A.D. It always has been wrong, and it always will be wrong. It's wrong to throw our lives away in riotous living. No matter if everybody in [[Detroit]] is doing it, it's wrong. It always will be wrong, and it always has been wrong. It's wrong in every age and it's wrong in every nation. Some things are right and some things are wrong, no matter if everybody is doing the contrary. Some things in this universe are absolute. The God of the universe has made it so. And so long as we adopt this relative attitude toward right and wrong, we're revolting against the very laws of [[God]] himself.

* Now that isn't the only thing that convinces me that we've strayed away from this attitude, this principle. The other thing is that we have adopted a sort of a pragmatic test for right and wrong — whatever works is right. If it works, it's all right. Nothing is wrong but that which does not work. If you don't get caught, it's right. ... That's the attitude, isn't it? It's all right to disobey the [[Ten Commandments]], but just don't disobey the eleventh, "Thou shall not get caught." ... That's the attitude. That's the prevailing attitude in our culture. No matter what you do, just do it with a bit of finesse. You know, a sort of attitude of the survival of the slickest. Not the [[Charles Darwin|Darwinian]] [[Survival of the fittest|survival of the fittest]], but the survival of the slickest — whoever can be the slickest is the one who right. It's all right to lie, but lie with dignity. ... It's all right to steal and to rob and extort, but do it with a bit of finesse. It's even all right to hate, but just dress your hate up in the garments of love and make it appear that you are loving when you are actually hating. Just get by! That's the thing that's right according to this new ethic. My friends, that attitude is destroying the soul of our culture! It's destroying our nation! The thing that we need in the world today is a group of men and women who will stand up for right and to be opposed to wrong, wherever it is.

* All I'm trying to say to you is that our world hinges on moral foundations. God has made it so. God has made the universe to be based on a moral law. So long as man disobeys it he is revolting against God. That's what we need in the world today: people who will stand for [[Rights|right]] and [[goodness]]. It's not enough to know the intricacies of [[zoology]] and [[biology]], but we must know the intricacies of law. It is not enough to know that two and two makes four, but we've got to know somehow that it's right to be honest and just with our brothers. It's not enough to know all about our philosophical and mathematical disciplines, but we've got to know the simple disciplines of being honest and loving and just with all humanity. If we don't learn it, we will destroy ourselves by the misuse of our own powers.

* There is something in this universe that justifies the biblical writer in saying, "''You shall reap what you sow.''" This is a law-abiding universe. This is a [[moral]] universe. It hinges on moral foundations. If we are to make of this a better world, we've got to go back and rediscover that precious value that we've left behind.

*We must remember that it's possible to affirm the existence of God with your lips and deny his existence with your life. The most dangerous type of [[atheism]] is not theoretical atheism, but practical atheism ... that's the most dangerous type. And the world, even the church, is filled up with people who pay lip service to God and not life service. And there is always a danger that we will make it appear externally that we believe in God when internally we don't. We say with our mouths that we believe in him, but we live with our lives like he never existed. That is the ever-present danger confronting religion. That's a dangerous type of atheism.

* And I think, my friends, that that is the thing that has happened in America. That we have unconsciously left God behind. Now, we haven't consciously done it; we have unconsciously done it. You see, the text, you remember the text said that Jesus' parents went a whole day's journey not knowing that he wasn't with them. They didn't consciously leave him behind. It was unconscious; went a whole day and didn't even know it. It wasn't a conscious process. You see, we didn't grow up and say, "Now, goodbye God, we're going to leave you now." The [[materialism]] in America has been an unconscious thing. Since the rise of the [[Industrial Revolution]] in England, and then the invention of all of our gadgets and contrivances and all of the things and modern conveniences — we unconsciously left God behind. We didn't mean to do it. We just became so involved in getting our big bank accounts that we unconsciously forgot about God — we didn't mean to do it. We became so involved in getting our nice luxurious cars, and they're very nice, but we became so involved in it that it became much more convenient to ride out to the beach on Sunday afternoon than to come to church that morning. (Yes) It was an unconscious thing — we didn't mean to do it. We became so involved and fascinated by the intricacies of television that we found it a little more convenient to stay at home than to come to church. It was an unconscious thing — we didn't mean to do it. We didn't just go up and say, "Now God, we're gone." We had gone a whole day's journey and then we came to see that we had unconsciously ushered God out of the universe. A whole day's journey — didn't mean to do it. We just became so involved in things that we forgot about God. And that is the danger confronting us, my friends: that in a nation as ours where we stress [[mass production]], and that's mighty important, where we have so many conveniences and luxuries and all of that, there is the danger that we will unconsciously forget about God. I'm not saying that these things aren't important; we need them, we need cars, we need [[money]]; all of that's important to live. But whenever they become substitutes for God, they become injurious. And may I say to you this morning, that none of these things can ever be real substitutes for God. [[Automobiles]] and [[w:Subways|subways]], [[Television|televisions]] and [[Radio|radios]], dollars and cents can never be substitutes for God. For long before any of these came into existence, we needed God. And long after they will have passed away, we will still need God.

* And I say to you this morning in conclusion that I'm not going to put my ultimate faith in things. I'm not going to put my ultimate faith in gadgets and contrivances. As a young man with most of my life ahead of me, I decided early to give my life to something eternal and absolute. Not to these little gods that are here today and gone tomorrow, but to God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Not in the little gods that can be with us in a few moments of prosperity, but in the God who walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death, and causes us to fear no evil. That's the God. Not in the god that can give us a few Cadillac cars and Buick convertibles, as nice as they are, that are in style today and out of style three years from now, but the God who threw up the stars to bedeck the heavens like swinging lanterns of eternity. Not in the god that can throw up a few [[Skyscraper|skyscraping buildings]], but the God who threw up the gigantic [[Mountain|mountains]], kissing the sky, as if to bathe their peaks in the lofty blues. Not in the god that can give us a few televisions and radios, but the God who threw up that [[Sun|great cosmic light]] that gets up early in the morning in the eastern horizon, (who paints its technicolor across the blue — something that man could never make. I'm not going to put my ultimate faith in the little gods that can be destroyed in an atomic age, but the God who has been our help in ages past, and our hope for years to come, and our shelter in the time of storm, and our eternal home. That's the God that I'm putting my ultimate faith in.

* Go out and be assured that that God is going to last forever. [[Storm|Storms]] might come and go. Our great skyscraping buildings will come and go. Our beautiful automobiles will come and go, but God will be here. [[Plants]] may wither, the [[flowers]] may fade away, but the word of our God shall stand forever and nothing can ever stop him. All of the P-38s in the world can never reach God. All of our atomic bombs can never reach him. The God that I'm talking about this morning is the God of the universe and the God that will last through the ages. If we are to go forward this morning, we've got to go back and find that God. That is the God that demands and commands our ultimate allegiance. If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover these precious values — that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control.

==== Paul's Letter to American Christians (1956) ====
:"[http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_pauls_letter_to_american_christians/ Sermon delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama (November 1956)] 

* Your ultimate allegiance is not to [[Federal government of the United States|the government]], not to the [[state]], not to [[Nations|nation]], not to any man-made institution. The Christian owes his ultimate allegiance to God, and if any earthly institution conflicts with God's will it is your Christian duty to take a stand against it. You must never allow the transitory evanescent demands of man-made institutions to take precedence over the eternal demands of the Almighty God.
** "[http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_pauls_letter_to_american_christians/ Paul's Letter to American Christians]", Sermon delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama (4 November 1956)

* I understand that you have an economic system in America known as Capitalism. Through this economic system you have been able to do wonders. You have become the richest nation in the world, and you have built up the greatest system of production that history has ever known. All of this is marvelous, but Americans, '''there is the danger that you will misuse your Capitalism. I still contend that money can be the root of all [[evil]].''' It can cause one to live a life of gross [[materialism]]. '''I am afraid that many among you are more concerned about making a living than making a life.''' You are prone to judge the success of your profession by the index of your salary and the size of the wheel base on your automobile, rather than the quality of your [[service]] to humanity. The misuse of [[Capitalism]] can also lead to tragic exploitation. This has so often happened in your nation. They tell me that one tenth of one percent of the population controls more than forty percent of the wealth. Oh America, how often have you taken necessities from the masses to give [[luxury|luxuries]] to the classes. If you are to be a truly Christian nation you must solve this problem. '''You cannot solve the problem by turning to [[communism]], for communism is based on an ethical [[relativism]] and a [[Metaphysics|metaphysical]] materialism that no Christian can accept.''' You can work within the framework of [[democracy]] to bring about a better distribution of wealth. You can use your powerful economic resources to wipe [[poverty]] from the face of the earth. God never intended for one group of people to live in superfluous inordinate wealth, while others live in abject deadening poverty. God intends for all of his children to have the basic necessities of life, and He has left in this universe "''enough and to spare''" for that purpose. So I call upon you to bridge the gulf between abject poverty and superfluous wealth.
**King makes two biblical allusions to Luke 15:17 and 1 Timothy 6:10: "''For the love of money is the root of all evil''".

==== The Birth of a New Nation (1957) ====
:::"The Birth of a New Nation," Sermon Delivered at [[w:Dexter Avenue Baptist Church|Dexter Avenue Baptist Church]], Montgomery, Alabama (7 April 1957)
* [[Ghana]] has something to say to us. It says to us first, that the oppressor never voluntarily gives freedom to the oppressed. You have to work for it. ... Freedom is never given to anybody. For the oppressor has you in domination because he plans to keep you there, and he never voluntarily gives it up. And that is where the strong resistance comes. Privileged classes never give up their privileges without strong resistance.

* [[Freedom]] only comes through persistent [[revolt]], through persistent agitation, through persistently rising up against the system of evil.

==== [[w:Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom|Give Us the Ballot (1957)]] ====
:[https://web.archive.org/web/20080724041234/http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/papers/vol4/570517.004-Give_Us_the_Ballot.htm "Give Us the Ballot" Address (1957) Delivered at the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom (Call to Conscience) Washington, D.C.]

[[File:The County Election, Bingham, 1846.jpg|thumb|Give us the ballot, and we will no longer have to worry the federal government about our basic rights. ]]
[[File:Lyndon Johnson signing Civil Rights Act, July 2, 1964.jpg|thumb|Civil rights issue is not an Ephemeral, evanescent domestic issue that can be kicked about by reactionary guardians of the status quo; it is rather an eternal moral issue...]]
[[File:Flammendes Herz.jpg|thumb|We must meet hate with love. We must meet physical force with soul force. ... We must follow nonviolence and love.]]
[[File:Lyndon Johnson meeting with civil rights leaders.jpg|thumb|We must work with determination to create a society, not where black men are superior and other men are inferior and vice versa, but a society in which all men will live together as brothers and respect the dignity and worth of human personality.]]
[[File:Martin Luther King Estatua.JPG|thumb|Keep moving. Let nothing slow you up. Move on with dignity and honor and respectability.]]

* '''Three years ago the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] of this nation rendered in simple, eloquent, and unequivocal language [[w:Brown v. Board of Education|a decision]] which will long be stenciled on the mental sheets of succeeding generations. For all men of goodwill, this May seventeenth decision came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of human captivity. It came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of disinherited people throughout the world who had dared only to dream of freedom.''' Unfortunately, this noble and sublime decision has not gone without opposition. This opposition has often risen to ominous proportions. Many states have risen up in open defiance. The legislative halls of the [[Southern United States|South]] ring loud with such words as "[[w:interposition|interposition]]" and "[[w:Nullification (U.S. Constitution)|nullification]]." But even more, '''all types of conniving methods are still being used to prevent Negroes from becoming registered voters. The denial of this sacred right is a tragic betrayal of the highest mandates of our democratic tradition. And so our most urgent request to the president of the United States and every member of Congress is to give us the right to vote.'''

* '''Give us the ballot, and we will no longer have to worry the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] about our basic rights. Give us the ballot and we will no longer plead to the federal government for passage of an anti-lynching law; we will by the power of our vote write the law on the statute books of the South and bring an end to the dastardly acts of the hooded perpetrators of violence. Give us the ballot, and we will transform the salient misdeeds of bloodthirsty mobs into the calculated good deeds of orderly citizens. Give us the ballot, and we will fill our legislative halls with men of goodwill and send to the sacred halls of [[United States Congress|Congress]] men who will not sign a "[[w:Southern_Manifesto|Southern Manifesto]]" because of their devotion to the manifesto of justice. Give us the ballot, and we will place judges on the benches of the south who will do justly and love mercy , and we will place at the head of the [[Southern United States|southern states]] governors who have felt not only the tang of the human, but the glow of the Divine. Give us the ballot, and we will quietly and nonviolently, without rancor or bitterness, implement the Supreme Court's decision of May seventeenth, 1954.'''

* So far, only the judicial branch of the government has evinced this quality of leadership. If the executive and legislative branches of the government were as concerned about the protection of our citizenship rights as the federal courts have been, then the transition from a segregated to an integrated society would be infinitely smoother. But we so often look to Washington in vain for this concern. In the midst of the tragic breakdown of law and order, the executive branch of the government is all too silent and apathetic. In the midst of the desperate need for civil rights legislation, the legislative branch of the government is all too stagnant and hypocritical. This dearth of positive leadership from the federal government is not confined to one particular [[Political parties|political party]]. Both political parties have betrayed the cause of justice. The [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] have betrayed it by capitulating to the prejudices and undemocratic practices of the southern Dixiecrats. The [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] have betrayed it by capitulating to the blatant hypocrisy of [[Conservatism|right wing]], reactionary northerners. '''These men so often have a high blood pressure of words and an anemia of deeds.'''

* We come humbly to say to the men in the forefront of our government that the '''civil rights issue is not an Ephemeral, evanescent domestic issue that can be kicked about by reactionary guardians of the status quo; it is rather an eternal moral issue''' which may well determine the destiny of our nation in the ideological struggle with communism. The hour is late. The clock of destiny is ticking out. We must act now, before it is too late.

* This is no day for the rabble-rouser, whether he be Negro or white. We must realize that we are grappling with the most weighty social problem of this nation, and in grappling with such a complex problem there is no place for misguided emotionalism. '''We must work passionately and unrelentingly for the goal of freedom, but we must be sure that our hands are clean in the struggle. We must never struggle with falsehood, hate, or malice. We must never become bitter.''' I know how we feel sometime. '''There is the danger that those of us who have been forced so long to stand amid the tragic midnight of oppression — those of us who have been trampled over, those of us who have been kicked about — there is the danger that we will become bitter. But if we will become bitter and indulge in hate campaigns, the new order which is emerging will be nothing but a duplication of the old order.'''

* '''We must meet hate with love. We must meet physical force with soul force.''' There is still [[Jesus Christus|a voice]] crying out through the vista of time, saying: "Love your enemies , bless them that curse you , pray for them that despitefully use you." Then, and only then, can you matriculate into the university of eternal life. That same voice cries out in terms lifted to cosmic proportions: "He who lives by the sword will perish by the sword." And history is replete with the bleached bones of nations that failed to follow this command. '''We must follow nonviolence and love.'''

* Now, I'm not talking about a sentimental, shallow kind of love. I'm not talking about ''eros'', which is a sort of aesthetic, romantic love. I'm not even talking about ''philia'', which is a sort of intimate affection between personal friends. But I'm talking about ''agape''. '''I'm talking about the love of God in the hearts of men. I'm talking about a type of love which will cause you to love the person who does the evil deed while hating the deed that the person does. We've got to love.'''

* We must not seek to use our emerging freedom and our growing power to do the same thing to the white minority that has been done to us for so many centuries. Our aim must never be to defeat or humiliate the white man. We must not become victimized with a philosophy of black supremacy. '''God is not interested merely in freeing black men and brown men and yellow men, but God is interested in freeing the whole human race. We must work with determination to create a society, not where black men are superior and other men are inferior and vice versa, but a society in which all men will live together as brothers and respect the dignity and worth of human personality.'''

* I conclude by saying that '''each of us must keep faith in the future. Let us not despair. Let us realize that as we struggle for justice and freedom, we have cosmic companionship.''' This is the long faith of the [[Judeo-Christian|Hebraic-Christian]] tradition: that '''[[God]] is not some [[Aristotle|Aristotelian]] Unmoved Mover who merely contemplates upon himself. He is not merely a self-knowing God, but an other-loving God forever working through history for the establishment of His kingdom.'''

* '''Keep moving. Let nothing slow you up. Move on with dignity and honor and respectability.'''

==== Conquering Self-centeredness (1957) ====
[[File:Mlk visits temple.jpg|thumb|An individual has not begun to live until he can rise above the narrow horizons of his particular individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. And this is one of the big problems of life, that so many people never quite get to the point of rising above self. And so they end up the tragic victims of self-centeredness. They end up the victims of distorted and disrupted personality.]]
[[File:Helping the homeless.jpg|thumb|Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?']]
[[File:Stained glass, Holy Family Church, Teconnaught, September 2010 crop.jpg|thumb|Life has its beginning and its maturity comes into being when an individual rises above self to something greater.]]
[[File:MLK Memorial dedication.jpg|thumb|When people are self-centered, they are self-centered because they are seeking attention, they want to be admired and this is the way they set out to do it. But in the process, because of their self-centeredness, they are not admired; they are mawkish and people don't want to be bothered with them. And so the very thing they seek, they never get. And they end up frustrated and unhappy and disillusioned.]]
[[File:Dove window St Peters Basilica (8504106313).jpg|thumb|Find your sense of importance in something outside of the self. And you are then able to live because you have given your life to something outside and something that is meaningful, objectified. You rise above this self-absorption to something outside. This is the way to go through life with a balance, with the proper perspective because you've given yourself to something greater than self. Sometimes it's friends, sometimes it's family, sometimes it's a great cause, it's a great loyalty, but give yourself to that something and life becomes meaningful.]]
[[File:Coventry Cathedral Ruins with Rainbow.jpg|thumb|[N]o matter where you stand, no matter how much popularity you have, no matter how much education you have, no matter how much money you have, you have it because somebody in this universe helped you to get it. And when you see that, you can't be arrogant, you can't be supercilious. You discover that you have your position because of the events of history and because of individuals in the background making it possible for you to stand there.]]
[[File:Jan Wijnants - Parable of the Good Samaritan.jpg|thumb|Another way to rise above self-centeredness [...] is by having the proper inner attitude toward your position or toward your status in life or whatever it is. You conquer self-centeredness by coming to the point of seeing that you are where you are today because somebody helped you to get there.]]
[[File:"The School of Athens" by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino.jpg|thumb|We never get anywhere in this world without the forces of history and individual persons in the background helping us to get there. [...] So don't boast, don't be arrogant. You, at that moment, rise out of your self-centeredness to the type of living that makes you an integrated personality.]]
:[https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/conquering-self-centeredness-sermon-delivered-dexter-avenue-baptist-church "Conquering Self-Centeredness," Sermon Delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church (11 August 1957)], ''The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. Volume IV: Symbol of the Movement, January 1957-December 1958'' · [http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/primarydocuments/Vol4/11-Aug-1957_ConqueringSelf-Centeredness.pdf (PDF)]

* I want to continue the series of sermons this morning that I started several weeks ago. The series dealing with problems of personality integration. This morning our subject is: "Conquering Self-centeredness." ... I at least want to suggest certain ways to conquer self-centeredness and at least place the subject before you. So that you can go out and add the meat and try, in some way, to make it meaningful and practical in your everyday lives.

* '''An individual has not begun to live until he can rise above the narrow horizons of his particular individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. And this is one of the big problems of life, that so many people never quite get to the point of rising above self. And so they end up the tragic victims of self-centeredness. They end up the victims of distorted and disrupted personality.'''
** Variants (Many of MLKs' speeches were delivered many times with slight variants): '''An Individual has not started living fully until they can rise above the narrow confines of individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of humanity. Every person must decide at some point, whether they will walk in light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.''' This is the judgment: ''' Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?' '''
** As quoted in ''The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.'' by [[Coretta Scott King]], Second Edition (2011), Ch. "Community of Man", p. 3

* '''Life has its beginning and its maturity comes into being when an individual rises above self to something greater. Few individuals learn this, and so they go through life merely existing and never living. Now you see signs all along in your everyday life with individuals who are the victims of self-centeredness. They are the people who live an eternal "I." They do not have the capacity to project the "I" into the "Thou." They do not have the mental equipment for an eternal, dangerous and sometimes costly [[altruism]]. They live a life of perpetual [[egotism]]. And they are the victims all around of the egocentric predicament.''' They start out, the minute you talk with them, talking about what they can do, what they have done. They're the people who will tell you, before you talk with them five minutes, where they have been and who they know. They're the people who can tell you in a few seconds, how many degrees they have and where they went to school and how much money they have. '''We meet these people every day. And so this is not a foreign subject. It is not something far off. It is a problem that meets us in everyday life. We meet it in ourselves, we meet in other selves: the problem of self-centeredness.'''

* Now, we can say to a certain extent that persons in this situation are persons who have really never grown up. They are still children, at a point. For you see, a child is inevitably, necessarily egocentric. He is a bundle of his own sensations, clamoring to be cared for. And, to be sure, he has his own social context. He belongs to his mother, but he cares for her only because he wants to be fed and protected. He does not care for his mother for her sake but he cares for his mother for his own sake. And so a child is inevitably egocentric, inevitably self-centered. And that is why Dr. Burnham says that during the first six or seven years of [[development]], the ego is dominant within the [[Children|child]]. And both in [[Human behavior|behavior]] and in [[Attitude|attitudes]], a child is a victim of self-centeredness. This is a part of the early development of a little child. When people become mature, they are to rise above this.

* '''I look at my little daughter every day and she wants certain things and when she wants them, she wants them.''' And she almost cries out, "I want what I want when I want it." '''She is not concerned about what I think about it or what Mrs. King thinks about it. She wants it. She's a child and that's very natural and normal for a child. She is inevitably self-centered because she's a child. But when one matures, when one rises above the early years of childhood, he begins to love people for their own sake. He turns himself to higher loyalties. He gives himself to something outside of himself. He gives himself to causes that he lives for and sometimes will even die for. He comes to the point that now he can rise above his individualistic concerns''', and he understands then what Jesus meant when he says, "He who finds his life shall lose it; he who loses his life for my sake, shall find it."' In other words, '''he who finds his ego shall lose his ego, but he who loseth his ego for my sake, shall find it. And so you see people who are apparently selfish; it isn't merely an ethical issue but it is a psychological issue. They are the victims of arrested development, and they are still children. They haven't grown up.''' And like a modern novelist says about one of his characters, "Edith is a little country, bounded on the east and the west, on the north and the south, by Edith." And '''so many people are little countries, bounded all around by themselves and they never quite get out of themselves. And these are the persons who are victimized with arrested development.'''

* '''Now the consequences, the disruptive effects of such self-centeredness, such egocentric desires, are tragic. And we see these every day. At first, it leads to frustration and disillusionment and unhappiness at many points. For usually when people are self-centered, they are self-centered because they are seeking attention, they want to be admired and this is the way they set out to do it. But in the process, because of their self-centeredness, they are not admired; they are mawkish and people don't want to be bothered with them. And so the very thing they seek, they never get. And they end up frustrated and unhappy and disillusioned.'''

* I'm sure you have seen people in life who are so desirous of gaining attention that if they cannot have and gain attention through normal channels, through normal social channels, they will gain it through anti-social means. [...] They are so selfcentered that they must gain attention and they must be seen in order to survive. They want to be admired and in their quest for admiration, they don't gain it and in their failure to gain it, they become frustrated and bewildered and disillusioned. Also, it leads to extreme sensitiveness.

* '''The individual who is self-centered, the individual who is egocentric ends up being very sensitive, a very touchy person. And that is one of the tragic effects of a self-centered attitude, that it leads to a very sensitive and touchy response toward the universe. These are the people you have to handle with kid gloves because they are touchy, they are sensitive. And they are sensitive because they are self-centered. They are too absorbed in self and anything gets them off, anything makes them angry. Anything makes them feel that people are looking over them because of a tragic self-centeredness. That even leads to the point that the individual is not capable of facing trouble and the hard moments of life. One can become so self-centered, so egocentric that when the hard and difficult moments of life come, he cannot face them because he's too centered in himself.''' These are the people who cannot face disappointments. These are the people who cannot face being defeated. These are the people who cannot face being criticized. These are the people who cannot face these many experiences of life which inevitably come because they are too centered in themselves. '''In time, somebody criticizes them, time somebody says something about them that they don't like too well, time they are disappointed, time they are defeated, even in a little game, they end up broken-hearted. They can't stand up under it because they are centered in self.'''

* '''Then, finally, it can become so morbid that it rises to ominous proportions and leads to a tragic sense of persecution. There are persons who come to the point that they are so self-centered that they end up with a persecution complex and the end result is [[insanity]]. They end up thinking that the universe stands against them, that everybody is against them. They are turning around within themselves. They are little [[Solar System|solar systems]] within themselves and they can't see beyond that. And as a result of their failure to get out of self, they end up with a persecution complex and sometimes madness and insanity. These are some of the effects of self-centeredness.'''

* '''Now one will inevitably raise the question: How then do we conquer self-centeredness?''' How do we get away from this thing that we call self-centeredness? '''How can we live in this universe with a balance and with a type of perspective that keeps us going smoothly and we are not too absorbed in self?''' How do we do it?

* '''I think one of the best ways to face this problem of self-centeredness is to discover some cause and some purpose, some loyalty outside of yourself and give yourself to that something. The best way to handle it is not to suppress the ego but to extend the ego into objectively meaningful channels.''' And so many people are unhappy because they aren't doing anything. They're self-centered because they aren't doing anything. They haven't given themselves to anything and they just move around in their little circles. '''One of the ways to rise above this self-centeredness is to move away from self and objectify yourself in something outside of yourself. Find some great cause and some great purpose, some loyalty to which you can give yourself and become so absorbed in that something that you give your life to it. Men and women have done this throughout all of the generations. And they have found that necessary ego satisfaction that life presents and that one desires through projecting self in something outside of self. As I said, you don't solve the problem by trying to trample over the ego altogether. That doesn't solve the problem. For you will always have the ego and the ego has certain desires, certain desires for significance.''' The three great psychoanalysts of this age, of this century, pointed out that there are certain basic desires that human beings have and that they long for and that they seek at any cost. And so for [[Sigmund Freud|Freud]] the basic desire was to be loved. [[Carl Gustav Jung|Jung]] would say that the basic desire is to be secure. But then [[Alfred Adler|Adler]] comes along and says the basic desire of human nature is to feel important and a sense of significance. And I think of all of those, probably- certainly all are significant but the one that Adler mentions is probably even more significant than any: that '''all human beings have a desire to belong and to feel significant and important. And the way to solve this problem is not to drown out the ego but to find your sense of importance in something outside of the self. And you are then able to live because you have given your life to something outside and something that is meaningful, objectified. You rise above this self-absorption to something outside. This is the way to go through life with a balance, with the proper perspective because you've given yourself to something greater than self. Sometimes it's friends, sometimes it's family, sometimes it's a great cause, it's a great loyalty, but give yourself to that something and life becomes meaningful.'''

* '''I've seen people who discovered a great meaning in their jobs and they became so absorbed in that that they didn't have time to become self-centered. They loved their job.''' And the great prayer that anyone could pray at that point is: "O God, help me to love my job as this individual loves his or hers. O God, help me to give my self to my work and to my job and to my allegiance as this individual does." And this is the way out. And I think this is what [[Ralph Waldo Emerson |[Ralph Waldo] Emerson]] meant when he said: "O, see how the masses of men worry themselves into nameless graves, while here and there, some great unselfish soul forgets himself into immortality." '''And this becomes a point of balance when you can forget yourself into immortality. You're not so absorbed in self, but you are absorbed in something beyond self.'''

* And there is '''another way to rise above self-centeredness''' and that '''is by having the proper inner attitude toward your position or toward your status in life or whatever it is. You conquer self-centeredness by coming to the point of seeing that you are where you are today because somebody helped you to get there. And so many people, you see, live a self-centered, egocentric life because they have the attitude that they are responsible for everything and for their position in life. For everything they do in life, they feel, somehow, that they are responsible and solely responsible for it.'''

* '''An individual gets away from this type of self-centeredness when he pauses enough to see that no matter what he does in life, he does that because somebody helped him to do it. And he then gains the type of perspective and the type of balance which keeps him from becoming self-centered. He comes to see that somebody stands in the background, often doing a little job in a big way, making it possible for him to do what he's doing.'''

* '''[N]o matter where you stand, no matter how much popularity you have, no matter how much education you have, no matter how much money you have, you have it because somebody in this universe helped you to get it. And when you see that, you can't be arrogant, you can't be supercilious. You discover that you have your position because of the events of history and because of individuals in the background making it possible for you to stand there.'''

* One of the problems that I have to face and even fight every day is this problem of self-centeredness, this tendency that can so easily come to my life now that I'm something special, that I'm something important. Living over the past year, I can hardly go into any city or any town in this nation where I'm not lavished with hospitality by peoples of all races and of all creeds. I can hardly go anywhere to speak in this nation where hundreds and thousands of people are not turned away because of lack of space. And then after speaking, I often have to be rushed out to get away from the crowd rushing for autographs. I can hardly walk the street in any city of this nation where I'm not confronted with people running up the street, "Isn't this Reverend King of Alabama?" Living under this it's easy, it's a dangerous tendency that I will come to feel that I'm something special, that I stand somewhere in this universe because of my ingenuity and that I'm important, that I can walk around life with a type of arrogance because of an importance that I have. And one of the prayers that I pray to God everyday is: "O God, help me to see myself in my true perspective. Help me, O God, to see that I'm just a symbol of a movement. Help me to see that I'm the victim of what the [[Germans]] call a [[w:Zeitgeist|Zeitgeist]] and that something was getting ready to happen in history; history was ready for it. And that a boycott would have taken place in Montgomery, Alabama, if I had never come to [[Alabama]]. Help me to realize that I'm where I am because of the forces of history and because of the fifty thousand Negroes of Alabama who will never get their names in the papers and in the headline. O God, help me to see that where I stand today, I stand because others helped me to stand there and because the forces of history projected me there. And this moment would have come in history even if M. L. King had never been born." And when we come to see that, we stand with a humility. '''This is the prayer I pray to God every day, "Lord help me to see M. L. King as M. L. King in his true perspective." Because if I don't see that, I will become the biggest fool in America.'''

* '''We never get anywhere in this world without the forces of [[history]] and individual persons in the background helping us to get there.''' If you have the privilege of a fine [[education]], well, you have it because somebody made it possible. If you have the privilege to gain wealth and a bit of the world's goods, well, you have it because somebody made it possible. '''So don't boast, don't be arrogant. You, at that moment, rise out of your self-centeredness to the type of living that makes you an integrated personality.'''

* Finally, '''the proper religious faith gives you this type of balance and this type of perspective that I'm talking about. This, you see, is something of the genius of great religion, that on the one hand, it gives man a sense of belonging and on the other hand, it gives him a sense of dependence on something higher. So he realizes that there is something beyond in which he lives and moves and even moves and gains his being. This is what great religion does for him.'''

* '''And there needs to be something in your life of a goddess of [[Nemesis]] which pulls you down when you get too high and pulls you up when you feel the sense of inadequacy and that is what religion at its best does. It keeps you to the point that you don't feel like you are too low and you don't feel like you are too high but you'll maintain that type of balance.''' And you come to see that you're an adjective, not a noun. It is only God that is a noun, you are a dependent clause not an independent clause. You come to see through great religion, somehow, there is only one being in this universe that can say "I am" unconditionally. We turn over to Genesis and we read of God saying, "I am that I am," and that's the only being that can say that. But man is a child of God and he must always say, "I am, because of." And when you come to see that, you see that your existence is adjectival; it is dependent on something else. Your existence is dependent on the existence of a higher power and you can't walk around the universe with arrogance. You can't walk about the universe with a haughty spirit because you know that there is a God in this universe that you are dependent on.

* For a long time, man felt that he was the [[w:Center_of_the_universe|center of the universe]] and all of his [[science]] had given him that. All of the days in the past he came up under what was known as the [[w:Geocentric_theory|geocentric theory]]: the earth was the center of the universe and everything revolved around the earth. Then came [[Nicolaus Copernicus|Copernicus]] and [[Nicolaus Copernicus|Galileo]] and others, said that the sun is the center, the [[w:Heliocentric_theory|heliocentric]] theory came into being. And that reminded us somehow that we are dependent on something. '''We are not just at the center of this universe. We are only at the center to the extent that we give ourselves and our allegiance to God Almighty.''' And I'm so glad that the new science came into being to dampen our arrogance. It says to us that our earthly planet is a dependent planet; it is a small planet in the orbits of this universe. The sun is the center of this universe, that '''man must look beyond himself to discover his significance. And that does something to each of us so that we can see when we have faith in God that we have nothing to boast about, we have nothing to be arrogant about but we live with a humility that keeps us going.'''

* '''As I look at drunkard men walking the streets of Montgomery and of other cities every day, I find myself saying, "But by the grace of God, you too would be a drunkard." As I look at those who have lost balance of themselves and those who are giving their lives to a tragic life of pleasure and throwing away everything they have in riotous living, I find myself saying, "But by the grace of God, I too would be here." And when you see that point, you cannot be arrogant. But you walk through life with a humility that takes away the self-centeredness that makes you a disintegrated personality.'''

* '''[Y]ou are what you are because of somebody else. You are what you are because of the grace of the Almighty God. He who seeks to find his ego will lose it. But he who loses his ego in some great cause, some great purpose, some great ideal, some great loyalty, he who discovers, somehow, that he stands where he stands because of the forces of history and because of other individuals; he who discovers that he stands where he stands because of the grace of God, finds himself. He loses himself in that something but later finds himself. And this is the way, it seems to me, to the integrated personality.'''

==== Loving Your Enemies (November 1957) ====
[[File:King portrait.gif|thumb|It is [[love]] that will save our [[world]] and our [[civilization]], love even for [[enemies]].]]
[[File:Mlk visits temple.jpg|thumb|Discover the element of [[good]] in your [[enemy]]. And as you seek to [[hate]] him, find the center of goodness and place your attention there and you will take a new attitude.]]
[[File:Martin Luther, Coretta Scott and Yolanda Denise King, 1956.png|thumb|[[Love]] is [[creative]], [[understanding]] goodwill for all men. It is the refusal to defeat any [[individual]]. ... Love is understanding, redemptive goodwill for all men, so that you love everybody, because God loves them.]]
[[File:I Was There with the Yanks on the Western Front, 050h.jpg|thumb|[[Force]] begets force, [[hate]] begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a descending spiral, ultimately ending in destruction for all and everybody. Somebody must have [[sense]] enough and [[morality]] enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of [[evil]] in the [[universe]]. And you do that by [[love]].]]
[[File:Gaston motel 1963.jpg|thumb|[[Hate]] at any point is a cancer that gnaws away at the very vital center of your [[life]] and your existence. It is like eroding acid that eats away the best and the objective center of your [[life]].]]
[[File:Sculpture of Rosa Parks - Birmingham Civil Rights Institute - Birmingham - Alabama - USA (34376349676).jpg|thumb|Non-cooperation with [[evil]] is as much a [[moral]] obligation as is cooperation with [[good]].]]
:[https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/loving-your-enemies-sermon-delivered-dexter-avenue-baptist-church Delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama (17 November 1957)]

* Far from being the pious injunction of a [[utopian]] [[dreamer]], [[w:Matthew 5:44|this command]] is an absolute [[necessity]] for the survival of our civilization. Yes, '''it is [[love]] that will save our [[world]] and our [[civilization]], love even for enemies.'''

* How do you go about loving your enemies? I think the first thing is this: '''In order to love your enemies, you must begin by analyzing [[self]].''' And I'm sure that seems [[strange]] to you, that I start out telling you this morning that you love your enemies by beginning with a look at self. It seems to me that that is the first and foremost way to come to an adequate discovery to the how of this situation. ... some people aren't going to like you. '''They're going to dislike you, not because of something that you've done to them, but because of various [[jealous]] reactions and other reactions that are so prevalent in [[human nature]].''' But after looking at these things and admitting these things, we must [[face]] the [[fact]] that an individual might dislike us because of something that we've done deep down in the past, some personality attribute that we possess, something that we've done deep down in the past and we've forgotten about it; but it was that something that aroused the [[hate]] response within the [[individual]]. That is why I say, begin with yourself. '''There might be something within you that arouses the tragic hate response in the other individual.'''

* The success of [[communism]] in the world today is due to the failure of [[democracy]] to live up to the noble ideals and principles inherent in its system. And this is what [[Jesus]] means when he said: "How is it that you can see the mote in your brother's eye and not see the beam in your own eye?" Or to put it in Moffatt's translation: "How is it that you see the splinter in your brother's eye and fail to see the plank in your own eye?" And this is one of the tragedies of human nature. So we begin to love our enemies and love those persons that hate us whether in collective life or individual life by looking at ourselves. And this is one of the tragedies of human nature. So we begin to love our enemies and love those persons that hate us whether in collective life or individual life by looking at ourselves.

* '''A second thing that an individual must do in seeking to love his enemy is to discover the element of [[good]] in his enemy, and everytime you begin to hate that person and think of hating that person, realize that there is some good there and look at those good points which will over-balance the bad points.'''

* There is something within all of us that causes us to cry out with [[Ovid]], the Latin poet, "I see and approve the better things of life, but the [[evil]] things I do." There is something within all of us that causes us to cry out with [[Plato]] that the human [[personality]] is like a charioteer with two headstrong horses, each wanting to go in different directions. There is something within each of us that causes us to cry out with [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]], "There is enough stuff in me to make both a gentleman and a rogue." There is something within each of us that causes us to cry out with [[Paul of Tarsus|Apostle Paul]], "I see and approve the better things of life, but the evil things I do." '''So somehow the "isness" of our [[present]] nature is out of [[harmony]] with the [[eternal]] "oughtness" that forever confronts us. And this simply means this: That within the best of us, there is some evil, and within the worst of us, there is some good. When we come to see this, we take a different attitude toward individuals.''' The person who hates you most has some good in him; even the nation that hates you most has some good in it; even the race that hates you most has some good in it. And when you come to the point that you look in the face of every man and see deep down within him what [[religion]] calls "the image of [[God]]," you begin to love him in spite of. '''No matter what he does, you see [[God]]'s image there.''' There is an element of goodness that he can never sluff off. '''Discover the element of good in your enemy. And as you seek to hate him, find the center of goodness and place your attention there and you will take a new attitude.'''

* '''Another way that you love your enemy is this: When the [[opportunity]] presents itself for you to defeat your enemy, that is the time which you must not do it.''' There will come a [[time]], in many instances, when the person who hates you most, the person who has misused you most, the person who has gossiped about you most, the person who has spread false rumors about you most, there will come a time when you will have an opportunity to defeat that person. It might be in terms of a recommendation for a job; it might be in terms of helping that person to make some move in life. That's the time you must not do it.
** {{cite news |last=Nianias |first=Helen |date=2015-01-19 |title=Martin Luther King Jr. Day: The inspiring speeches you might not know |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/martin-luther-king-day-the-inspiring-speeches-you-might-not-know-9987009.html |work=[[w:The Independent|The Independent]] |accessdate=2018-02-08 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6x5PiJU27 |archivedate=2018-02-08}}

* That is the meaning of love. In the final analysis, '''love is not this sentimental something that we talk about. It's not merely an emotional something. Love is creative, [[understanding]] goodwill for all men. It is the refusal to defeat any individual. When you rise to the level of [[love]], of its [[great]] [[beauty]] and [[power]], you seek only to defeat [[evil]] [[systems]]. Individuals who happen to be caught up in that system, you love, but you seek to defeat the system.'''
**{{cite web |title="Loving Your Enemies," Sermon Delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church |last=King, Jr. |first=Martin Luther |date=1957-11-17 |url=https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/loving-your-enemies-sermon-delivered-dexter-avenue-baptist-church |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6x5ROMlxu |archivedate=2018-02-08}}

* The [[Greek language]] comes out with another word for love. It is the word ''[[w:agape|agape]]''. ...'''agape is something of the [[understanding]], creative, redemptive goodwill for all men. '''It is a love that seeks nothing in return. It is an overflowing love; it's what theologians would call the love of [[God]] working in the [[lives]] of men.''' And when you rise to love on this level, you begin to love men, not because they are likeable, but because God loves them. You look at every man, and you love him because you know God loves him.''' And he might be the worst person you've ever seen. And this is what [[Jesus]] means, I think, in this very passage when he says, "Love your enemy." And it's significant that he does not say, "Like your enemy." Like is a sentimental something, an affectionate something. '''There are a lot of people that I find it difficult to like.''' I don't like what they do to me. I don't like what they say about me and other people. I don't like their attitudes. I don't like some of the things they're doing. I don't like them. But [[Jesus]] says love them. And love is greater than like. '''Love is [[understanding]], redemptive goodwill for all men, so that you love everybody, because [[God]] loves them. You refuse to do anything that will defeat an individual, because you have ''agape'' in your soul. And here you come to the point that you love the individual who does the evil deed, while hating the deed that the person does. This is what [[Jesus]] means when he says, "Love your enemy." This is the way to do it. When the opportunity presents itself when you can defeat your enemy, you must not do it.'''

* '''I think the first [[reason]] that we should love our enemies, and I think this was at the very center of [[Jesus]]' thinking, is this: that '''hate for [[hate]] only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the [[universe]].''' If I hit you and you hit me and I hit you back and you hit me back and go on, you see, that goes on ad infinitum. It just never ends. Somewhere somebody must have a little sense, and that's the strong person. '''The [[strong]] person is the person who can cut off the chain of hate, the chain of evil. And that is the tragedy of hate, that it doesn't cut it off. It only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the universe. Somebody must have [[religion]] enough and morality enough to cut it off and inject within the very structure of the universe that strong and powerful element of [[love]].'''

* '''Somewhere somebody must have some [[sense]]. Men must see that [[force]] begets force, [[hate]] begets hate, toughness begets toughness.''' And it is all a descending spiral, ultimately ending in destruction for all and everybody. '''Somebody must have sense enough and [[morality]] enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. And you do that by [[love]].'''

* '''There's another reason why you should love your enemies, and that is because hate distorts the personality of the hater.''' We usually think of what hate does for the individual hated or the individuals hated or the groups hated. But it is even more tragic, it is even more ruinous and injurious to the individual who hates. You just begin hating somebody, and you will begin to do irrational things. You can't see straight when you hate. You can't walk straight when you hate. You can't stand upright. Your vision is distorted. There is nothing more tragic than to see an individual whose heart is filled with hate. He comes to the point that he becomes a pathological case. For the person who hates, you can stand up and see a person and that person can be beautiful, and you will call them ugly. For the person who hates, the beautiful becomes ugly and the ugly becomes beautiful. For the person who hates, the good becomes bad and the bad becomes good. For the person who hates, the true becomes false and the false becomes true. That's what hate does. You can't see right. The symbol of objectivity is lost. '''Hate destroys the very structure of the personality of the hater.''' [...] '''when you start hating anybody, it destroys the very center of your creative response to life and the universe; so love everybody. Hate at any point is a cancer that gnaws away at the very vital center of your life and your existence. It is like eroding acid that eats away the best and the objective center of your life. So Jesus says love, because hate destroys the hater as well as the hated.'''

* '''Now there is a final reason I think that [[Jesus]] says, "Love your enemies." It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. That's why Jesus says, "Love your enemies." Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption.''' You just keep loving people and keep loving them, even though they're mistreating you. Here's the person who is a neighbor, and this person is doing something wrong to you and all of that. Just keep being friendly to that person. Keep loving them. Don't do anything to embarrass them. Just keep loving them, and they can't stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with bitterness because they're mad because you love them like that. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they'll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And '''by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That's love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There's something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.'''

* '''History unfortunately leaves some people oppressed and some people oppressors. And there are three ways that individuals who are oppressed can deal with their oppression. One of them is to rise up against their oppressors with physical violence and corroding hatred. But oh this isn't the way. For the danger and the weakness of this method is its futility. Violence creates many more social problems than it solves.''' And I've said, in so many instances, that as the Negro, in particular, and colored peoples all over the world struggle for freedom, '''if they succumb to the temptation of using violence in their struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and our chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos. Violence isn't the way.'''

* '''Another way is to acquiesce and to give in, to resign yourself to the oppression.''' Some people do that. They discover the difficulties of the wilderness moving into the promised land, and they would rather go back to the despots of Egypt because it's difficult to get in the promised land. And so they resign themselves to the fate of oppression; they somehow acquiesce to this thing. '''But that too isn't the way because non-cooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good.'''

* '''But there is another way. And that is to organize mass non-violent resistance based on the principle of love.''' It seems to me that this is the only way as our eyes look to the future. As we look out across the years and across the generations, let us develop and move right here. '''We must discover the power of love, the power, the redemptive power of love. And when we discover that we will be able to make of this old world a new world. We will be able to make men better. Love is the only way.'''

==== Loving Your Enemies (Christmas 1957) ====
:[http://www.skeptictank.org/files/socialis/mlk.htm Full text online here]
[[File:The Earth seen from Apollo 17.jpg|thumb|[[Love]] even for [[enemies]] is the [[key]] to the solution of the [[problems]] of our [[world]].]]
[[File:Christ on Corcovado mountain.JPG|thumb|[[Jesus]] is not an impractical idealist; he is the practical realist.]]
[[File:Martin Luther King Jr with medallion NYWTS.jpg|thumb|We must develop and maintain the capacity to [[forgive]]. He who is devoid of the [[power]] to forgive is devoid of the power to [[love]].]]
[[File:Bad-war.jpg|thumb|The chain reaction of [[evil]] — [[hate]] begetting hate, [[wars]] producing more wars — must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.]]
[[File:Francisco de Goya, Desastre de la Guerra (Disasters of War).JPG|thumb|[[Darkness]] cannot drive out darkness: only [[light]] can do that. [[Hate]] cannot drive out hate: only [[love]] can do that.]]
[[File:Cristo degli abissi.jpg|thumb|Every genuine expression of [[love]] grows out of a consistent and total surrender to [[God]].]]
[[File:Cristo_Redentor-3.jpg|thumb|By its very [[nature]], [[hate]] destroys and tears down; by its very nature, [[love]] creates and builds up. Love transforms with redemptive [[power]].]]
[[File:Love heart.jpg|thumb|[[Love]] is the only [[force]] capable of transforming an [[enemy]] into a [[friend]]. We never get rid of an enemy by meeting [[hate]] with hate; we get rid of an enemy by getting rid of enmity.]]
[[File:Hermandad - friendship.jpg|thumb|There is some [[good]] in the worst of us and some [[evil]] in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to [[hate]] our [[enemies]].]]
[[File:Diversity and Unity.jpg|thumb|[[Love]] is the most durable [[power]] in the world. This creative [[force]] ... is the most potent instrument available in [[mankind]]'s quest for [[peace]] and security.]]
: Delivered at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama (25 December 1957). He actually [http://www.mkgandhi-sarvodaya.org/articles/peace_king.htm wrote it while he was in jail] for committing non-violent civil disobedience during the Montgomery bus boycott. In this sermon King discusses [[w: Matthew 5:44|Jesus command to "love your enemies"]] and answers the question how one can love his enemies.

* Upheaval after upheaval has reminded us that modern man is traveling along the road called hate, in a journey that will bring us to destruction and damnation. Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, '''the command to love one's enemy is an absolute necessity for our survival. Love even for enemies is the key to the solution of the problems of our world.'''

* '''[[Jesus]] is not an impractical idealist; he is the practical realist.'''

* I am certain that Jesus understood the difficulty inherent in the act of loving one's enemy. He never joined the ranks of those who talk glibly about the easiness of the moral life. He realized that '''every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to [[God]].''' So when [[Jesus]] said "love your enemy," he was not unmindful of its stringent qualities. Yet he meant every word of it. Our responsibility as Christians is to discover the meaning of this command and seek passionately to live it out in our daily lives.

* '''Let us be practical and ask the question: How do we love our enemies?'''

* '''First, we must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. It is impossible even to begin the act of loving one's enemies without prior acceptance of the [[necessity]], over and over again, of forgiving those who inflict evil and injury upon us. It is also necessary to realize that the forgiving act must always be initiated by the person who has been wronged, the victim of some great hurt, the recipient of some tortuous injustice, the absorber of some terrible act of oppression.''' The wrongdoer may request forgiveness. He may come to himself, and, like the prodigal son, move up with some dusty road, his heart palpitating with the desire for forgiveness. But only the injured neighbor, the loving father back home can really pour out the warm waters of forgiveness.

* '''[[Forgiveness]] does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an [[evil]] act. It means, rather, that the evil act no longer remains as a barrier to the relationship. Forgiveness is a catalyst creating the atmosphere necessary for a fresh start and a new [[beginning]]. It is the lifting of a burden or the canceling of a debt.''' The words "I will forgive you, but never forget what you have done" never explain the real nature of forgiveness. '''Certainly one can never forget, if that means erasing totally for his mind. But when we forgive, we forget in the sense that the evil deed is no longer a mental block impeding a new relationship.''' Likewise, we can never say, "I will forgive you, but I won't have anything further to do with you." '''Forgiveness means reconciliation, a coming together again. Without this, no man can ever love his enemies. The degree to which we are able to forgive determines the degree to which we are able to love our enemies.'''

* '''Second we must recognize that the evil deed of the enemy-neighbor, the thing that hurts, never quite expresses all that he is. An element of goodness may be found even in our worst enemy. Each of us is something of a schizophrenic personality, tragically divided against ourselves.''' A persistent civil war rages within all or our lives. Something within us causes us to lament with [[Ovid]], the Latin poet, "I see and approve the better things, but follow the worse," or to agree with [[Plato]] that human [[personality]] is like a charioteer having two headstrong horses, each wanting to be go in a different direction, or to repeat with the [[Paul the Apostle|Apostle Paul]], "[[s: Bible_(Wikisource)/Romans#Chapter_7|The good that I would I do not, but the evil which I would not, I do.]]"

* This simply means that '''there is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.''' When we look beneath the surface, beneath the impulsive [[evil]] deed, we see within our enemy-neighbor a measure of goodness and know that the viciousness and evilness of his acts are not quite representative of all that he is. We see him in a new light. We recognize that his hate grows out of [[fear]], [[pride]], [[ignorance]], [[prejudice]], and misunderstanding, but in spite of this, we know God's image is ineffably etched in being. Then we [[love]] our enemies by realizing that they are not totally bad and that they are not beyond the reach of God's redemptive love.

* '''Third we must not seek to defeat or humiliate the enemy but to win his friendship and understanding. At times we are able to humiliate our worst enemy.''' Inevitably, his weak moments come and we are able to thrust in his side the spear of defeat. But this we must not do. '''Every word and deed must contribute to an understanding with the enemy and release those vast reservoirs of goodwill which have been blocked by impenetrable walls of hate.'''

* The meaning of [[love]] is not to be confused with some sentimental outpouring. Love is something much deeper that emotional bosh. Perhaps the Greek language can clear our confusion at this point. In the Greek New Testament are three words for love. The word eros is sort of aesthetic or romantic love. In the Platonic dialogues eros is the yearning of the soul for the realm of the divine. The second word is philia, a reciprocal of love and the intimate affection and friendship between friends. We love those whom we like, and we love because we are loved. The third word is agape, understanding and creative, redemptive goodwill for all men. An overflowing love which seek nothing in return, agape is the love of God operating in the human [[heart]]. At this level, we love men not because we like them, nor because they possess some type of divine spark; we love every man because God loves him. At this level, we love the person who does an evil deed, although we hate the deed that he does. [...] When Jesus bids us to love our enemies, he is speaking neither of eros nor philia; he is speaking of agape, '''understanding and creative, redemptive goodwill toward men. Only by following this way and responding with this type of love are we able [[s:Bible_(Wikisource)/Matthew#Chapter_5|to be children of our father which is in heaven.]]'''

* '''Let us move now from the practical how to the theoretical why: Why should we love our enemies?''' The first reason is fairly obvious. '''Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. [[Darkness]] cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.''' So when Jesus says "love your enemies," he is setting forth a profound and ultimately inescapable admonition. Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies-or else? '''The chain reaction of evil-Hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars-must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.'''
** This passage contains some phrases King later used in "Where Do We Go From Here?" (1967) which has a section below.

* '''Another reason why we must love our enemies is that hate scars the soul and distorts the personality. Mindful that hate is an evil and dangerous force, we too often think of what it does to the person hated. This is understandable, for hate bring irreparable damage to its victims.''' We have seen its ugly consequences in the ignominious deaths brought to six million Jews by a hate-obsessed madman named [[Hitler]], in the unspeakable violence inflicted upon Negroes by blood-thirsty mobs, in the dark horrors of war, and in the terrible indignities and [[Injustice|injustices]] perpetrated against millions of God's children by unconscionable oppressors. '''But there is another side which we must never overlook. Hate is just as injurious to the person who hates. Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.'''

* Modern psychology recognizes what Jesus taught centuries ago: '''Hate divides the personality and love in an amazing and inexorable way unites it.'''

* '''A third reason why we should love our enemies is that love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. We never get rid of an enemy by meeting hate with hate; we get rid of an enemy by getting rid of enmity. By its very nature, love creates and builds up. Love transforms with redemptive power.'''

* An even more basic reason why we are commanded to love is expressed explicitly in Jesus' words, "love your enemies....that ye may be children of your father which is in heaven." We are called to this difficult task in order to realize a unique relationship with God. We are potential sons of God. Through love that potentiality becomes actuality. We must love our enemies, because only loving them can we know God and experience the beauty of His holiness.

* '''The darkness of [[Racism|racial injustice]] will be dispelled only by the light of forgiving love.''' For more that three centuries American Negroes have been frustrated by day and bewilderment by night by unbearable injustice, and burdened with the ugly weight of discrimination. Forced to live with these shameful conditions, we are tempted to become bitter and retaliate with a corresponding hate. But if this happens, the new order we seek will be little more than a duplicate of the old order. '''We must in strength and humility meet hate with love.'''

* Time is cluttered with wreckage of communities which surrendered to hatred and violence. For the salvation of our nation or mankind, we must follow another way. This does not mean that we abandon our righteous efforts. With every ounce of our energy we must continue to rid this nation of the incubus of segregation. But we shall not in the process relinquish our privilege and our obligation to love. '''While abhorring segregation, we shall love the segregationist. This is the only way to create the beloved community.'''

* To our most bitter opponents we say: '''"We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We shall meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will, and we shall continue to love you.''' We cannot in all good conscience obey your unjust laws because '''noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good.''' Throw us in jail and we shall still love you. Bomb our homes and threaten our children, and we shall still love you. Send your hooded perpetrators of violence into our community at the midnight hour and beat us and leave us half dead, and we shall still love you. But '''be ye assured that we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer. One day we shall win freedom but not only for ourselves. We shall so appeal to your heart and conscience that we shall win you in the process and our victory will be a double victory.'''"

* '''[[Love]] is the most durable [[power]] in the world. This creative force, so beautifully exemplified in the [[life]] of our [[Christ]], is the most potent instrument available in mankind's quest for [[peace]] and security.''' [[Napoleon Bonaparte]], the great military genius, looking back over his years of conquest, is reported to have said: "[[Alexander the Great|Alexander]], [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]], [[Charlemagne]] and I have built great empires. But upon what did they depend? They depended on [[force]]. But centuries ago [[Jesus]] started an empire that was built on [[love]], and even to this day millions will die for him." Who can doubt the veracity of these words. '''The great military leaders of the past have gone, their empires have crumbled and burned to ashes. But the empire of [[Jesus]], built solidly and majestically on the foundation of love, is still growing.''' It started with a small group of dedicated men, who, through the inspiration of their Lord, were able to shake the hinges form the gates of the Roman Empire, and carry the gospel into all the world. Today the vast earthly kingdom of Christ numbers more than 900,000,000 and covers every land and tribe.

* '''[[Jesus]] is eternally right. History is replete with the bleached bones of nations that refused to listen to him.''' May we in the twentieth century hear and follow his words-before it is too late. '''May we solemnly realize that we shall never be true sons of our heavenly Father until we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.'''

==== Three Ways of Meeting Oppression (1958) ====
[[File:Kaulbach Zerstoerung Jerusalems durch Titus.jpg|thumb|Violence ends by defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.]]
[[File:March on washington Aug 28 1963.jpg|thumb|Nonviolent resistance is not aimed against oppressors, but against oppression.]]
:[http://www.gibbsmagazine.com/Ways%20to%20respond.htm This essay] [https://archive.is/20130717142239/www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_4-6-2004_pg3_7 is taken from MLK's book 'Stride Toward Freedom' (1958)].

* '''Oppressed people deal with their oppression in three characteristic ways. One way is acquiescence: the oppressed resign themselves to their doom. They tacitly adjust themselves to oppression and thereby become conditioned to it. In every movement toward freedom some of the oppressed prefer to remain oppressed.'''

* '''There is such a thing as the freedom of exhaustion. Some people are so worn down by the yoke of oppression that they give up.''' A few years ago in the slum areas of Atlanta, a Negro guitarist used to sing almost daily: "Been down so long that down don't bother me." '''This is the type of negative freedom and resignation that often engulfs the life of the oppressed.'''

* '''To accept passively an unjust system is to cooperate with that system; thereby the oppressed become as evil as the oppressor. Non-cooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. The oppressed must never allow the conscience of the oppressor to slumber. Religion reminds every man that he is his brother's keeper. To accept injustice''' or segregation passively '''is to say to the oppressor that his actions are morally right. It is a way of allowing his conscience to fall asleep. At this moment the oppressed fails to be his brother's keeper. So acquiescence-while often the easier way-is not the moral way. It is the way of the coward.'''

* '''A second way that oppressed people sometimes deal with oppression is to resort to physical violence and corroding hatred. Violence often brings about momentary results.''' Nations have frequently won their independence in battle. '''But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem; it merely creates new and more complicated ones.'''

* '''Violence as a way of achieving''' racial '''justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends by defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.'''

* '''The third way open to oppressed people in their quest for freedom is the way of nonviolent resistance.''' Like the synthesis in [[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel|Hegelian ]]philosophy, '''the principle of [[nonviolent resistance]] seeks to reconcile the truths of two opposites, [[acquiescence]] and [[violence]], while avoiding the extremes and immoralities of both. The nonviolent resister agrees with the person who acquiesces that one should not be physically aggressive toward his opponent; but he balances the equation by agreeing with the person of violence that evil must be resisted. He avoids the nonresistance of the former and the violent resistance of the latter. With nonviolent resistance, no individual or group need submit to any wrong, nor need anyone resort to violence in order to right a wrong.'''

* '''Nonviolent resistance is not aimed against oppressors, but against oppression.'''

=== 1960s ===
[[File:Flag of the United States (Pantone).svg|thumb|The language, the cultural patterns, the music, the material prosperity, and even the food of America are an amalgam of black and white.]]
[[File:Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mathew Ahmann in a crowd.) - NARA - 542015.tif|thumb|The [[time]] is always [[right]] to do what's right.]]
[[File:Clean room history 1.png|thumb|Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.]]
[[File:'Today capitalism has outlived its usefulness' MLK.jpg|thumb|Call it [[democracy]], or call it democratic [[socialism]], but there must be a better distribution of [[wealth]] within this country for all [[God]]'s [[children]].]]
[[File:Martin Luther King, Jr. and Lyndon Johnson.jpg|thumb|There comes a [[time]] when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because [[Conscience]] tells him it is [[right]].]]
[[File:MartinLutherKingMalcolmX.jpg|thumb|Ultimately a genuine [[leader]] is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.]]
[[File:Capitol dome lantern Washington.jpg|thumb|I say to you that our goal is [[freedom]], and I [[believe]] we are going to get there because however much she strays away from it, the goal of [[America]] is freedom.]]
[[File:LBJ Civil Rights Act crowd.jpg|thumb|It is true that behavior cannot be legislated, and legislation cannot make you [[love]] me, but legislation can restrain you from lynching me, and I think that is kind of important.]]
[[File:Lyndon Johnson and Martin Luther King, Jr. - Voting Rights Act.jpg|thumb|I am not interested in [[power]] for power's sake, but I'm interested in power that is [[moral]], that is [[right]] and that is [[good]].]]
[[File:March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Joachim Prinz 1963.jpg|thumb|We demand this fraud be stopped. Our weapon is our vote.]]

* We know that there are many things wrong in the white world, but there are many things wrong in the black world too. We can't keep on blaming the white man. There are things we must do for ourselves.
** Address to a black congregation in St. Louis, published in "The Dangerous Road Before Martin Luther King", ''Harper's'' magazine (February 1961); quoted by [[James Baldwin]], in "Highroad to Destiny," a chapter in ''Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Profile'', edited by [[w:C. Eric Lincoln | C. Eric Lincoln]] (1993), p. 97

* '''In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as "right to work." It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights.''' It is supported by Southern segregationists who are trying to keep us from achieving our civil rights and our right of equal job opportunity. '''Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining by which unions have improved wages and working conditions of everyone...Wherever these laws have been passed, wages are lower, job opportunities are fewer and there are no civil rights. We do not intend to let them do this to us. We demand this fraud be stopped. Our weapon is our vote.'''
** Speaking on right-to-work laws in 1961, as quoted in ''Now Is the Time. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Labor in the South: The Case for a Coalition'' (January 1986)

* They are honoring a great one in [[Roberto Clemente|Clemente]]. I have been watching his career ever since he joined the [[w:Pittsburgh Pirates|Pittsburgh club]]. Roberto should wind up as one of the all-time stars before he is through.
** Speaking with [[w:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'']] sports editor [[w:Al Abrams|Al Abrams]] on July 9, 1961, at [[w:Forbes Field|Forbes Field]], while both waited to speak at the second annual Freedom Jubilee, sponsored by Pittsburgh's Central Baptist Church; as quoted in [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=udhaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=emwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7016%2C1295376 "Sidelights on Sports"] by Al Abrams, in ''The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' (8 April 1968)

* '''There are certain things in our [[nation]] and in the [[world]] which I am [[proud]] to be maladjusted and which I [[hope]] all men of [[good]]-[[will]] will be maladjusted until the good societies realize — I say very honestly that I never intend to become adjusted to — segregation and discrimination. I never intend to become adjusted to religious [[bigotry]].''' I never intend to adjust myself to [[economic]] conditions that will take [[necessities]] from the many to give luxuries to the few. I never intend to adjust myself to the madness of militarism, to self-defeating effects of physical [[violence]]. But in a day when sputniks and explorers are dashing through outer space and guided ballistic missiles are carving highways of [[death]] through the stratosphere, no [[nation]] can win a [[war]]. It is no longer the choice between [[violence]] and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence...'''
** [http://www.wmich.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/MLK.pdf "Social Justice and the Emerging New Age"] address at the Herman W. Read Fieldhouse, Western Michigan University (18 December 1963)

* "We must never substitute a doctrine of [[w:Black_supremacy|Black supremacy]] for [[white supremacy]]. For the doctrine of Black supremacy is as dangerous as white supremacy. God is not interested merely in the freedom of [[Black people|black men]] and brown men and yellow men but God is interested in the freedom of the whole human race, the creation of a society where all men will live together as brothers"
** "Social Justice and the Emerging New Age" address at the Herman W. Read Fieldhouse, Western Michigan University (18 December 1963)

* Living with the conditions of slavery and then later segregation, many Negroes lost faith in themselves. Many came to feel that perhaps they were less than human, perhaps they were inferior. But then something happened to the Negro. Circumstances made it possible and necessary for him to travel more. The coming of the automobile, the upheavals of two world wars, the [[Great Depression|great depression]]. So his rural plantation background gradually gave way to urban industrial life. His economic life was gradually rising and even his cultural life was gradually rising through the steady decline of crippling illiteracy. All of '''these forces conjoined to cause the Negro to take a new look at himself. His religion revealed to him that God loves all of his children and that all men are made in His image. That the basic thing about a man is not his specificity but his fundamental. Not the texture of his hair or the color of his skin but his eternal dignity and worth.'''
** "Social Justice and the Emerging New Age" address at the Herman W. Read Fieldhouse, Western Michigan University (18 December 1963)

* '''As a preacher... I must admit that I have gone through those moments when I was greatly disappointed with the church and what it has done in this period of social change.''' We must face the fact that in America, the church is still the most segregated major institution in America. At 11:00 on Sunday morning when we stand and sing and Christ has no east or west, we stand at the most segregated hour in this nation. This is tragic. Nobody of honesty can overlook this. Now, I'm sure that if the church had taken a stronger stand all along, we wouldn't have many of the problems that we have. The first way that the church can repent, the first way that it can move out into the arena of social reform is to remove the yoke of segregation from its own body. Now, I'm not saying that society must sit down and wait on a spiritual and moribund church as we've so often seen. I think it should have started in the church, but since it didn't start in the church, our society needed to move on. '''The church, itself, will stand under the judgement of God.''' Now that the mistake of the past has been made, I think that the opportunity of the future is to really go out and to transform American society, and where else is there a better place than in the institution that should serve as the moral guardian of the community. The institution that should preach brotherhood and make it a reality within its own body.
** "Social Justice and the Emerging New Age" address at the Herman W. Read Fieldhouse, Western Michigan University (18 December 1963)

* I think we must honestly face a fact if one gets behind in a race, he must eternally remain behind or run faster than the man in front. You've got to give him the equipment to catch up. Now the fact is that the Negro has had 244 years of [[Slavery in the United States|slavery in America]] and working without wages and then he's had a hundred years of segregation and mistreatment in generally. Now, he's faced with a very serious problem and that is that he is required to be as productive as people who have not had these conditions and the only thing that a society can do for individuals who have been deprived of something is to give them a little special treatment. Now you don't put anybody out of a job, but you just make it possible for the individuals who are behind to catch up.
** "Social Justice and the Emerging New Age" address at the Herman W. Read Fieldhouse, Western Michigan University (18 December 1963)

* '''The time is always right to do what's right.'''
** "The Future of Integration", address in Finney Chapel at Oberlin College (22 October 1964), as quoted in  "When MLK came to Oberlin" by Cindy Leise, ''The Chronicle-Telegram'' (21 January 2008); he also used a slight variant of this "'''the time is always right to do right'''" in a later speech [[Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.#Remaining_Awake_Through_a_Great_Revolution_(1965)|"Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution]]" delivered at Oberlin in 1965.

* Let us therefore continue our triumphal march to the realization of the [[American Dream|American dream]].... for all of us today, the battle is in our hands... The road ahead is not altogether a smooth one. There are no broad highways that lead us easily and inevitably to quick solutions... We are still in for the season of suffering... How long? Not long. Because no lie can live forever... our God is marching on.
** Speech on the steps of the State Capitol Building, Montgomery, Alabama (25 March 1965), as transcribed from a tape recording; reported in ''Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations'' (1989), which states that this speech was not reported in its entirety.

* '''Call it [[democracy]], or call it [[democratic socialism]], but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God's children.'''
** Speech to the Negro American Labor Council (May 1965), as quoted in ''From Civil Rights to Human Rights : Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Struggle for Economic Justice'' (2009), by Thomas F. Jackson, p. 230

* The [[labor movement]] was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress. Out of its bold struggles, economic and social reform gave birth to [[w:Unemployment_insurance|unemployment insurance]], [[w:Old-age_pensions|old-age pensions]], [[Welfare|government relief for the destitute]] and, above all, new wage levels that meant not mere survival but a tolerable life. The captains of industry did not lead this transformation; they resisted it until they were overcome. When in the thirties the wave of union organization crested over the nation, it carried to secure shores not only itself but the whole society.
** [http://www.aft.org/yourwork/tools4teachers/bhm/mlktalks.cfm Speech to the state convention of the Illinois American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) (7 October 1965)], as quoted in ''Now Is the Time. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Labor in the South: The Case for a Coalition'' (January 1986)

* '''Of all the forms of [[inequality]], [[injustice]] in [[Health care|healthcare]] is the most shocking and inhumane.'''
** ''Speech to the Second National Convention of the Medical Committee for Human Rights'' – Chicago (25 March 1966), as quoted in Dan Munro, [http://www.forbes.com/sites/danmunro/2013/08/28/americas-forgotten-civil-right-healthcare/ "America's Forgotten Civil Right - Healthcare"], ''Forbes'' (28 August 2013). See also: [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amanda-moore/martin-luther-king-health-care_b_2506393.html Amanda Moore, "Tracking Down Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Words on Health Care", ''Huffington Post'' (18 August 2013)]

* '''The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate.''' In fact, violence merely increases [[Hatred|hate]]. So it goes. ... Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of [[stars]]. '''[[Darkness]] cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.'''
** 'Where Do We Go From Here?" as published in ''Where Do We Go from Here : Chaos or Community?'' (1967), p. 62; many statements in this book, or slight variants of them, were also part of his address ''Where Do We Go From Here?" which has a section below. A common variant appearing at least as early as 1968 has "Returning violence for violence multiplies violence..." An early version of the speech as published in ''A Martin Luther King Treasury'' (1964), p. 173, has : "Returning hate for hate multiplies hate..."

* '''Many of the ugly pages of [[History of the United States|American history]] have been obscured and forgotten.''' A society is always eager to cover misdeeds with a cloak of [[forgetfulness]], but no society can fully repress an ugly past when the ravages persist into the present. America owes a debt of [[justice]] which it has only begun to pay. If it loses the will to finish or slackens in its determination, history will recall its crimes and the country that would be great will lack the most indispensable element of greatness — justice.
** ''Where Do We Go from Here : Chaos or Community?'' (1967), p. 109

* Above all he did not content himself with hurling invectives for emotional release and then to retire into smug, passive [[satisfaction]]. History had taught him it is not enough for people to be angry — '''the supreme task is to organize and unite people so that their anger becomes a transforming force'''.
** "Honoring Dr. DuBois", speech at International Cultural Evening at Carnegie Hall, 23 February 1968, published in ''Freedomways: A Quarterly Review of the Negro Freedom Movement'', compiled in Esther Cooper Jackson (ed.), ''Freedomways Reader: Prophets In Their Own Country'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=-oivNmSJOfAC&pg=PA36&dq=%22the+supreme+task+is+to+organize+and+unite%22 p. 36]

* '''I think it is necessary to say that what is basic and what is needed in the [[Middle East]] is peace. Peace for Israel is one thing. Peace for the Arab side of that world is another thing. Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all of our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel, and never mind saying it, as one of the great outposts of [[democracy]] in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land almost can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.'''
** 68th Annual Convention of the Rabbinical Assembly for Conservative Judaism, March 25, 1968, less than 2 weeks before his death. [http://allenbwest.com/2014/02/martin-luther-kings-pro-israel-legacy/ Source: ''Martin Luther King's pro-Israel legacy'' by Allen B. West on February 15, 2014 at AllenBWest.com.] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvr2Cxuh2Wk 2012-01-15 Youtube video Martin Luther King Jr: "Israel... is one of the great outpost of democracy in the world" by Youtube user Israel SDM][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dd7pIB0CP0 2014-06-09 Youtube video Dr. King's pro-Israel Legacy (in 5 minutes) by IBSI - Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel]

* '''On the other hand, we must see what peace for the [[Arabs]] means in a real sense of security on another level. Peace for the Arabs means the kind of economic security that they so desperately need. These nations, as you know, are part of that [[Third World|third world]] of [[hunger]], of [[disease]], of [[Literacy|illiteracy]]. I think that as long as these conditions exist there will be tensions, there will be the endless quest to find scapegoats. So there is a need for a Marshall Plan for the Middle East, where we lift those who are at the bottom of the economic ladder and bring them into the mainstream of economic security.'''
** 68th Annual Convention of the Rabbinical Assembly for Conservative Judaism, March 25, 1968, less than 2 weeks before his death. [http://allenbwest.com/2014/02/martin-luther-kings-pro-israel-legacy/ Source: ''Martin Luther King's pro-Israel legacy'' by Allen B. West on February 15, 2014 at AllenBWest.com.], See also [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dd7pIB0CP0 2014-06-09 Youtube video Dr. King's pro-Israel Legacy (in 5 minutes) by IBSI - Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel]

* There are many signs that the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. Unless the early sacrificial spirit is recaptured, I am very much afraid that today's Christian church will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and we will see the Christian church dismissed as a social club with no meaning or effectiveness for our time, as a form without substance, as salt without savor. The real tragedy, though, is not Martin Luther King's disillusionment with the church -- for I am sustained by its spiritual blessings as a minister of the gospel with a lifelong commitment: The tragedy is that in my travels, I meet young people of all races whose disenchantment with the church has soured into outright disgust.
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706183244/http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/mlk/04.html Interview in ''Playboy'' (January 1965)]

* I must say that when my [[w:Southern_Christian_Leadership_Conference|Southern Christian Leadership Conference]] began its work in Birmingham, we encountered numerous Negro church reactions that had to be overcome. Negro ministers were among other Negro leaders who felt they were being pulled into something that they had not helped to organize. This is almost always a problem. Negro community unity was the first requisite if our goals were to be realized. I talked with many groups, including one group of 200 ministers, my theme to them being that a minister cannot preach the glories of heaven while ignoring social conditions in his own community that cause men an earthly hell. I stressed that the Negro minister had particular freedom and independence to provide strong, firm leadership, and I asked how the Negro would ever gain freedom without his minister's guidance, support and inspiration. These ministers finally decided to entrust our movement with their support, and as a result, the role of the Negro church today, by and large, is a glorious example in the history of Christendom. For never in Christian history, within a Christian country, have Christian churches been on the receiving end of such naked brutality and violence as we are witnessing here in America today. Not since the days of the Christians in the catacombs has God's house, as a symbol, weathered such attack as the Negro churches. I shall never forget the grief and bitterness I felt on that terrible September morning when a bomb blew out the lives of those four little, innocent girls sitting in their Sunday-school class in the [[w:16th_Street_Baptist_Church|16th Street Baptist Church]] in Birmingham. I think of how a woman cried out, crunching through broken glass, "My God, we're not even safe in church!" I think of how that explosion blew the face of Jesus Christ from a stained-glass window. It was symbolic of how sin and evil had blotted out the life of Christ. I can remember thinking that if men were this bestial, was it all worth it? Was there any hope? Was there any way out?... time has healed the wounds -- and buoyed me with the inspiration of another moment which I shall never forget: when I saw with my own eyes over 3000 young Negro boys and girls, totally unarmed, leave Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church to march to a prayer meeting -- ready to pit nothing but the power of their bodies and souls against [[w:Bull_Connor|Bull Connor]]'s police dogs, clubs and fire hoses. When they refused Connor's bellowed order to turn back, he whirled and shouted to his men to turn on the hoses. It was one of the most fantastic events of the Birmingham story that these Negroes, many of them on their knees, stared, unafraid and unmoving, at Connor's men with the hose nozzles in their hands. Then, slowly the Negroes stood up and advanced, and Connor's men fell back as though hypnotized, as the Negroes marched on past to hold their prayer meeting. I saw there, I felt there, for the first time, the pride and the power of nonviolence. Another time I will never forget was one Saturday night, late, when my brother telephoned me in Atlanta from Birmingham -- that city which some call "Bombingham" -- which I had just left. He told me that a bomb had wrecked his home, and that another bomb, positioned to exert its maximum force upon the motel room in which I had been staying, had injured several people. My brother described the terror in the streets as Negroes, furious at the bombings, fought whites. Then, behind his voice, I heard a rising chorus of beautiful singing: "We shall overcome." Tears came into my eyes that at such a tragic moment, my race still could sing its hope and faith.
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706183244/http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/mlk/04.html Interview in ''Playboy'' (January 1965)]

* "What more will the Negro want?" "What will it take to make these demonstrations end?" Well, I would like to reply with another rhetorical question: Why do white people seem to find it so difficult to understand that the Negro is sick and tired of having reluctantly parceled out to him those rights and privileges which all others receive upon birth or entry in America? I never cease to wonder at the amazing presumption of much of white society, assuming that they have the right to bargain with the Negro for his freedom. This continued arrogant ladling out of pieces of the rights of citizenship has begun to generate a fury in the Negro. Even so, he is not pressing for revenge, or for conquest, or to gain spoils, or to enslave, or even to marry the sisters of those who have injured him. What the Negro wants -- and will not stop until he gets -- is absolute and unqualified freedom and equality here in this land of his birth, and not in [[Africa]] or in some imaginary state. The Negro no longer will be tolerant of anything less than his due right and heritage. He is pursuing only that which he knows is honorably his. He knows that he is right.
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706183244/http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/mlk/04.html Interview in ''Playboy'' (January 1965)]

* There are two kinds of laws: man's and God's. A man-made code that squares with the moral law, or the [[Divine law|law of God]], is a just law. But a man-made code that is inharmonious with the moral law is an unjust law. And an unjust law, as [[Augustine of Hippo|St. Augustine]] said, is no law at all. Thus a law that is unjust is morally null and void, and must be defied until it is legally null and void as well. Let us not forget, in the memories of [[The Holocaust|6,000,000 who died]], that everything [[Adolf Hitler]] did in [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] was 'legal', and that everything the [[w:Hungarian_Revolution_of_1956|Freedom Fighters in Hungary]] did was 'illegal.'
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706183244/http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/mlk/04.html Interview in ''Playboy'' (January 1965)]

* '''I'm getting sick and tired of people saying that this movement has been infiltrated by [[Communism|Communists]]. There are as many Communists in this freedom movement as there are [[w:Eskimos|Eskimos]] in [[Florida]].'''
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706183244/http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/mlk/04.html Interview in ''Playboy'' (January 1965)]

* It is not a threat but a fact of history that if an oppressed people's pent-up emotions are not nonviolently released, they will be violently released. So let the Negro march. Let him make pilgrimages to city hall. Let him go on freedom rides. And above all, make an effort to understand why he must do this. For if his frustration and despair are allowed to continue piling up, millions of Negroes will seek solace and security in black-nationalist ideologies. And this, inevitably, would lead to a frightening racial nightmare.
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706183244/http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/mlk/04.html Interview in ''Playboy'' (January 1965)]

* Except in a few metropolitan ghettos, my experience has been that few Negroes have any interest at all in this organization, much less give any allegiance to its pessimistic doctrines. The [[w:Black_Muslims|Black Muslims]] are a quasi-religious, sociopolitical movement that has appealed to some Negroes who formerly were Christians. For the first time, the Negro was presented with a choice of a religion other than Christianity. What this appeal actually represented was an indictment of Christian failures to live up to Christianity's precepts; for there is nothing in Christianity, nor in [[the Bible]], that justifies racial segregation. But when the Negroes' genuine fighting spirit rose during 1963, the appeal of the [[Muslim|Muslims]] began to diminish.
** In reference to the Black Muslims who advocated Black Nacionalism. At his [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706183244/http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/mlk/04.html Interview in ''Playboy'' (January 1965)]

* What happens in [[w:Johannesburg|Johannesburg]] affects Birmingham, however indirectly. We are descendants of the Africans. Our heritage is [[Africa]]. We should never seek to break the ties, nor should the Africans.
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706183244/http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/mlk/04.html Interview in ''Playboy'' (January 1965)]

* '''I met [[Malcolm X]] once in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]], but circumstances didn't enable me to talk with him for more than a minute. He is very articulate ... but I totally disagree with many of his political and philosophical views — at least insofar as I understand where he now stands.''' I don't want to seem to sound self-righteous, or [[absolutist]], or that I think I have the only truth, the only way. Maybe he does have some of the answer. '''I don't know how he feels now, but I know that I have often wished that he would talk less of violence, because violence is not going to solve our problem.''' And in his litany of articulating the despair of the Negro without offering any positive, creative alternative, I feel that Malcolm has done himself and our people a great disservice. Fiery, demagogic oratory in the black ghettos, urging Negroes to arm themselves and prepare to engage in violence, as he has done, can reap nothing but grief.
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706183244/http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/mlk/04.html Interview in ''Playboy'' (January 1965)]

* I decided that perhaps I would like to think of myself as an [[Extremism|extremist]] -- in the light of the spirit which made Jesus an extremist for love. If it sounds as though I am comparing myself to the Savior, let me remind you that all who honor themselves with the claim of being "Christians" should compare themselves to Jesus. Thus I consider myself an extremist for that brotherhood of man which [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] so nobly expressed: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." Love is the only force on earth that can be dispensed or received in an extreme manner, without any qualifications, without any harm to the giver or to the receiver.
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706183244/http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/mlk/04.html Interview in ''Playboy'' (January 1965)]

* '''I endorse it. I think it was correct. Contrary to what many have said, it sought to outlaw neither prayer nor belief in god. In a pluralistic society such as ours, who is to determine what prayer shall be spoken and by whom? Legally, constitutionally or otherwise, the state certainly has no such right.'''
** King sharing his thoughts on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to ban school prayer, ** [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706183244/http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/mlk/04.html Interview in ''Playboy'' (January 1965)]

* One cannot be in my position, looked to by some for guidance, without being constantly reminded of the awesomeness of its responsibility. I live with one deep concern: Am I making the right decisions? '''Sometimes I am uncertain, and I must look to God for guidance.''' There was one morning I recall, when I was in the Birmingham jail, in solitary, with not even my lawyers permitted to visit, and I was in a nightmare of despair. The very future of our movement hung in the balance, depending upon capricious turns of events over which I could have no control there, incommunicado, in an utterly dark dungeon. This was about ten days after our Birmingham demonstrations began. Over 400 of our followers had gone to jail; some had been bailed out, but we had used up all of our money for bail, and about 300 remained in jail, and I felt personally responsible. It was then that [[John F. Kennedy|President Kennedy]] telephoned my wife, [[Coretta Scott King|Coretta]]. After that, my jail conditions were relaxed, and the following Sunday afternoon -- it was Easter Sunday -- two S.C.L.C. attorneys were permitted to visit me. The next day, word came to me from New York that [[Harry Belafonte]] had raised $50,000 that was available immediately for bail bonds, and if more was needed, he would raise that. '''I cannot express what I felt, but I knew at that moment that [[God]]'s presence had never left me, that He had been with me there in solitary.'''
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706183244/http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/mlk/04.html Interview in ''Playboy'' (January 1965)]

* '''If a city has a 30% Negro population, then it is logical to assume that Negroes should have at least 30% of the jobs in any particular company, and jobs in all categories rather than only in menial areas.'''
** from a 1968 ''Playboy'' magazine interview{{fix cite}}

* We know of no more crucial civil rights issue facing Congress today than the need to increase the federal minimum wage and extend its coverage.
** [http://www.aft.org/yourwork/tools4teachers/bhm/mlktalks.cfm Statement on minimum wage legislation (18 March 1966)], as quoted in ''Now Is the Time. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Labor in the South: The Case for a Coalition'' (January 1986)

* We believe it is imperative that farm laborers, among the most abused and neglected of all American workers, be included at last among those who benefit from the [[Fair Labor Standards Act|Fair Labor Standards Act]]. We want coverage extended to include those millions in retail trades, laundries, hospitals and nursing homes, restaurants, hotels, small logging operations and cotton gins who still work for starvation wages.
** Statement on minimum wage legislation (18 March 1966)], as quoted in ''Now Is the Time. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Labor in the South: The Case for a Coalition'' (January 1986)

* While we are mindful of the shocking fact that less than one-half of all non-white workers are covered by the [[Fair Labor Standards Act|Fair Labor Standards Act]], we do not speak for Negro workers only. A living wage should be the right of all working Americans, and this is what we wish to urge upon our Congressmen and Senators as they now prepare to deal with this legislation.
** Statement on minimum wage legislation (18 March 1966)], as quoted in ''Now Is the Time. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Labor in the South: The Case for a Coalition'' (January 1986)

* The backlash is merely the surfacing of prejudices . . . that already existed and . . . are just now starting to open.
** Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Seventh Annual Gandhi Memorial Lecture, Howard Univ., Washington, D.C. (6 November 1966), quoted in [http://www.freedomtomarry.org/document.asp?doc_id=2030 ''What do the election results mean for the move toward marriage equality?'' by Evan Wolfson (3 November 2004)]

* [[Thích Nhất Hạnh|Thich Nhat Hanh]] offers a way out of this nightmare, a [[solution]] acceptable to [[rational]] [[leaders]]. He has traveled the [[world]], counseling statesmen, [[religious]] leaders, [[scholars]] and [[writers]], and enlisting their support. His [[ideas]] for [[peace]], if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world [[brotherhood]], to [[humanity]].
** [http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/025.html Letter of nomination of Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize (25 January 1967)] at Hartford-HWP Archives

* In the final analysis the weakness of [[Black Power]] is its failure to see that the black man needs the white man and the white man needs the black man. However much we may try to romanticize the slogan, '''there is no separate black path to power and fulfillment that dies not intersect white paths, and there is no separate white path to power and fulfillment, short of social disaster, that does not share that power with black aspirations for freedom and human dignity. We are bound together in a single garment of destiny. The language, the cultural patterns, the music, the material prosperity, and even the food of America are an amalgam of black and white.'''
** As quoted in ''[[w:Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?|Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?]]'' (1967)

* The evils of [[capitalism]] are as real as the evils of militarism and evils of racism.
** As quoted in ''[https://books.google.it/books?id=DNId6HxkzQwC&pg=PA247&dq=%22The+evils+of+capitalism+are+as+real+as+the+evils+of+militarism+and+evils+of+racism%22 The Myth of American Diplomacy: National Identity and U.S. Foreign Policy]'' (1968)

* '''I am not interested in [[power]] for power's sake, but I'm interested in power that is [[moral]], that is right and that is [[good]].'''
** As quoted in ''The Civil Sphere'' (2006) by Jeffrey C. Alexander, p. 388

==== Keep Moving from this Mountain (1960) ====
: [https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/keep-moving-mountain-address-spelman-college-10-april-1960 "Keep Moving from this Mountain" – Founders Day Address at the Sisters Chapel, Spelman College (11 April 1960)] · (see also the [[Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.#Keep_Moving_From_This_Mountain_(1965)|1965 address]] on this theme)

* As [[Moses]] sought to lead his people on, he discovered that there were those among them who would occasionally become emotionally and sentimentally attached to a particular spot so that they wanted to stay there and remain stationary at that point. One day when Moses confronted this problem, he wrote in the [[w:Deuteronomy|book of Deuteronomy]], the first chapter and the fifth verse: '''''"You have been in this mountain long enough, turn ye and go on your journey, move on to the mount of the Amorite."''— This was a message of God through Moses. And whenever God speaks he says go forward, saying in substance that you must never become bogged down in mountains and situations that will impede your progress. You must never become complacently adjusted to unobtained goals; you have been in this mountain long enough, "turn ye and take your journey".'''

* In every age and every generation men have envisioned some promised land. [[Plato]] envisioned it in his republic as a time when justice would reign throughout society and philosophers would become kings and kings philosophers. [[Karl Marx]] envisioned it as a classless society in which the proletariat would finally conquer the reign of the bourgeoisie; out of that idea came the slogan, "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need." [[Edward Bellamy|Bellamy]], in ''Looking Backward'', thought of it as a day when the inequalities of monopoly capitalism would pass away. Society would exist on the basis of evenness of economic output. [[Christianity]] envisioned it as the [[w:Kingdom of God|Kingdom of God]], a time when the will of God will reign supreme, and brotherhood, love, and right relationships will be the order of society. '''In every age and every generation men have dreamed of some promised land of fulfillment of freedom. Whether it was the right promised land or not, they dreamed of it. But in moving from some Egypt of slavery, whether in the intellectual, cultural or moral realm, toward some promised land, there is always the same temptation. Individuals will get bogged down in a particular mountain in a particular spot, and thereby become the victims of stagnant complacency.''' So, this afternoon, I would like to deal with three or four symbolic mountains that we have been in long enough-mountains that we must move out of if we are to go forward in our world and if civilization is to survive.

* '''I think we have been in the mountain of moral and ethical relativism long enough. To dwell in this mountain has become something of a fad these days,''' so we have come to believe that morality is a matter of group consensus. We attempt to discover what is right by taking a sort of gallup poll of the majority opinion. Everybody is doing it, so it must be all right, and therefore we are caught in the clutches of conformity... In a sense, we are no longer concerned about the [[w:ten commandments|ten commandments]]-they are not too important. Everybody is busy, as I have said so often, trying to obey the eleventh commandment: "Thou shalt not get caught." And so, according to this view, it is all right to lie with a bit of finesse. It's all right to exploit, but be a dignified exploiter. It's all right to even hate, but dress your hate up into garments of love and make it appear that you are loving when you are actually hating. This type of moral and ethical relativism is sapping the very life's blood of the moral and spiritual life of our nation and our world. And '''I am convinced that if we are to be a great nation, and if we are to solve the problems of the world we must come out of this mountain. We have been in it too long. For if man fails to reorientate his life around moral and ethical values he may well destroy himself by the misuse of his own instrument.'''

* There is also the danger that our system can lead to tragic exploitation. We must come out of the mountain and be concerned about a more humane and just economic order. And '''I say, this afternoon, that we cannot solve this problem by turning to Communism. Communism is based on an ethical relativism and a metaphysical materialism that no Christian can accept.''' I do believe that in America we must use our vast resources of wealth to bridge the gulf between abject, deaden-ing poverty and superfluous, inordinate wealth. God has left enough space in this universe for all of his children to have the basic necessities of life.

* Segregation is a cancer in the body politic which must be removed before our democratic health can be realized. '''The underlying philosophy of segregation is diametrically opposed to the underlying philosophy of [[democracy]] and Christianity and all the [[Sophist|sophisms]] of the [[Logic|logicians]] cannot make them lie down together.''' We must make it clear that in our struggle to end this thing called segregation, we are not struggling for ourselves alone. We are not struggling only to free seventeen million Negroes. The festering sore of segregation debilitates the white man as well as the Negro. We are struggling to save the soul of America. We are struggling to save America in this very important decisive hour of her history

* I say to you, today, there is another way that combines the best points of both of these and avoids the evil points of both, and that is what we call nonviolent resistance. For here you have discovered a way of struggle which combines the militant and the moderate; a way of struggle that combines the realistic and the idealistic; a way of struggle that combines the calm and courageous. '''You need not now bow to hate, you need not now bow to violence, for you have now discovered another way and another approach. It comes to us from the long Christian tradition, Jesus of Nazareth himself, coming down through [[Mahatma Gandhi]] of India, who took the love ethic of [[Jesus Christ]] and made it effective as a sociopolitical force and brought about the transformation of a great nation and achieved freedom for his people.

* We must keep moving. '''If you can't fly, run; if you can't run, walk; if you can't walk, crawl; but by all means keep moving.'''

==== The Rising Tide of Racial Consciousnes (1960) ====
[[File:Martin Luther King Monument, Uppsala.jpg|thumb|The best way to solve any problem is to remove the cause.]]
[[File:Martin Luther King Estatua.JPG|thumb|One of the sure signs of maturity is the ability to rise to the point of self criticism.]]
[[File:Man sitting at MLK Jr. Memorial Library.jpg|thumb|The basic thing about a man is not his specific but his fundamentum.]]
:[http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/primarydocuments/Vol5/6Sept1960_TheRisingTideofRacialConsciousnessAddressattheGold.pdf Address at the Golden Anniversary Conference of the National Urban League, (6 September 1960), New York, N.Y]

* '''The best way to solve any problem is to remove the cause.'''

* It is a trite yet urgently true observation that '''if America is to remain a first-class nation, it cannot have second-class citizens.'''

* '''Whenever racial discrimination exists it is a tragic expression of man's spiritual degeneracy and moral bankruptcy. Therefore, it must be removed not merely because it is diplomatically expedient, but because it is morally compelling.'''

* '''Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.''' Therefore, no American can afford to be apathetic about the problem of racial justice. It is a problem that meets every man at his front door.

* In this period of social change the Negro must work on two fronts. On the one hand we must continue to break down the barrier of segregation. We must resist all forms of racial injustice. This resistance must always be on the highest level of dignity and discipline. It must never degenerate to the crippling level of violence. There is another way-a way as old as the insights of [[Jesus of Nazareth]] and as modern as the methods of [[Mahatma Gandhi]]. It is a way not for the weak and cowardly but for the strong and courageous. It has been variously called passive resistance, non-violent resistance or simply Christian love. It is my great hope that as the Negro plunges deeper into the quest for freedom, he will plunge deeper into the philosophy of non-violence. As a race we must work passionately and unrelentingly for first-class citizenship, but we must never use second class methods to gain it. Our aim must not be to defeat or humiliate the white man, but to win his friendship and understanding. '''We must never become bitter nor should we succumb to the temptation of using violence in the struggle, for if this happens, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness and our chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos.'''

* I feel that this way of non-violence is vital because it is the only way to reestablish the broken community. It is the method which seeks to implement the just law by appealing to the conscience of the great decent majority who through blindness, fear, pride or irrationality have allowed their consciences to sleep.

* '''The non-violent resistors can summarize their message in the following simple terms: we will take direct action against injustice without waiting for other agencies to act. We will not obey unjust laws or submit to unjust practices. We will do this peacefully, openly and cheerfully because our aim is to persuade. We adopt the means of non-violence because our end is a community at peace with itself. We will try to persuade with our words, but if our words fail, we will try to persuade with our acts. We will always be willing to talk and seek fair compromise, but we are ready to suffer when necessary and even risk our lives to become witnesses to the truth as we see it.'''

* But '''if physical death is the price that a man must pay to free his children and his white brethren from a permanent death of the spirit, then nothing could be more redemptive. This is the type of soul force that I am convinced will triumph over the physical force of the oppressor.'''

* '''One of the sure signs of maturity is the ability to rise to the point of self criticism.'''

* '''Doors are opening now that were not open in the past, and the great challenge facing minority groups is to be ready to enter these doors as they open. No greater tragedy could befall us at this hour but that of allowing new opportunities to emerge with out the concomitant preparedness to meet them.'''

* '''We must set out to do a good job irrespective of race. We must seek to do our life's work so well that nobody could do it better.'''

* We must work assiduously and with determined boldness to remove from the body politic this cancerous disease of discrimination which is preventing our democratic and Christian health from being realized. Then and only then will we be able to bring into full realization the dream of our American democracy-a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed; a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few; a dream of a land where men do not argue that the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character, where they recognize that '''the basic thing about a man is not his specific but his fundamentum'''; a dream of a place where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of all human personality, and men will dare to live together as brothers-that is the dream.

==== Address to AFL–CIO (1961) ====
:[http://www.aft.org/yourwork/tools4teachers/bhm/mlktalks.cfm Speaking to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) on (11 December 1961)], as quoted in ''Now Is the Time. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Labor in the South: The Case for a Coalition'' (January 1986); a booklet prepared by the Southern Labor Institute under the auspices of the Labor Subcommittee of the King Holiday Commission, designed by the AFT and printed by AFSCME

* Negroes in the United States read the history of labor and find it mirrors their own experience. We are confronted by powerful forces telling us to rely on the goodwill and understanding of those who profit by exploiting us. They deplore our discontent, they resent our will to organize, so that we may guarantee that humanity will prevail and equality will be exacted. They are shocked that action organizations, sit-ins, [[civil disobedience]] and protests are becoming our everyday tools, just as strikes, demonstrations and union organization became yours to insure that bargaining power genuinely existed on both sides of the table.

* '''We want to rely upon the goodwill of those who oppose us. Indeed, we have brought forward the method of nonviolence to give an example of unilateral goodwill in an effort to evoke it in those who have not yet felt it in their hearts. But we know that if we are not simultaneously organizing our strength we will have no means to move forward. If we do not advance, the crushing burden of centuries of neglect and economic deprivation will destroy our will, our spirits and our hope.''' In this way, labor's historic tradition of moving forward to create vital people as consumers and citizens has become our own tradition, and for the same reasons.

* Less than a century ago the laborer had no rights, little or no respect, and led a life which was socially submerged and barren....American industry organized misery into sweatshops and proclaimed the right of capital to act without restraints and without conscience. The inspiring answer to this intolerable and dehumanizing existence was economic organization through trade unions. The worker became determined not to wait for charitable impulses to grow in his employer. He constructed the means by which fairer sharing of the fruits of his toil had to be given to him or the wheels of industry, which he alone turned, would halt and wealth for no one would be available...

* '''History is a great teacher. Now everyone knows that the labor movement did not diminish the strength of the nation but enlarged it. By raising the living standards of millions, labor miraculously created a market for industry and lifted the whole nation to undreamed of levels of production. Those who attack labor forget these simple truths, but history remembers them.'''

* Negroes are almost entirely a working people.... '''Our needs are identical with labor's needs: decent wages, fair working conditions, livable housing, old-age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children and respect in the community.''' That is why Negroes support labor's demands and fight laws which curb labor. '''That is why the labor-hater and labor-baiter is virtually always a twin-headed creature, spewing anti-Negro epithets from one mouth and anti-labor propaganda from the other mouth.'''

==== Emancipation Proclamation Centennial Address (1962) ====
[[File:Stephens-reading-proclamation-1863.jpeg|thumb|All tyrants, past, present and future, are powerless to bury the truths in these declarations, no matter how extensive their legions, how vast their power and how malignant their evil. The [[Emancipation Proclamation]] was the offspring of the Declaration of Independence. It was a constructive use of the force of law to uproot a social order which sought to separate liberty from a segment of humanity.]]
[[File:Emancipation proclamation.jpg|thumb|When [[Abraham Lincoln]] signed the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] it was not the act of an opportunistic politician issuing a hollow pronouncement to placate a pressure group. [...] Lincoln achieved immortality because he issued the Emancipation Proclamation. His hesitation had not stayed his hand when historic necessity charted but one course. No President can be great, or even fit for office, if he attempts to accommodate to injustice to maintain his political balance.]]
[[File:Emancipation Proclamation.jpg|thumb|There is but one way to commemorate the [[Emancipation Proclamation]]. That is to make its declarations of freedom real; to reach back to the origins of our nation when our message of equality electrified an unfree world, and reaffirm democracy by deeds as bold and daring as the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.]]
:Address on the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] at the New York Civil War Centennial Commission's Emancipation Proclamation Observance, New York City (12 September 1962) · [http://www.nps.gov/anti/historyculture/mlk-ep.htm Dr. Martin Luther King on the Emancipation Proclamation - Antietam National Battlefield (U.S. National Park Service)].

* If our nation had done nothing more in its whole history than to create just two documents, its contribution to civilization would be imperishable. The first of these documents is '''the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]''' and the other is that which we are here to honor tonight, '''the [[Emancipation Proclamation]]'''. '''All tyrants, past, present and future, are powerless to bury the truths in these declarations, no matter how extensive their legions, how vast their power and how malignant their evil.'''

* '''The Declaration of Independence proclaimed to a world, organized politically and spiritually around the concept of the inequality of man, that the dignity of human personality was inherent in man as a living being. The Emancipation Proclamation was the offspring of the Declaration of Independence. It was a constructive use of the force of law to uproot a social order which sought to separate liberty from a segment of humanity.'''

* Our pride and progress could be unqualified if the story might end here. But '''history reveals that America has been a schizophrenic personality where these two documents are concerned. On the one hand she has proudly professed the basic principles inherent in both documents. On the other hand she has sadly practiced the antithesis of these principles.'''

* '''The [[Emancipation Proclamation]] had four enduring results. First, it gave force to the executive power to change conditions in the national interest on a broad and far-reaching scale. Second, it dealt a devastating blow to the system of slaveholding and an economy built upon it, which had been muscular enough to engage in warfare on the Federal government. Third, it enabled the Negro to play a significant role in his own liberation with the ability to organize and to struggle, with less of the bestial retaliation his slave status had permitted to his masters. Fourth, it resurrected and restated the principle of equality upon which the founding of the nation rested.'''

* '''When [[Abraham Lincoln]] signed the Emancipation Proclamation it was not the act of an opportunistic politician issuing a hollow pronouncement to placate a pressure group. Our truly great presidents were tortured deep in their hearts by the race question.''' [...] Lincoln's torments are well known, his vacillations were facts. In the seething cauldron of '62 and '63 Lincoln was called the "Baboon President" in the North, and "coward", "assassin" and "savage" in the South. Yet he searched his way to the conclusions embodied in these words, "[[Abraham Lincoln#Second_State_of_the_Union_address_.281862.29|In giving freedom to the slave we assure freedom to the free, honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve.]]" On this moral foundation he personally prepared the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation, and to emphasize the decisiveness of his course he called his cabinet together and declared he was not seeking their advice as to its wisdom but only suggestions on subject matter. '''Lincoln achieved immortality because he issued the Emancipation Proclamation. His hesitation had not stayed his hand when historic necessity charted but one course. No President can be great, or even fit for office, if he attempts to accommodate to injustice to maintain his political balance.'''

* '''The Emancipation Proclamation shattered in one blow the slave system, undermining the foundations of the economy of the [[Confederate States of America|rebellious South]]; and guaranteed that no slave-holding class, if permitted to exist in defeat, could prepare a new and deadlier war after resuscitation. The Proclamation opened the door to self-liberation by the Negro upon which he immediately acted by deserting the plantations in the South and joining the Union armies in the North.'''

* Beyond the war years '''the grim and tortured struggle of Negroes to win their own freedom is an epic of battle against frightful odds. If we have failed to do enough, it was not the will for freedom that was weak, but the forces against us which were too strong.'''

* '''There is but one way to commemorate the Emancipation Proclamation. That is to make its declarations of freedom real; to reach back to the origins of our nation when our message of equality electrified an unfree world, and reaffirm democracy by deeds as bold and daring as the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.'''

==== Address to Cornell College (1962) ====
:[https://news.cornellcollege.edu/dr-martin-luther-kings-visit-to-cornell-college/ Address to Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa (15 October 1962)] 

* It is interesting to notice that the extreme pessimist and the extreme optimist agree on at least one point. They both feel that we must sit down and do nothing in the area of race relations. The extreme optimist says do nothing because integration is inevitable. The extreme pessimist says do nothing because integration is impossible. But there is a third attitude that can be taken, namely the realistic position. The realist in this area seeks to combine the truths of two opposites, while avoiding the extremes of both, and so '''the realist would agree with the optimist that we have come a long, long way in grappling with this problem, but he would balance that by agreeing with the pessimist that we have a long, long way to go before the problem is solved in the United States. And it is this realistic position that I would like to use as a basis for our thinking together as we think of progress and as we think of the future of integration.'''
* It was in the year 1619 that the first Negro slaves landed on the shores of this nation. They were brought here form the shores of Africa. Unlike the pilgrim fathers who landed at Plymouth a year later, there were brought here against their will. Throughout slavery, the Negro was treated in a very inhuman fashion. He was a thing that was used, not a person to be respected. He was little more than a depersonalized cog in a vast plantation machine. '''The famous [[w:Dred Scott decision|Dred Scott decision]] of 1857 well illustrated the status of the Negro during slavery, for in this decision, the Supreme Court of the nation said that the Negro was not a citizen of the United States, he was merely property subject to the dictates of his owner.'''

* '''It seems to be a fact of life that human beings cannot continue to do wrong without eventually reaching out for some thin rationalization to clothe the obvious wrong in the beautiful garments of righteousness.''' The philosopher-psychologist [[William James]] used to talk a great deal about the stream of consciousness. He says that the very interesting and unique thing about human nature is that man had the capacity temporarily to block the stream of consciousness and place anything in it that he wants to, and so we often end up justifying the rightness of the wrong. This is exactly what happened during the days of slavery. Even the Bible and religion were misused to crystallize the patterns of the status quo. And so it was argued from pulpits across the nation that the Negro was inferior by nature, because of [[Noah]]'s curse upon the children of Ham. The apostle [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]]'s dictum became a watchword: [[Servitude|Servants]], be obedient to your master. And then one brother had probably studied the logic of the great philosopher [[Aristotle]]. You know Aristotle did a great deal to bring into being what we know as formal [[logic]], and he talked about the [[syllogism]], which had a major premise and a minor premise and a conclusion. And so this brother could put his argument in the framework of an Aristotelian syllogism. He could say, All men are made in the image of God. This was the major premise; then came the minor premise: God, as everybody knows, is not a Negro. Therefore, the Negro is not a man. '''This was the type of [[Reason|reasoning]] that prevailed.'''

* '''The whole nation has come a long, long way in extending the frontiers of civil rights. If we are true to the facts, we must admit this. Twenty-five years ago, a year hardly passed when numerous Negroes were not brutally lynched by some vicious mob in the South. Today lynchings have about ceased.''' Twenty-five years ago, most of the states in the South had what was known as a poll-tax. The poll-tax system was cleverly contrived to keep many, many Negroes from becoming registered voters. Today the poll-tax has been eliminated in all but four states. And just a few weeks ago, Congress unanimously passed a bill amending the Constitution calling for an end to the poll-tax in all federal elections.

* The old order of segregation is gradually passing away. To put it figuratively and in Biblical language, we've broken loose from the [[Egypt]] of slavery, and we have moved through the wilderness of [[racial segregation]], and now we stand on the border of the promised land of [[Racial integration|integration]]. There can be no gainsaying of the fact that the system of segregation is on its deathbed today, and the only thing uncertain about it is how costly the South will make the funeral. This reveals that we've come a long, long way since 1896.

* '''If I stopped at this point, I would be merely stating a fact, and not telling the truth. You see, a fact is merely the absence of contradiction, but truth is the presence of coherence. Truth is the relatedness of facts.''' Now it is a fact that we've come a long, long way, but it isn't the whole truth. In order to tell the truth, it would be necessary to add the other part, and I'm afraid that if I stopped at this point, I would leave you the victims of a dangerous optimism. If I stopped here, I would leave you the victims of an illusion wrapped in superficialities. So in order to tell the truth, it is necessary to move on and not only say that we've come a long, long way, but that we've a long, long way to go before the American dream is a reality, before this problem is solved.

* '''It is one of the strange ironies of history, that in a nation founded on the principle that all men are created equal, men are still arguing over whether the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character.'''

* '''All types of conniving methods are still being used to keep Negroes from becoming registered voters.''' Complex literacy tests are often given, with questions that a Ph. D. in any field or a person with a law degree from any great law university in the world could not answer to the even more difficult question of, how many bubbles do you find on a bar of soap? They tell me that occasionally they will ask that question in [[Mississippi]] and [[Alabama]]. And there are still millions of Negroes who are not registered to vote because of these methods being used.

* Even in terms of breaking down the barriers of segregation, there is still much to be done. It may be true, as I just said, figuratively speaking that old man segregation is on his deathbed. But history has proven that social systems have a great last-minute breathing power, and the guardians of the status quo are always on hand with their oxygen tents to keep the old order alive. And so segregation is still with us. We still confront it in the South in its glaring and conspicuous forms. We still confront it in every other section of this country in its hidden and subtle forms. But if democracy is to live, segregation must die, for racial segregation is a cancer in the body politic. '''Segregation must be removed before our moral and democratic health can be realized.'''

* I know that there are those that are saying to the individuals who are involved in the freedom struggle, slow up for a while; you're pushing things too fast. Or they may say, adopt a policy of moderation. Well, if moderation means moving on toward the goal of justice, with wise restraint and calm reasonableness, then moderation is a great virtue, which all men of good will must seek to achieve during this tense period of transition. But if moderation means slowing up in the move for freedom, capitulating to the undemocratic practices of the guardians of a deadening status quo, then moderation is a tragic vice which all men of good will must condemn. The fact is, we can't afford to slow up. We have our self-respect to maintain, but even more than that, because of our love for democracy and because of our love for America, we can't afford to slow up.

* '''The forces of good will must be mobilized in order to go the additional distance and make integration and the brotherhood of man a reality.''' First, the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] must use all of its constitutional authority to enforce the law of the land. As we look back over the years, we must honestly admit that only one branch of the government has given consistent, forthright, vigorous leadership, namely the judicial branch of the government, but the executive and legislative branches of the government have been all too apathetic, all too silent, and sometimes hypocritical. The time has come for all of the branches of the federal government to work in a vigorous manner to make integration a reality.

* '''[[Time]] is neutral. It can be used either constructively or destructively, and I'm convinced that in many points the people of ill will in the United States have used time much more effectively than the people of good will.''' It may well be that we will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people. Something must come to remind us that human [[progress]] never rolls in on the wheels of [[inevitability]]; [[evolution]] may be true in the biological realm — at that point [[Charles Darwin|Darwin]] is right; but when a [[Herbert Spencer]] seeks to apply it to the whole of society, there is very little evidence for it. '''Human progress comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals who are willing to be co-workers with God. Without this hard work, time itself becomes the ally of the primitive forces of irrational emotionalism and social stagnation. And so we must help time, and realize that the time is always ripe to do right.'''

* [[Education]] does have a great role to play in this period of transition. But it is not ''either'' education ''or'' [[Law|legislation]]; it is ''both'' education and legislation. '''It may be true that [[morality]] cannot be legislated, but [[Human behavior|behavior]] can be regulated. It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important also.''' It may be true that the law cannot change the heart, but it can restrain the heartless, and this is what we often so and we have to do in society through legislation. We must depend on religion and education to change bad internal attitudes, but we need legislation to control the external effects of those bad internal attitudes. And so there is a need for meaningful civil right legislation.
** Also quoted in ''Wall Street Journal'' (13 November 1962), ''Notable & Quotable '', p. 18
** Variant:
** '''It is true that behavior cannot be legislated, and legislation cannot make you love me, but legislation can restrain you from lynching me, and I think that is kind of important.'''
*** Address at Finney Chapel, Oberlin College (22 October 1964), as reported in "When MLK came to Oberlin" by Cindy Leise, ''The Chronicle-Telegram'' (21 January 2008)

* '''I would not have you believe for one minute tonight that there are not white persons of good will in the South.''' I am absolutely convinced that there are hundred and thousands, nay millions of white people of good will in the South, but most of them are silent today because of fear — fear of political, social and economic reprisal. God grant that the people of good will will rise up with courage, take over the leadership, and open channels of communication between races, for I think that one of the tragedies of our whole struggle is that the South is still trying to live in monologue, rather than dialogue, and '''I am convinced that men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because that don't know each other and they don't know each other because they don't communicate with each other, and they don't communicate with each other because they are separated from each other. And God grant that something will happen to open channels of communication, that something will happen because men of good will will rise to the level of leadership.'''

* There is also need for [[leadership]] and concern on the part of [[white people]] of good will in the North, if this problem is to be solved. Genuine liberalism on the question of race. And what we too often find in the North is a sort of quasi-liberalism based on the principle of looking objectively at all sides, and it is a liberalism that gets so involved in looking at all sides, that it doesn't get committed to either side. It is a liberalism that is so objectively analytical that it fails to get subjectively committed. It is a liberalism that is neither hot nor cold but lukewarm. And we must come to see that his problem in the United States is not a sectional problem, but a national problem. No section of our country can boast of clean hands in the area of brotherhood. It is one thing for a white person of good will in the North to rise up with righteous indignation when a bus is burned in Anniston, Alabama, with freedom riders, or when a nasty mob assembles around a University of Mississippi, and even goes to the point of killing and injuring people to keep one Negro out of the university, or when a Negro is lynched or churches burned in the South; but that same person of good will must rise up with the same righteous indignation when a Negro in his state or in his city cannot live in a particular neighborhood because of the color of his skin, or cannot join a particular academic society or fraternal order or sorority because of the color of his or her skin, or cannot get a particular job in a particular firm because her happens to be a Negro. In other words, a genuine liberalism will see that the problem can exist even in one's front and back yard, and '''injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'''

* '''If integration is to be a reality, the Negro must struggle for it.''' And so the Negro must continue to work through legislation; he must continue to work to double the number of registered voters, so that he political climate can be changed; he must continue to work through the courts, and get the law clarified and the Constitution clear on this issue. Then even after working in these areas, he must understand that '''a court order can only declare rights; it can never thoroughly deliver them. And only when people themselves begin to act, are rights which are on thin paper given life blood. And so the Negro must supplement all that is done through legislation, through voting, and through the courts with non-violent direct action.'''

* '''One of the great philosophical debates of the centuries has been over the whole question of ends and means.''' There have been those individuals from [[Machiavelli]] on down who argued that the end justifies the means. Sometimes systems of government have followed this theory. Listen to [[Lenin]] as he says "Lying, deceit, violence, concealing and withholding the truth are all justifiable means to bring about the end of the classless society." This is the great weakness and tragedy of communism and any other system that argues that the end justifies the means, for '''in a real sense, the end is pre-existent in the means; the means represent the ideal in the making, and the end in process. In the long run of history, immoral means cannot bring about moral ends. Destructive means cannot bring about constructive goals. The beauty of non-violence is that is makes it possible for the individual to struggle to secure moral ends through moral means.''' Another thing about it is that is makes it possible for the individual to apply the love-ethic in the struggle for freedom and justice. It makes it possible for the individual to place love at the center of his life, and thereby transform a social situation. This is the beauty of non-violence, because '''hate is always injurious. It is as injurious to the hater as it is to the hated.''' Psychiatrists are telling us now of many of the strange things that have happened in the subconscious. Many of the inner conflicts are rooted in hate, and so they are saying now, love or perish. And the beauty of non-violence is that it is possible to fight war without violence, and it is possible to struggle for that which is right with love in one's heart.

* Now when I talk about love, I'm not talking about emotional bosh; I'm not talking about some weak, sentimental something; I'm talking about something strong and powerful. I'm talking about something that is active good will, not just a passive, dead something. 

*''' ''[[Agape]]'' is more than aesthetic or romantic love. ''Agape'' is more than friendship. ''Agape'' is creative, redemptive good for all men. It is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return.''' Theologians would say that it is the love of God operating in the human heart, and when one rises to love on this level, he loves every man, not because he likes that particular person, but because God loves him, and he rises to the level of loving the person who does the evil deed, while hating the deed that the person does. And I think that this is what [[Jesus]] meant when he said, "Love your enemies," and I'm happy that he didn't say "Like you enemies," because it's pretty difficult to like some people. "Like" is affectionate, "like" is sentimental at points, and it's pretty difficult to like somebody bombing your home or threatening your children, or seeking to destroy you. It's pretty difficult to like them, but Jesus says, love them, and "love" is greater than "like." ''' "Love" is understanding, creative good will, for all men, and I believe firmly that it is this kind of love that will lead us on through this period of transition, and make it possible for us to achieve the real society of brotherhood.'''

*  '''We have come to the point where we are able to say to those who will even use violence to block us, we will match you capacity to inflict suffering with our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet you physical force with soul force.''' Do to us what you will, and we will still love you. We cannot in all good conscience obey your unjust laws, because noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. And so throw us in jail, and we will still love you. Bomb our homes and threaten our children, and, as difficult as it is, we will still love you.
* God is not interested merely in the freedom of black men and brown men and any other men. '''God is interested in the freedom of the whole human race and the creation of a society where all men will live together as brothers and where every man will respect the dignity and the worth of human personality. This is what we work for and this is the good society which we must seek in America. But it will not come until enough people are willing to stand up and mobilize forces of good will, to seek to implement that which is just and right.'''

* '''I say to you in very honest terms that there are some things in our social order and in the world to which I'm proud to be maladjusted, and I would hope the men of good will will be maladjusted to these same things until the good society is realized.''' I never intend to adjust myself to segregation and discrimination. I never intend to become adjusted to religious bigotry. I never intend to adjust myself to the madness of militarism and the self-defeating effects of physical violence.
* '''It is no longer a choice between violence and non-violence; it is either non-violence or non-existence.''' The alternative to disarmament, the alternative to suspension of nuclear tests, the alternative to strengthening the [[United Nations]] and disarming the whole world may well be a civilization plunged into the [[Nuclear war|abyss of annihilation]]. I never intend to become adjusted to the madness of militarism, and maybe the great need of our nation and our world today is for a society of the creative maladjusted, men and women who will be as maladjusted as the prophet [[Amos (prophet)|Amos]], who in the midst of the injustices of his day, could cry out in words that echo across the centuries, "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream." As maladjusted as [[Abraham Lincoln]], who had the vision to see that this nation could not exist half slave and half free. As maladjusted as [[Thomas Jefferson]], who in the midst of an age amazingly adjusted to slavery could cry out in words lifted to cosmic proportions, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'' As maladjusted as [[Jesus]] of Nazareth, who in the midst of the fascinating and intricate military machinery of the [[Roman Empire]] could cry out, "He who lives by the sword will perish by the sword," and also, "Love your enemies; bless them that curse you, pray for them that do spitefully use you." And '''I believe that such maladjustment will help us emerge from the bleak and desolate midnight of man's inhumanity to man into the bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and justice. And then we will be able to go that additional distance, and we will speed up the day when all of God's children, white men and black men, [[Judaism|Jews]] and [[Gentile|Gentiles]], [[Protestantism|Protestants]] and [[Catholic Church|Catholics]], will be able to join hands right here in America and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last, free at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last!"'''''

==== ''[[w:Strength to Love|Strength to Love]]'' (1963) ====
[[File:LuMaxArt_Golden_Family_With_World_Religions.jpg|thumb|[[Life]] at its best is a [[creative]] synthesis of opposites in fruitful [[harmony]].]]
[[File:Gian Lorenzo Bernini - Dove of the Holy Spirit.JPG|thumb|We must combine the toughness of the serpent with the softness of the [[dove]], a tough mind and a tender [[heart]].]]
[[File:Tiffany Education (center).JPG|thumb|[[Science]] investigates; [[religion]] interprets. Science gives man [[knowledge]] which is [[power]]; religion gives man [[wisdom]] which is control. Science deals mainly with [[facts]]; religion deals mainly with [[values]]. The two are not rivals. They are complementary.]]
[[File:Kung king belafonte.jpg|thumb|There is little [[hope]] for us until we become toughminded enough to break loose from the shackles of [[prejudice]], half-truths, and downright [[ignorance]].]]
:[http://books.google.gr/books?id=suOrdSCO_7gC&q= Online text at Google Books]

* '''The strong man holds in a living blend strongly marked opposites.''' The idealists are usually not realistic, and the realists are not usually idealistic. The militant are not generally known to be passive, nor the passive to be militant. Seldom are the humble self-assertive, or the self-assertive humble. '''But [[life]] at its best is a creative synthesis of opposites in fruitful [[harmony]].''' The philosopher [[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel|Hegel]] said that [[truth]] is found neither in the thesis nor the antithesis, but in the emergent synthesis which reconciles the two.
** Ch. 1 : A tough mind and a tender heart

* '''[[Jesus]] recognized the need for blending opposites.''' He knew that his disciples would face a difficult and hostile [[world]], where they would confront the recalcitrance of political officials and the intransigence of the protectors of the old order. He knew that they would meet cold and arrogant men whose [[hearts]] had been hardened by the long winter of traditionalism. ... And he gave them a formula for action, "Be ye therefore as wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." ... '''We must combine the toughness of the serpent with the softness of the dove, a tough [[mind]] and a tender [[heart]].'''
** Ch. 1 : A tough mind and a tender heart

* '''The tough mind is sharp and penetrating, breaking through the crust of [[legends]] and [[myths]] and sifting the true from the false.''' The tough-minded individual is astute and discerning. He has a strong austere [[quality]] that makes for firmness of [[purpose]] and solidness of commitment. Who doubts that this toughness is one of man's greatest needs? '''Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid [[thinking]]. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. [[Nothing]] pains some people more than having to think.'''
** Ch. 1 : A tough mind and a tender heart

* Softmindedness often invades religion. ... Softminded persons have revised the Beautitudes to read "Blessed are the pure in [[ignorance]]: for they shall see [[God]]." This has led to a widespread [[belief]] that there is a conflict between [[science]] and [[religion]]. But this is not true. There may be a conflict between softminded religionists and toughminded scientists, but not between science and religion. ... '''Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man [[knowledge]] which is [[power]]; religion gives man [[wisdom]] which is control. Science deals mainly with [[facts]]; religion deals mainly with [[values]]. The two are not rivals. They are complementary.'''
** Ch. 1 : A tough mind and a tender heart

* When confronted by midnight in the social order we have in the past turned to science for help. And little wonder! On so many occasions science has saved us. When we were in the midnight of physical limitation and material inconvenience, science lifted us to the bright morning of physical and material comfort. When we were in the midnight of crippling ignorance and superstition, science brought us to the daybreak of the free and open mind. When we were in the midnight of dread plagues and diseases, science, through surgery, sanitation, and the wonder drugs, ushered in the bright day of physical health, thereby prolonging our lives and making for greater security and physical well-being. How naturally we turn to science in a day when the problems of the world are so ghastly and ominous. But alas! science cannot now rescue us, for even the scientist is lost in the terrible midnight of our age. Indeed, science gave us the very instruments that threaten to bring universal suicide.'''
** ''[http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/multimediaentry/doc_a_knock_at_midnight/ A Knock on Midnight]''

* There is little [[hope]] for us until we become toughminded enough to break loose from the shackles of [[prejudice]], half-truths, and downright [[ignorance]]. The shape of the world today does not permit us the luxury of softmindedness. '''A [[nation]] or a [[civilization]] that continues to produce softminded men purchases its own spiritual [[death]] on an installment plan.''' But we must not stop with the cultivation of a tough mind. The gospel also demands a tender heart. ... What is more tragic than to see a person who has risen to the disciplined heights of toughmindedness but has at the same time sunk to the passionless depths of hardheartedness?
** Ch. 1 : A tough mind and a tender heart

* The [[greatness]] of our [[God]] lies in the fact that He is both toughminded and tenderhearted.
** Ch. 1 : A tough mind and a tender heart

* '''The [[hope]] of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists, who are dedicated to [[justice]], [[peace]], and [[brotherhood]]. The trailblazers in [[human]], academic, [[scientific]], and [[religious]] [[freedom]] have always been nonconformists. In any cause that concerns the [[progress]] of [[mankind]], put your [[faith]] in the nonconformist!'''
** Ch. 2 : Transformed nonconformist

* In his essay "Self-Reliance" [[Ralph Waldo Emerson|Emerson]] wrote, "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist." The Apostle [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] reminds us that whoso would be a [[Christian]] must also be a a nonconformist. '''Any Christian who blindly accepts the [[opinions]] of the majority and in [[fear]] and timidity follows a path of expediency and social approval is a mental and spiritual [[slave]].'''
** Ch. 2 : Transformed nonconformist

* Some years ago Professor Bixler reminded us of the danger of overstressing the well-adjusted life. Everybody passionately seeks to be well-adjusted. We must, of course, be well-adjusted to avoid neurotic schizophrenic personalities, but '''there are some things in our world to which men of goodwill must be maladjusted. I confess that I never intend to become adjusted to the [[evils]] of segregation and the crippling effects of discrimination, to the [[moral]] degeneracy of [[religious]] [[bigotry]] and the corroding effects of narrow sectarianism, to [[economic]] conditions that deprive men of [[work]] and [[food]], and the to the [[insanities]] of militarism and the self-defeating effects of physical [[violence]].'''
** Ch. 2 : Transformed nonconformist

* '''[[Human]] [[salvation]] lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.'''
** Ch. 2 : Transformed nonconformist

* '''[[Nothing]] in the [[world]] is more [[dangerous]] than [[sincere]] [[ignorance]] and conscientious [[stupidity]].'''
** Ch. 4 : Love in action, Sct. 3

* '''The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of [[comfort]] and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.''' The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his [[life]] for the welfare of others.
** Strength to Love, p. 25

* The meaning of this [[story]] is not found in the drowning of the Egyptian soldiers, for '''no one should rejoice at the [[death]] or defeat of a human being'''. Rather, this story symbolizes the death of evil and of inhuman oppression and unjust exploitation.
** Strength to Love, p. 73

* The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. '''Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided man.'''
** Strength to Love, Chapter 7

* '''Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.'''
** Last paragraph of section III of Antidotes for fear, page 122 (see link at top of the section)

*'''First, [[w:Communism |Communism]] is based on a materialistic and humanistic view of life and history.''' According to Communist theory, matter, not mind or spirit, speaks the last word in the universe. Such a philosophy is avowedly secularistic and atheistic. Under it, God is merely a figment of the imagination, [[w:Religion | religion]] is a product of fear and ignorance, and the church is an invention of the rulers to control the masses. Moreover, Communism, like humanism, thrives on the grand illusion that man, unaided by any divine power, can save himself and usher in a new society.... Cold [[w:Atheism | atheism]] wrapped in the garments of [[w:Materialism |materialism]], Communism provides no place for God or Christ.
**Ch. 10 : How Should A Christian View Communism?

*Second, Communism is based on ethical relativism and accepts no stable moral absolutes. Right and wrong are relative to the most expedient methods for dealing with class war. Communism exploits the dreadful philosophy that the [[w:Consequentialism |end justifies the means]]. It enunciates movingly the theory of a classless society, but alas! its methods for achieving this noble end are all too often ignoble. '''Lying, violence, murder, and torture are considered to be justifiable means to achieve the millennial end.''' Is this an unfair indictment? Listen to the words of [[w:Vladimir Lenin |Lenin]], the real tactician of Communist theory: ‘We must be ready to employ trickery, deceit, lawbreaking, withholding and concealing truth.’ Modem history has known many tortuous nights and horror-filled days because his followers have taken this statement serious.
** Ch. 10 : How Should A Christian View Communism?

*Third, Communism attributes ultimate value to the state. Man is made for the state and not the state for man. One may object, saying that in Communist theory the state is an ‘interim reality,’ which will ‘wither away’ when the classless society emerges. True--in theory; but it is also true that, while it lasts, the state is the end. '''Man is a means to that end. Man has no inalienable rights. His only rights are derived from, and conferred by, the state. Under such a system, the fountain of freedom runs dry.''' Restricted are man's liberties of press and assembly, his [[w:Freedom |freedom]] to vote, and his freedom to listen and to read. Art, religion, education, music, and science come under the gripping yoke of government control. Man must be a dutiful servant to the omnipotent state.
** Ch. 10 : How Should A Christian View Communism?

*Christianity insists that man is an end because he is a child of God, made in God's image. '''Man is more than a producing animal guided by economic forces; he is a being of spirit, crowned with glory and honor, endowed with the gift of freedom.''' The ultimate weakness of Communism is that it robs man of that quality which makes him man. Man, says Paul Tillich, is man because he is free. This freedom is expressed through man's capacity to deliberate, decide, and respond. Under Communism, the individual soul is shackled by the chains of conformity; his spirit is bound by the manacles of party allegiance. He is stripped of both conscience and reason.
**Ch. 10 : How Should A Christian View Communism?

*The trouble with Communism is that it has neither a theology nor a Christology; therefore it emerges with a mixed-up anthropology. Confused about God, it is also confused about man. '''In spite of its glowing talk about the welfare of the masses, Communism's methods and philosophy strip man of his dignity and worth, leaving him as little more than a depersonalized cog in the ever-turning wheel of the state.'''
** Ch. 10 : How Should A Christian View Communism?

==== {{w|Letter from a Birmingham Jail}} (1963) ====
[[File:Selma to Montgomery Marches.jpg|thumb|We [[know]] through [[Pain|painful]] experience that [[freedom]] is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.]]
[[File:Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site 0034038-R1-E018.jpg|thumb|An [[individual]] who breaks a law that [[conscience]] tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the [[conscience]] of the [[community]] over its injustice, is in [[reality]] expressing the highest [[respect]] for [[law]].]]
[[File:Bloody Sunday-officers await demonstrators.jpeg|thumb|Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of [[air]] and [[light]], injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of [[human]] [[conscience]] and the air of national [[opinion]] before it can be cured.]]
[[File:March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Joachim Prinz 1963.jpg|thumb|[[Human]] [[progress]] never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless [[efforts]] of men willing to be co-workers with [[God]], and without this hard [[work]], [[time]] itself becomes an ally of the [[forces]] of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the [[knowledge]] that the time is always ripe to do [[right]].]]
[[File:Selma to Montgomery Marches protesters.jpg|thumb|Let us all [[hope]] that the dark [[clouds]] of racial [[prejudice]] will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our [[fear]]-drenched [[communities]], and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant [[stars]] of [[love]] and [[brotherhood]] will shine over our great [[nation]] with all their scintillating [[beauty]].]]
[[File:Hubert Humphrey and Martin Luther King NYWTS.jpg|thumb|The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for [[hate]] or for [[love]]? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of [[justice]]?]]
:Response to an open letter by fellow clergyman criticizing his participation in civil rights demonstrations (16 April 1963) – [http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html full text online]

* '''[[Injustice]] anywhere is a threat to [[justice]] everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of [[destiny]]. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.''' Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" [[idea]]. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.

* '''In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the [[facts]] to determine whether injustices exist; [[negotiation]]; self purification; and [[w:direct action|direct action]].'''

* You may well ask: "Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches and so forth? Isn't [[negotiation]] a better path?" You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a [[community]] which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent resister may sound rather shocking. But '''I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for [[growth]].''' Just as [[Socrates]] felt that it was [[necessary]] to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of [[myths]] and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in [[society]] that will help men rise from the dark depths of [[prejudice]] and [[racism]] to the majestic heights of [[understanding]] and [[brotherhood]]. The purpose of our direct action program is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.

* '''We know through painful experience that [[freedom]] is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.''' Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was "well timed" in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "[[w:Justice delayed is justice denied|justice too long delayed is justice denied.]]"

* There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of [[despair]].

* One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some [[laws]] and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. '''One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.''' I would agree with [[Augustine of Hippo|St. Augustine]] that "an unjust law is no law at all."

* How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in terms of St. [[Thomas Aquinas]]: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts the human [[personality]] is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority.

* An unjust law is a code that a majority inflicts on a minority that is not binding on itself. This is difference made legal. On the other hand a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness made legal.

* In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law, as would the rabid segregationist. That would lead to [[anarchy]]. '''One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.''' I submit that '''an individual who breaks a law that [[conscience]] tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the [[conscience]] of the community over its injustice, is in [[reality]] expressing the highest [[respect]] for law.'''

* '''We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal."'''

* I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward [[freedom]] is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "[[order]]" than to [[justice]]; who prefers a negative [[peace]] which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." '''Shallow [[understanding]] from people of [[good]] [[will]] is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.''' Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

* '''Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.'''

* '''In your statement you assert that our [[actions]], even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate [[violence]]. But is this a logical assertion? Isn't this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of [[money]] precipitated the [[evil]] act of robbery?''' Isn't this like condemning [[Socrates]] because his unswerving commitment to [[truth]] and his philosophical inquiries precipitated the act by the misguided populace in which they made him drink hemlock? Isn't this like condemning [[Jesus]] because his unique [[God]]-consciousness and never-ceasing devotion to [[God]]'s will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion? We must come to see that, as the federal courts have consistently affirmed, '''it is [[wrong]] to urge an individual to cease his efforts to gain his basic constitutional [[rights]] because the quest may precipitate violence. Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber.'''

* I had also hoped that the white moderate would reject the [[myth]] concerning time in relation to the struggle for freedom. I have just received a letter from a white brother in Texas. He writes: "All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually, but it is possible that you are in too great a religious hurry. It has taken Christianity almost two thousand years to accomplish what it has. The teachings of Christ take time to come to earth." Such an attitude stems from a tragic misconception of time, from the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. Actually, '''[[time]] itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively.''' More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. '''We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling [[silence]] of the good people. [[Human]] [[progress]] never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless [[efforts]] of men willing to be co-workers with [[God]], and without this hard [[work]], time itself becomes an ally of the [[forces]] of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the [[knowledge]] that the time is always ripe to do right. Now is the time to make real the promise of [[democracy]] and [[transform]] our pending national elegy into a creative psalm of [[brotherhood]]. Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human [[dignity]].'''

* Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for [[freedom]] eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained.

* The Negro has many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. So let him march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides -and try to understand why he must do so. If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence; this is not a threat but a fact of history.

* But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an [[extremist]], as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. '''Was not [[Jesus]] an extremist for [[love]]: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." '''Was not [[w:Amos (prophet)|Amos]] an extremist for [[justice]]: "Let justice roll down like [[waters]] and [[righteousness]] like an ever flowing stream." Was not [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] an extremist for the Christian gospel: "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord [[Jesus]]." Was not [[Martin Luther]] an extremist: "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me [[God]]." And [[John Bunyan]]: "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my [[conscience]]." And [[Abraham Lincoln]]: "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." And [[Thomas Jefferson]]: "We hold these [[truths]] to be self evident, that all men are created equal . . ." So '''the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for [[hate]] or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?''' In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill three men were crucified. '''We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime — the crime of extremism.''' Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. '''The other, [[Jesus]] [[Christ]], was an extremist for [[love]], [[truth]] and [[goodness]], and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.'''

* Perhaps I was too optimistic; perhaps I expected too much. I suppose I should have realized that '''few members of the oppressor race can understand the deep groans and passionate yearnings of the oppressed race, and still fewer have the [[vision]] to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent and determined [[action]].'''

* '''There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep [[love]].'''

* '''I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.''' I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. But now '''I must affirm that it is just as [[wrong]], or perhaps even more so, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends.'''

* I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in Birmingham, even if our motives are at present misunderstood. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because '''the goal of America is freedom. Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with America's destiny.''' Before the [[w:Plymouth rocks|pilgrims landed at Plymouth]], we were here. Before the pen of [[Thomas Jefferson|Jefferson]] etched the majestic words of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] across the pages of history, we were here. For more than two centuries our forebears labored in this country without wages; they made cotton king; they built the homes of their masters while suffering gross injustice and shameful humiliation -and yet out of a bottomless vitality they continued to thrive and develop. '''If the inexpressible cruelties of [[w:Slavery in the United States|slavery]] could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the [[eternal]] [[will]] of [[God]] are embodied in our echoing demands.'''

* Never before have I written so long a letter. I'm afraid it is much too long to take your precious time. I can assure you that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk, but what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long [[thoughts]], and pray long [[prayers]]?

* Let us all [[hope]] that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant [[stars]] of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating [[beauty]].

==== Cobo Center speech (1963) ====
[[File:Westminster Abbey C20th martyrs.jpg|thumb|I submit to you that if a man has not discovered something that he will [[die]] for, he isn't fit to [[live]].]]
[[File:Lyndon Johnson signing Civil Rights Act, July 2, 1964.jpg|thumb|I have a [[dream]] this afternoon that the [[brotherhood]] of [[man]] will become a [[reality]] in this day. And with this [[faith]] I will go out and carve a tunnel of [[hope]] through the [[mountain]] of despair.]]
:[http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_speech_at_the_great_march_on_detroit Speech during the Great March on Detroit] at [[w:Cobo Center|Cobo Hall]] (23 June 1963). The speech is a direct predecessor to King's "I Have A Dream" (see section below), because two months before the March on Washington, King stood before a throng of 150,000 people at Cobo Hall in Detroit to expound upon making "the American Dream a reality". King repeatedly exclaimed, "I have a dream this afternoon". 

* '''I submit to you that if a man has not discovered something that he will [[die]] for, he isn't fit to [[live]].'''

* Segregation is [[wrong]] because it is a system of adultery perpetuated by an illicit intercourse between injustice and immorality.

* I go back to the South not with a feeling that we are caught in a dark dungeon that will never lead to a way out. I go back believing that the new day is coming. And so this afternoon, '''I have a [[dream]]. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.''' I have a dream that one day, right down in Georgia and Mississippi and Alabama, the sons of former [[slaves]] and the sons of former slave owners will be able to live together as brothers. I have a dream this afternoon, I have a dream that one day, one day little white children and little Negro children will be able to join hands as brothers and sisters. I have a dream this afternoon that one day, that one day men will no longer burn down houses and the church of [[God]] simply because people want to be free. I have a dream this afternoon, I have a dream, that there will be a day that we will no longer face the atrocities that [[w:Emmett Till|Emmett Till]] had to face or [[w:Medgar Evers|Medgar Evers]] had to face, that all men can live with dignity. I have a dream this afternoon that my four little children, that my four little children will not come up in the same young days that I came up within, but they will be judged on the basis of the content of their character, not the color of their skin. I have a dream this afternoon that one day right here in Detroit, Negroes will be able to buy a house or rent a house anywhere that their money will carry them and they will be able to get a job. Yes, I have a dream this afternoon that one day in this land the words of [[w:Amos (prophet)|Amos]] will become real and "justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream." I have a dream this evening that one day we will recognize the words of [[Thomas Jefferson|Jefferson]] that "[[United States Declaration of Independence|all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights]], that among these are [[Life]], [[Liberty]] and the pursuit of [[Happiness]]." I have a dream this afternoon. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and "every valley shall be exalted, and every hill shall be made low; the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; and the [[glory]] of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together." '''I have a dream this afternoon that the brotherhood of man will become a [[reality]] in this day. And with this [[faith]] I will go out and carve a tunnel of [[hope]] through the [[mountain]] of despair. With this faith, I will go out with you and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows.''' With this faith, we will be able to achieve this new day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing with the Negroes in the spiritual of old: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank [[God]] almighty, we are free at last!"'''

==== [[w:I Have a Dream|I Have a Dream]] (1963) ====
[[File:Civil_Rights_March_on_Washington,_D.C._(Dr._Martin_Luther_King,_Jr._and_Mathew_Ahmann_in_a_crowd.)_-_NARA_-_542015_-_Restoration.jpg|thumb|[[w:Gettysburg Address|Five score years ago]], [[Abraham Lincoln|a great American]], [[w:Lincoln Memorial|in whose symbolic shadow we stand today]], signed the [[Emancipation Proclamation]]. This momentous decree came as a great beacon [[light]] of [[hope]] to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.]]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP4iY1TtS3s Video with subtitles at YouTube] · [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o3a2HIKkuE Alternate video at YouTube] · [https://web.archive.org/web/20161101120819/http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm Full text and audio at AmericanRhetoric.com]
[[File:Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a civil rights march on Washington D.C. in 1963.jpg|thumb|We refuse to [[believe]] that the bank of [[justice]] is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of [[opportunity]] of this [[nation]].]]
[[File:Lincoln Memorial I Have a Dream Marker 2413.jpg|thumb|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.]]
[[File:Martin Luther King - March on Washington.jpg|thumb|It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."]]
[[File:View of Crowd at 1963 March on Washington.jpg|thumb|Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical [[force]] with [[soul]] force.]]
[[File:Martin-Luther-King-1964-leaning-on-a-lectern.jpg|thumb|We are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "[[justice]] rolls down like [[waters]], and [[righteousness]] like a mighty stream. ~ [[Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.]] in 1963]]

* I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

* '''[[w:Gettysburg Address|Five score years ago]], [[Abraham Lincoln|a great American]], [[w:Lincoln Memorial|in whose symbolic shadow we stand today]], signed the [[Emancipation Proclamation]]. This momentous decree came as a great beacon [[light]] of [[hope]] to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.''' One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.

* In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] and the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of [[w:Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness|life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness]]. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But '''we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.''' And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

* '''This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.'''

* It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. '''This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of [[freedom]] and [[equality]].''' Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his [[w:Civil and political rights|citizenship rights]].

* '''The [[whirlwinds]] of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.''' But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.''' Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.'''

* The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

* '''There are those who are asking the devotees of [[w:Civil and political rights|civil rights]], "When will you be satisfied?"''' We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and [[w:Racial segregation in the United States|robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only."]] We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, '''we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."'''

* '''I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations.''' Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

* '''Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in [[w:American Dream|the American dream]]. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that [[w:All men are created equal|all men are created equal]]." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia [[w:Slavery in the United States|the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners]] will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state, sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. 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. I have a dream today.'''

* '''I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its [[George Wallace|governor]] having his lips dripping with the words of [[w:Interposition|"interposition"]] and [[w:Nullification (U.S. Constitution)|"nullification"]] — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.'''

* '''This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.''' So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. '''From every mountainside, let freedom ring.'''

* '''When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, [[w:Judaism|Jews]] and [[w:Gentile|Gentiles]], [[w:Protestantism|Protestants]] and [[w:Catholicism|Catholics]], will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"'''

==== Discerning the Signs of History (1964) ====
:[http://www.thekingcenter.org/archive/document/discerning-signs-history# "Discerning the Signs of History" Ebenezer Baptist Church (15 November 1964)

* '''There are some things that are as basic and as structural in history, and if we don't know these things, we are in danger of destroying ourselves and our world.''' Discerning the signs of history, will tell us first that evil carries the seed of its own destruction. That is just as true as the rising and setting of the sun.

* I'm tellin' yuh this morning, money can't save yuh. A beautiful home can't save yuh. Beautiful automobiles can't save yuh. It's God that will save us in the final analysis. And I say to this morning that history is teaching us a lesson. And I hope that we will see it. That there must be underneath all of our wills, underneath all of our material attainment, a moral and religious undergirding that will help us to know that God is our father. That he made us and that we are dependent on Him, and Him only, and when we see that, we have something. For we can arise from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope. '''Dark yesterday can be transformed into bright tomorrow.''' When you know God, you can stand up amid the agonies and burdens of life and not despair. When you know God, you can stand up amid tension and tribulation and yet smile in the process. When you know God, you go on livin' anyhow. Nothin's gonna stop you 'cause you know that God is watching in your heart. When you know God, you have on some shoes that can help you walk through any muddy place. When you know God, you know that He is over everything. That [he]'s a rock in a weary land, that he is a shelter in the time of a storm.  ... When you know God, you can live and never die. We're gonna open the doors of the church, now, somebody here needs to accept the Christ. Somebody needs to come this morning. Discerning the signs of history. And as we sing who this morning will make that step. '''Remain true to the faith of our fathers.''' Somebody needs to decide Now. Who will come. When we sing will you make that step.

==== [[w:Why We Can't Wait|Why We Can't Wait]] (1964) ====
:Book, expanded from ''Letter from a Birmingham Jail''

* Someone once wrote: "When you are right, you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative." The Negro knows he is right. [http://books.google.com/books?id=lDUgwcqfupQC&lpg=PA123&vq=when%20you%20are%20right&pg=PA123#v=snippet&q=%22Someone%20once%20wrote%3A%20%22When%20you%20are%20right%2C%20you%20cannot%20be%20too%20radical%3B%20when%20you%20are%20wrong%2C%20you%20cannot%20be%20too%20conservative.%22%20The%20Negro%20knows%20he%20is%20right.%22&f=false page 123]

==== Nobel Prize acceptance speech (1964) ====
[[File:DD Frauenkirche Liebe.jpg|thumb|[[Man]] must [[evolve]] for all [[human]] conflict a method which rejects [[revenge]], aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is [[love]].]]
[[File:Edward Hicks - Peaceable Kingdom.jpg|thumbnail|I still believe that one day [[mankind]] will bow before the altars of [[God]] and be crowned triumphant over [[war]] and bloodshed, and [[nonviolent]] redemptive good will proclaim the rule of the land. ''"And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together..."]]
[[File:MLKatPitt1966.jpg|thumb|I believe that unarmed [[truth]] and unconditional [[love]] will have the final [[word]] in [[reality]].]]
:[https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1964/ceremony-speech/ Martin Luther King's Acceptance Speech, on the occasion of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo (10 December 1964)]

* '''Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time — the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression.''' Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts... Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. '''If this is to be achieved, man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is [[love]].'''

* I accept this award today with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. '''I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him. I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of [[racism]] and war that the bright daybreak of [[peace]] and [[brotherhood]] can never become a reality. I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than [[evil]] triumphant.'''

* I believe that even amid today's mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. I believe that wounded [[justice]], lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men. 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 men other-centered can build up. '''I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over [[war]] and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive good will proclaim the rule of the land. ''"And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid."'' I still believe that [[w:We Shall Overcome|We Shall overcome!]]''''
** (This contains an allusion to the book of Isaiah Chapter 11, verse 6

* This faith can give us courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. '''When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born.'''

* I think [[Alfred Nobel]] would know what I mean when I say that I accept this award in the spirit of a curator of some precious heirloom which he holds in trust for its true owners — all those to whom beauty is truth and truth beauty — and in whose eyes '''the beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.'''

==== The Quest for Peace and Justice (1964) ====
[[File:Martin Luther King Jr NYWTS 3.jpg|thumb|The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become [[morally]] and [[spiritually]]. We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple [[art]] of [[living]] together as brothers.]]
[[File:Brootherhood supermarket advertising board.jpg|thumb|Enlarged material [[powers]] spell enlarged [[peril]] if there is not proportionate [[growth]] of the [[soul]]. ]]
[[File:M26-Pershing-Naktong-19500903.JPG|thumb|I am not unmindful of the [[fact]] that [[violence]] often brings about momentary results. [[Nations]] have frequently won their [[independence]] in battle. But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent [[peace]]. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones.]]
[[File:Bloody Sunday-Alabama police attack.jpeg|thumb|[[Violence]] is immoral because it thrives on [[hatred]] rather than [[love]]. It destroys [[community]] and makes [[brotherhood]] impossible.]]
[[File:Poor People's March at Lafayette Park ppmsca.04302.jpg|thumb|I must confess, my [[friends]], the road ahead will not always be smooth.]]
[[File:Non violence sculpture by carl fredrik reutersward malmo sweden.jpg|thumb|[[Nonviolence]] is a [[powerful]] and [[just]] [[weapon]]. Indeed, it is a weapon unique in [[history]], which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.]]
[[File:Homeless person in New York City.jpg|thumb| The [[poor]] in our [[countries]] have been shut out of our minds, and driven from the mainstream of our [[societies]], because we have allowed them to become invisible. Just as nonviolence exposed the ugliness of racial injustice, so must the infection and sickness of poverty be exposed and healed — not only its symptoms but its basic causes. ]]
[[File:Homeless - American Flag.jpg|thumb|Ultimately a [[great]] [[nation]] is a [[compassionate]] nation. No [[individual]] or nation can be great if it does not have a concern for "the least of these".]]
[[File:John William Waterhouse - Ulysses and the Sirens (1891).jpg|thumb|There is a fascinating little [[story]] that is preserved for us in Greek literature about [[w:Odysseus|Ulysses]] and the [[w:siren|Sirens]]. ... When [[w:Orpheus|Orpheus]] sang, who bothered to listen to the Sirens? So we must fix our [[vision]] not merely on the negative expulsion of [[war]], but upon the positive affirmation of [[peace]]. We must see that peace represents a sweeter [[music]], a cosmic melody that is far superior to the discords of war.]]
:[http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-lecture.html#footnote Martin Luther King's Nobel Lecture, delivered in the Auditorium of the University of Oslo (11 December 1964)]

* I experience this high and joyous moment not for myself alone but for those devotees of nonviolence who have moved so courageously against the ramparts of racial injustice and who in the process have acquired a new estimate of their own human worth. Many of them are young and cultured. Others are middle aged and middle class. The majority are poor and untutored. But they are all united in the quiet conviction that '''it is better to suffer in dignity than to accept [[w:Racial segregation in the United States|segregation]] in humiliation'''. These are the real heroes of the freedom struggle: they are the noble people for whom I accept the [[w:Nobel Peace Prize|Nobel Peace Prize]].

* '''There is a sort of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance. The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.'''

* '''Every man lives in two realms, the internal and the external. The internal is that realm of spiritual ends expressed in art, literature, morals, and religion. The external is that complex of devices, techniques, mechanisms, and instrumentalities by means of which we live. Our problem today is that we have allowed the internal to become lost in the external. We have allowed the means by which we live to outdistance the ends for which we live.''' So much of modern life can be summarized in that arresting dictum of the poet [[Henry David Thoreau|Thoreau]]: "Improved means to an unimproved end". This is the serious predicament, the deep and haunting problem confronting modern man. '''If we are to survive today, our moral and spiritual "lag" must be eliminated. Enlarged material powers spell enlarged peril if there is not proportionate growth of the soul. When the "without" of man's nature subjugates the "within", dark storm clouds begin to form in the world.'''

* Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself.

* '''Before we reach the majestic shores of the Promised Land, there is a frustrating and bewildering wilderness ahead. We must still face prodigious hilltops of opposition and gigantic mountains of resistance. But with patient and firm determination we will press on until every valley of despair is exalted to new peaks of hope, until every mountain of pride and irrationality is made low by the leveling process of humility and compassion; until the rough places of injustice are transformed into a smooth plane of equality of opportunity; and until the crooked places of prejudice are transformed by the straightening process of bright-eyed wisdom.'''

* [[w:African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968)|Nonviolence in the civil rights struggle]] has meant not relying on arms and weapons of struggle. It has meant noncooperation with customs and laws which are institutional aspects of a regime of discrimination and enslavement. It has meant direct participation of masses in protest, rather than reliance on indirect methods which frequently do not involve masses in action at all. Nonviolence has also meant that my people in the agonizing struggles of recent years have taken suffering upon themselves instead of inflicting it on others. It has meant, as I said, that we are no longer afraid and cowed. But in some substantial degree it has meant that we do not want to instill fear in others or into the society of which we are a part. The movement does not seek to liberate Negroes at the expense of the humiliation and enslavement of whites. It seeks no victory over anyone. It seeks to liberate American society and to share in the self-liberation of all the people.

* Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. I am not unmindful of the fact that violence often brings about momentary results. Nations have frequently won their independence in battle. But in spite of temporary victories, '''violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones. Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding: it seeks to annihilate rather than convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.'''

* '''Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. Indeed, it is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.''' I believe in this method because I think it is the only way to reestablish a broken community. It is the method which seeks to implement the just law by appealing to the conscience of the great decent majority who through blindness, fear, pride, and irrationality have allowed their consciences to sleep.

* The nonviolent resisters can summarize their message in the following simple terms: we will take direct action against injustice despite the failure of governmental and other official agencies to act first. We will not obey unjust laws or submit to unjust practices. We will do this peacefully, openly, cheerfully because our aim is to persuade. We adopt the means of nonviolence because our end is a community at peace with itself. We will try to persuade with our words, but if our words fail, we will try to persuade with our acts. We will always be willing to talk and seek fair compromise, but we are ready to suffer when necessary and even risk our lives to become witnesses to truth as we see it.

* In the past ten years unarmed gallant men and women of the United States have given living testimony to the moral power and efficacy of nonviolence. By the thousands, faceless, anonymous, relentless young people, black and white, have temporarily left the ivory towers of learning for the barricades of bias. Their courageous and disciplined activities have come as a refreshing oasis in a desert sweltering with the heat of injustice. They have taken our whole nation back to those great wells of [[democracy]] which were dug deep by the [[w:Founding Fathers of the United States|founding fathers]] in the formulation of the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] and the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]. One day all of America will be proud of their achievements.

* Why should there be hunger and privation in any land, in any city, at any table when man has the resources and the scientific know-how to provide all mankind with the basic necessities of life? Even deserts can be irrigated and top soil can be replaced. We cannot complain of a lack of land, for there are twenty-five million square miles of tillable land, of which we are using less than seven million. We have amazing knowledge of vitamins, nutrition, the chemistry of food, and the versatility of atoms. There is no deficit in human resources; the deficit is in human will. The well-off and the secure have too often become indifferent and oblivious to the poverty and deprivation in their midst. The poor in our countries have been shut out of our minds, and driven from the mainstream of our societies, because we have allowed them to become invisible. Just as nonviolence exposed the ugliness of racial injustice, so must the infection and sickness of poverty be exposed and healed — not only its symptoms but its basic causes. This, too, will be a fierce struggle, but we must not be afraid to pursue the remedy no matter how formidable the task.

* '''The time has come for an all-out world war against poverty. The rich nations must use their vast resources of wealth to develop the underdeveloped, school the unschooled, and feed the unfed. Ultimately a great nation is a compassionate nation. No individual or nation can be great if it does not have a concern for "the least of these".''' Deeply etched in the fiber of our religious tradition is the conviction that men are made in the image of [[God]] and that they are souls of infinite metaphysical value, the heirs of a legacy of dignity and worth. If we feel this as a profound moral fact, we cannot be content to see men hungry, to see men victimized with starvation and ill health when we have the means to help them. The wealthy nations must go all out to bridge the gulf between the rich minority and the poor majority.

* In the final analysis, '''the rich must not ignore the poor because both rich and poor are tied in a single garment of destiny. All life is interrelated, and all men are interdependent. The agony of the poor diminishes the rich, and the salvation of the poor enlarges the rich. We are inevitably our brothers' keeper because of the interrelated structure of reality.'''

* The fact that most of the time human beings put the truth about the nature and risks of the [[w:Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]] out of their minds because it is too painful and therefore not "acceptable", does not alter the nature and risks of such war. The device of "rejection" may temporarily cover up anxiety, but it does not bestow peace of mind and emotional security.

* So man's proneness to engage in war is still a fact. But wisdom born of experience should tell us that war is obsolete. There may have been a time when war served as a negative good by preventing the spread and growth of an evil force, but the destructive power of modern weapons eliminated even the possibility that war may serve as a negative good. If we assume that life is worth living and that man has a right to survive, then we must find an alternative to war. In a day when vehicles hurtle through outer space and guided ballistic missiles carve highways of death through the stratosphere, '''no nation can claim victory in war. A so-called limited war will leave little more than a calamitous legacy of human suffering, political turmoil, and spiritual disillusionment. A world war — God forbid! — will leave only smoldering ashes as a mute testimony of a human race whose folly led inexorably to ultimate death. So if modern man continues to flirt unhesitatingly with war, he will transform his earthly habitat into an inferno such as even the mind of [[Dante]] could not imagine.'''

* '''We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say "We must not wage [[war]]." It is necessary to love [[peace]] and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but on the positive affirmation of peace.''' There is a fascinating little story that is preserved for us in Greek literature about [[w:Odysseus|Ulysses]] and the [[w:siren|Sirens]]. The Sirens had the ability to sing so sweetly that sailors could not resist steering toward their island. Many ships were lured upon the rocks, and men forgot home, duty, and honor as they flung themselves into the sea to be embraced by arms that drew them down to death. Ulysses, determined not to be lured by the Sirens, first decided to tie himself tightly to the mast of his boat, and his crew stuffed their ears with wax. But finally he and his crew learned a better way to save themselves: they took on board the beautiful singer Orpheus whose melodies were sweeter than the music of the Sirens. When Orpheus sang, who bothered to listen to the Sirens? So we must fix our vision not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but upon the positive affirmation of peace. '''We must see that peace represents a sweeter music, a cosmic melody that is far superior to the discords of war.'''

* Somehow we must transform the dynamics of the world power struggle from the negative [[w:Arms_race#Nuclear_arms_race|nuclear arms race]] which no one can win to a positive contest to harness man's creative genius for the purpose of making peace and prosperity a reality for all of 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 transform our imminent cosmic elegy into a psalm of creative fulfillment.

* As [[Arnold J. Toynbee|Arnold Toynbee]] says: "[[Love]] is the ultimate [[force]] that makes for the saving [[choice]] of [[life]] and [[good]] against the damning choice of [[death]] and [[evil]]. Therefore the first [[hope]] in our inventory must be the hope that love is going to have the last [[word]]." '''We can no longer afford to worship the [[God]] of [[hate]] or bow before the altar of retaliation. The oceans of [[history]] are made turbulent by the ever-rising tides of hate. History is cluttered with the wreckage of [[nations]] and individuals that pursued this self-defeating path of hate. Love is the [[key]] to the solution of the problems of the world.'''

* '''Here and there an individual or group dares to love, and rises to the majestic heights of moral maturity. So in a real sense this is a great time to be alive.''' Therefore, I am not yet discouraged about the future. Granted that the easygoing [[optimism]] of yesterday is impossible. Granted that those who pioneer in the struggle for peace and freedom will still face uncomfortable jail terms, painful threats of death; they will still be battered by the storms of persecution, leading them to the nagging feeling that they can no longer bear such a heavy burden, and the temptation of wanting to retreat to a more quiet and serene life. Granted that '''we face a world crisis which leaves us standing so often amid the surging murmur of life's restless sea. But every crisis has both its dangers and its opportunities. It can spell either salvation or doom.''' In a dark confused world the kingdom of [[God]] may yet reign in the [[hearts]] of men.

==== Keep Moving From This Mountain (1965) ====
[[File:Chrispijn van den Broeck - Het Laatste Oordeel (02).jpg|thumb|In every age and every generation, men have envisioned a promised land.]]
[[File:SoulCarriedtoHeaven.jpg|thumb|What doth it profit a man to gain the whole world of means — airplanes, televisions, electric lights — and lose the end: the [[soul]]?"]]
[[File:15th-amendment-celebration-1870.jpg|thumb|No nation can rise to its full moral maturity so long as it subjects a segment of its citizenry on the basis of race or color.]]
[[File:Eagle and American Flag by Bubbels.jpg|thumb|A great nation is a compassionate nation.]]
[[File:Flammendes Herz.jpg|thumb|Love is the supreme unifying principle of life.]]
: Sermon at Temple Israel of Hollywood (25 February 1965) – [http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlktempleisraelhollywood.htm online text and audio] (see also the [[Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.#Keep_Moving_from_this_Mountain_(1960) 1960 address on this theme).

* I would like to take your minds back many, many centuries into a familiar experience so significantly recorded in the sacred Scriptures. The [[w:Children of Israel|Children of Israel]] had been reduced into the bondage of physical slavery... three groups of people emerged. One group said in substance that "We would rather go back to Egypt." They preferred the flush parts of Egypt to the challenges of the Promised Land. A second group that abhorred the idea of going back to Egypt, and yet they abhorred the idea of facing the difficulties of moving ahead to the Promised Land and they somehow wanted to remain stationary and choose the line of least resistance. There was a third group, probably influenced by [[w:Caleb|Caleb]] and [[w:Joshua|Joshua]] who had gone over to spy a bit and who admitted that there were giants in the land but who said, "We can possess the land." This group said in substance that "We will go on in spite of...," that "We will not allow anything to stop us," that "We will move on amid the difficulties, amid the trials, amid the tribulations."

* Now certainly, one could almost preach a sermon from either of these groups. This evening I want to deal mainly with the second group: those individuals that chose the line of least resistance, those individuals who didn't want to go back to Egypt but who did not quite have the strength to move on to the Promised Land. These are probably the people who wanted to remain stationary. These are the people who probably wanted to stop at a particular point and remain right there in the wilderness. God speaks through Moses to these people. The first chapter of the book of [[Book of Deuteronomy|Deuteronomy]] said, "Ye have been in this mountain long enough. Turn you and take your journey and go to the mount of the Amorites." In other words, God was saying through Moses that '''you must not allow yourself to get bogged down with unattained goals. You must not allow yourself to get caught up in impeding mountains. Whenever God speaks, he says, "Go forward." Whenever God speaks, he says, "Move on from mountains of stagnant complacency and deadening pacifity."''' So this is the great challenge that always stands before men.

* '''Each of us lives in two realms, the "within" and the "without."''' The within of our lives is somehow found in the realm of ends, the without in the realm of means. The within of our [lives], the bottom — that realm of spiritual ends expressed in art, literature, morals, and religion for which at best we live. The without of our lives is that realm of instrumentalities, techniques, mechanisms by which we live. '''Now the great temptation of life and the great tragedy of life is that so often we allow the without of our lives to absorb the within of our lives. The great tragedy of life is that too often we allow the means by which we live to outdistance the ends for which we live.'''

* We have allowed our civilization to outrun our culture; we have allowed our technology to outdistance our theology and for this reason we find ourselves caught up with many problems. '''Through our scientific genius we made of the world a neighborhood, but we failed through moral commitment to make of it a brotherhood, and so we've ended up with guided missiles and misguided men. And the great challenge is to move out of the mountain of practical [[materialism]] and move on to another and higher mountain which recognizes somehow that we must live by and toward the basic ends of life. We must move on to that mountain which says in substance, '''"What doth it profit a man to gain the whole world of means — airplanes, televisions, electric lights — and lose the end: the [[soul]]?"'''

* And now it is time for us to move on to that great and noble realm of justice and brotherhood. That is the great struggle taking place in our nation today. It isn't a struggle just based on a lot of noise; it is a struggle to save the soul of our nation for '''no nation can rise to its full moral maturity so long as it subjects a segment of its citizenry on the basis of race or color.''' And somehow we must come to see more than ever before that racial injustice is a cancer in the body politic which must be removed before our moral health can be realized. '''Racial segregation must be seen for what it is — and that is an [[evil]] [[system]], a new form of [[slavery]] covered up with certain niceties of complexity. [...] Segregation is evil because it relegates persons to the status of things. [...] And segregation is evil because it stigmatizes the segregated as an [[w:Dalit|untouchable]] in a caste system. We've been in the mountain of segregation long enough and it is time for all men of goodwill to say now, "We are through with segregation now, henceforth, and forever more."'''

* '''A great nation is a compassionate nation. Who are the least of these? The least of these are those who still find themselves smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in an affluent society. Who are the least of these? They are the thousands of individuals who see life as a long and desolate corridor with no exit sign. Who are the least of these? They are the little boys and little girls who grow up with clouds of inferiority floating in their little mental skies because they know that they are caught in conditions of economic depravation. Who are the least of these? They are the individuals who are caught in the fatigue of despair. And somehow if we are to be a great nation, we must be concerned about the least of these, our brothers.'''

* '''And we've been in the mountain of indifference too long and ultimately we must be concerned about the least of these; we must be concerned about the poverty-stricken because our destinies are tied together. And somehow in the final analysis, as long as there is poverty in the world, nobody can be totally rich. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. And what affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.''' [[John Donne]] caught it years ago and placed it in graphic terms, "No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main." And he goes on toward the end to say, "Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." And when we see this, we will move out of the mountain of indifference concerning poverty.

* I'm more convinced than ever before that '''violence can not solve the problems of the world. Violence is both impractical and immoral.''' This is why I've tried in my little way to teach it in our struggle for racial justice that I've come to see and I believe with all my heart that we can not make the great moral contribution to our nation that we should make, and we can not win the battle for justice if we stoop to the point of using violence in our struggle.

* '''Love is basic for the very survival of mankind.''' I'm convinced that '''love is the only absolute ultimately; love is the highest good. He who loves has somehow discovered the meaning of ultimate reality.''' He who hates does not know God; he who hates has no knowledge of God. '''Love is the supreme unifying principle of life.''' [[Psychiatrists]] are telling us now that many of the strange things that happen in the [<nowiki/>[[subconscious]]], many of the inner conflicts are rooted in hate, and they are now saying "Love or perish." Oh, how basic this is. It rings down across the centuries: Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself. We've been in the mountain of violence and hatred too long.

* We've got to move on to the point of seeing that on the international scale, war is obsolete -- that it must somehow be cast into unending limbo. But in a day when [[w:Sputnik|Sputniks]] and [[w:Explorer program|Explorers]] are dashing through [[Space|outer space]] and guided ballistic missiles are carving highways of death through the stratosphere, no nation can win a war. '''It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence; it is either nonviolence or nonexistence.''' And the alternative to [[disarmament]], the alternative to a greater suspension of nuclear tests, the alternative to strengthening the [[United Nations]] and thereby disarming the whole world may well be a civilization plunged into the abyss of annihilation. And so we must rise up and beat our swords into plowshares, and our spears into pruning hooks and nations must not rise up against nations, neither must they study war anymore.

* '''We've been in the mountain of [[war]]. We've been in the mountain of [[violence]]. We've been in the mountain of [[hatred]] long enough. It is necessary to move on now, but only by moving out of this mountain can we move to the promised land of [[justice]] and brotherhood and the [[w:Kingdom of God|Kingdom of God]]. It all boils down to the fact that we must never allow ourselves to become satisfied with unattained goals. We must always maintain a kind of divine discontent.'''

* Modern [[psychology]] has a word that is probably used more than any other word in psychology. It is the word "maladjusted." Certainly we all want to live the well adjusted life in order to avoid [[w:Neurotic|neurotic]] and [[Schizophrenia|schizophrenic]] [[Personality|personalities]]. But I must honestly say to you tonight my friends that there are some things in our world, there are some things in our nation to which I'm proud to be maladjusted, to which I call upon all men of [[goodwill]] to be maladjusted until the good society is realized. I must honestly say to you that I never intend to adjust myself to segregation and discrimination. I never intend to become adjusted to religious bigotry. I never intend to adjust myself to economic conditions that will take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few. I never intend to adjust myself to the madness of [[Military|militarism]] and the self defeating effects of physical violence.

* '''If physical death is the price that some must pay to free their children and their white brothers from a permanent death of the spirit, then nothing can be more redemptive.'''

* '''And I believe it because somehow the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice. We shall overcome because [[Thomas Carlyle|Carlyle]] is right: "No lie can live forever." We shall overcome because [[William Cullen Bryant]] is right: "Truth crushed to earth will rise again." We shall overcome because [[James Russell Lowell]] is right: "Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne. Yet, that scaffold sways the future and behind the dim unknown standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own." With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to speed up the day. And in the words of prophecy, "Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The rough places will be made plain and the crooked places straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together." This will be a great day. This will be a marvelous hour. And at that moment, figuratively speaking in biblical words: "the morning stars will sing together and the sons of God will shout for joy."'''

==== Address on Courage (1965) ====
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0On19DRA2fU Address on Courage, at Brown Chapel in Selma, Alabama (8 March 1965)]

* Deep down in our nonviolent creed is the conviction that there are some things so dear, some things so precious, some things so eternally true that they're worth dying for. And if a man happens to be 36 years old, as I happen to be, and some great truth stands before the door of his life, some great opportunity to stand up for that which is right, he's afraid his home will get burned, or he's afraid that he will lose his job, or he's afraid that he will get shot or beat down by state troopers. He may go on and live until he's 80, but he's just as dead at 36 as he would be at 80. And the cessation of breathing in his life is merely the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit. He died... '''A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true. So we're going to stand up right here amid horses. We're going to stand up right here, in Alabama, amid the billy-clubs. We're going to stand up right here in Alabama amid police dogs, if they have them. We're going to stand up amid tear gas! We're going to stand up amid anything they can muster up, letting the world know that we are determined to be free!
** Sometimes paraphrased as "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter", see [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mlk-our-lives-begin-to-end/ "Did MLK Say 'Our Lives Begin to End the Day We Become Silent'?"] ''Snopes'' (January 16, 2017)

==== [[w:How Long, Not Long|How Long, Not Long]] (1965) ====
[[File:Bloody Sunday-Alabama police attack.jpeg|thumb|Our feet are tired, but our souls are rested.]]
[[File:Selma to Montgomery Marches.jpg|thumb|The battle is in our hands. And we can answer with creative nonviolence the call to higher ground to which the new directions of our struggle summons us. The road ahead is not altogether a smooth one. There are no broad highways that lead us easily and inevitably to quick solutions. But we must keep going.]]
[[File:Abernathy Children on front line leading the SELMA TO MONTGOMERY MARCH for the RIGHT TO VOTE.JPG|thumb|I must admit to you that there are still jail cells waiting for us, and dark and difficult moments. But if we will go on with the faith that nonviolence and its power can transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows, we will be able to change all of these conditions.]]
[[File:Bloody Sunday-officers await demonstrators.jpeg|thumb|I plead with you this afternoon as we go ahead: remain committed to nonviolence. Our aim must never be to defeat or humiliate the white man, but to win his friendship and understanding. We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience. And that will be a day not of the white man, not of the black man. That will be the day of man as man.]]

:[http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/kingpapers/article/our_god_is_marching_on/ The speech is also known as "Our God is Marching On!", and was delivered in Montgomery, Alabama (25 March 1965)]

* And in a real sense this afternoon, we can say that '''our feet are tired, but our souls are rested.''' They told us we wouldn't get here. And there were those who said that we would get here only over their dead bodies, (but all the world today knows that we are here and we are standing before the forces of power in the state of Alabama saying, "We ain't goin' let nobody turn us around."
* '''The [[w:Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964|Civil Rights Act of 1964]] gave Negroes some part of their rightful dignity, but without the vote it was dignity without strength.''' Once more the method of nonviolent resistance was unsheathed from its scabbard, and once again an entire community was mobilized to confront the adversary. And again '''the brutality of a dying order shrieks across the land. Yet, Selma, Alabama, became a shining moment in the conscience of man. If the worst in American life lurked in its dark streets, the best of American instincts arose passionately from across the nation to overcome it. There never was a moment in American history more honorable and more inspiring than the pilgrimage of clergymen and laymen of every race and faith pouring into Selma to face danger at the side of its embattled Negroes.'''
* The confrontation of [[good and evil]] compressed in the tiny community of Selma generated the massive power to turn the whole nation to a new course. '''A president born in the South had the sensitivity to feel the will of the country, and in [[w:Selma to Montgomery marches#Historical_impact|an address]] that will live in history as one of the most passionate pleas for human rights ever made by a president of our nation, he pledged the might of the federal government to cast off the centuries-old blight. [[Lyndon B. Johnson|President Johnson]] rightly praised the courage of the Negro for awakening the conscience of the nation.'''
* Our whole campaign in Alabama has been centered around the right to vote. In focusing the attention of the nation and the world today on the flagrant denial of the right to vote, we are exposing the very origin, the root cause, of racial segregation in the Southland. '''Racial segregation as a way of life did not come about as a natural result of hatred between the races immediately after the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. There were no laws segregating the races then. And as the noted historian, [[w:C._Vann_Woodward|C. Vann Woodward]], in his book, ''The Strange Career of Jim Crow,'' clearly points out, the segregation of the races was really a political stratagem employed by the emerging Bourbon interests in the South to keep the southern masses divided and southern labor the cheapest in the land. You see, it was a simple thing to keep the poor white masses working for near-starvation wages in the years that followed the Civil War.''' Why, '''if the poor white plantation or mill worker became dissatisfied with his low wages, the plantation or mill owner would merely threaten to fire him and hire former Negro slaves and pay him even less. Thus, the southern wage level was kept almost unbearably low. Toward the end of the [[Reconstruction era]], something very significant happened. That is what was known as the Populist Movement. The leaders of this movement began awakening the poor white masses and the former Negro slaves to the fact that they were being fleeced by the emerging Bourbon interests. Not only that, but they began uniting the Negro and white masses into a voting bloc that threatened to drive the Bourbon interests from the command posts of political power in the South. To meet this threat, the southern aristocracy began immediately to engineer this development of a segregated society.''' I want you to follow me through here because this is very important to see the roots of racism and the denial of the right to vote. '''Through their control of mass media, they revised the doctrine of white supremacy. They saturated the thinking of the poor white masses with it, thus clouding their minds to the real issue involved in the Populist Movement. They then directed the placement on the books of the South of laws that made it a crime for Negroes and whites to come together as equals at any level. And that did it. That crippled and eventually destroyed the Populist Movement of the nineteenth century.'''
* '''If it may be said of the slavery era that the white man took the world and gave the Negro Jesus, then it may be said of the Reconstruction era that the southern aristocracy took the world and gave the poor white man [[w:Jim Crow laws|Jim Crow]]. He gave him Jim Crow. And when his wrinkled stomach cried out for the food that his empty pockets could not provide, he ate Jim Crow, a psychological bird that told him that no matter how bad off he was, at least he was a white man, better than the black man.''' And he ate Jim Crow. And when his undernourished children cried out for the necessities that his low wages could not provide, he showed them the Jim Crow signs on the buses and in the stores, on the streets and in the public buildings. And his children, too, learned to feed upon Jim Crow, their last outpost of psychological oblivion. '''Thus, the threat of the free exercise of the ballot by the Negro and the white masses alike resulted in the establishment of a segregated society.''' They segregated southern money from the poor whites; they segregated southern mores from the rich whites; they segregated southern churches from Christianity; they segregated southern minds from honest thinking; and they segregated the Negro from everything. '''That's what happened when the Negro and white masses of the South threatened to unite and build a great society: a society of justice where none would pray upon the weakness of others; a society of plenty where greed and poverty would be done away; a society of brotherhood where every man would respect the dignity and worth of human personality.'''
* '''Let us march on ballot boxes, march on ballot boxes until race-baiters disappear from the political arena. Let us march on ballot boxes until the salient misdeeds of bloodthirsty mobs will be transformed into the calculated good deeds of orderly citizens. Let us march on ballot boxes until the [[w:George Wallace|Wallaces]] of our nation tremble away in silence. Let us march on ballot boxes until we send to our city councils , state legislatures, and the United States Congress, men who will not fear to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God. Let us march on ballot boxes until brotherhood becomes more than a meaningless word in an opening prayer, but the order of the day on every legislative agenda. Let us march on ballot boxes until all over Alabama God's children will be able to walk the earth in decency and honor. There is nothing wrong with marching in this sense.'''
* '''The battle is in our hands. And we can answer with creative nonviolence the call to higher ground to which the new directions of our struggle summons us. The road ahead is not altogether a smooth one. There are no broad highways that lead us easily and inevitably to quick solutions. But we must keep going.'''
* I know there is a cry today in Alabama, we see it in numerous editorials: '''"When will Martin Luther King, SCLC, SNCC, and all of these civil rights agitators and all of the white clergymen and labor leaders and students and others get out of our community and let Alabama return to normalcy?"''' [...] It is normalcy all over our country which leaves the Negro perishing on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of vast ocean of material prosperity. It is normalcy all over Alabama that prevents the Negro from becoming a registered voter. (Yes) No, '''we will not allow Alabama to return to normalcy. The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy that recognizes the dignity and worth of all of God's children. The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy that allows judgment to run down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy of brotherhood, the normalcy of true peace, the normalcy of justice.'''
* '''I must admit to you that there are still jail cells waiting for us, and dark and difficult moments. But if we will go on with the faith that nonviolence and its power can transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows, we will be able to change all of these conditions. And so I plead with you this afternoon as we go ahead: remain committed to nonviolence. Our aim must never be to defeat or humiliate the white man, but to win his friendship and understanding. We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience. And that will be a day not of the white man, not of the black man. That will be the day of man as man.'''
* '''I know you are asking today, "How long will it take?" Somebody's asking, "How long will prejudice blind the visions of men, darken their understanding, and drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne?" Somebody's asking, "When will wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of Selma and Birmingham and communities all over the South, be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men?" Somebody's asking, "When will the radiant star of hope be plunged against the nocturnal bosom of this lonely night, plucked from weary souls with chains of fear and the manacles of death? How long will justice be crucified, and truth bear it?" I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because "truth crushed to earth will rise again." How long? Not long, because "no lie can live forever." How long? Not long, because "you shall reap what you sow."'''
* '''How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'''

==== Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution (1965) ====
:[https://www2.oberlin.edu/external/EOG/BlackHistoryMonth/MLK/CommAddress.html "Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution" — Commencement Address for Oberlin College, Oberlin Ohio (June 1965)]

* '''There are all too many people who, in some great period of social change, fail to achieve the new mental outlooks that the new situation demands. There is nothing more tragic than to sleep through a revolution.''' There can be no gainsaying of the fact that a great revolution is taking place in our world today. It is a [[w:Social_revolution|social revolution]], sweeping away the old order of [[colonialism]]. And in our own nation it is sweeping away the old order of slavery and racial segregation. The wind of change is blowing, and we see in our day and our age a significant development.
* I'd like to suggest some of the things that we must do in order to remain awake and to achieve the proper mental attitudes and responses that the new situation demands. First, I'd like to say that we are challenged to achieve a world perspective. '''Anyone who feels that we can live in isolation today, anyone who feels that we can live without being concerned about other individuals and other nations is sleeping through a revolution. The world in which we live is geographically one. The great challenge now is to make it one in terms of brotherhood.'''
* '''We must all learn to live together as brothers — or we will all perish together as fools.''' This is the great issue facing us today. No individual can live alone; no nation can live alone. We are tied together.
* All I'm saying is simply this: that all mankind is tied together; all life is interrelated, and we are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. For some strange reason I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be — this is the interrelated structure of reality.
* '''Let nobody give you the impression that the problem of racial injustice will work itself out. Let nobody give you the impression that only time will solve the problem.''' That is a myth, and it is a myth because time is neutral. It can be used either constructively or destructively. And I'm absolutely convinced that the people of ill will in our nation — the extreme rightists — the forces committed to negative ends — have used time much more effectively than the people of good will. It may well be that we will have to repent in this generation, not merely for the vitriolic works and violent actions of the bad people who bomb a church in Birmingham, Alabama, or shoot down a civil rights worker in Selma, but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good people who sit around and say, "Wait on time." '''Somewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals. Without this hard work, time becomes an ally of the primitive forces of social stagnation. So we must help time and realize that the time is always right to do right.'''
** Variants:
** Somewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals who are willing to be co-workers with God. And without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the primitive forces of social stagnation. '''So we must help time and realize that the time is always ripe to do right.'''
*** Variant reportedly used in the 1968 version at the Episcopal National Cathedral, Washington D.C. (31 March 1968), further noted below.
* Now there is another problem facing us that we must deal with if we are to remain awake through a social revolution. We must get rid of violence, hatred, and war. '''Anyone who feels that the problems of mankind can be solved through violence is sleeping through a revolution.''' I've said this over and over again, and I believe it more than ever today. We know about violence. It's been the inseparable twin of Western materialism, the hallmark of its grandeur. '''I am convinced that violence ends up creating many more social problems than it solves.''' This is why I say to my people that if we succumb to the temptation of using violence in our struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness. There is another way — a way as old as the insights of [[Jesus]] of Nazareth and as modern as the techniques of [[Mohandas K. Gandhi]]. For it is possible to stand up against an unjust system with all of your might, with all of your body, with all of your soul, and yet not stoop to hatred and violence. Something about this approach disarms the opponent. It exposes his moral defenses, weakens his morale, and at the same time, works on his conscience. He doesn't know how to handle it. So it is my great hope that, as we struggle for racial justice, we will follow that philosophy and method of non-violent resistance, realizing that this is the approach that can bring about that better day of racial justice for everyone. In international relations, we must come to see this. '''We must find some alternative to war and bloodshed.''' In a day when man-made vehicles are dashing through outer space, and guided ballistic missiles are carving highways of death in the stratosphere, no nation can win a world war. '''It is no longer a choice between violence and non-violence; it is either non-violence or non-existence.''' The alternative may well be a civilization plunged into the abyss of annihilation, our earthly habitat transformed into a tragic inferno that even [[Dante]] could not imagine. So this is our challenge: to see that war is obsolete, cast into limbo.
* '''I do not wish to minimize the complexity of the problems to be faced in achieving disarmament and peace. But we shall not have the courage, the insight, to deal with such matters unless we are prepared to undergo a mental and spiritual change.''' It is not enough to say we must not wage war. We must love peace and sacrifice for it. We must fix our visions not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but upon the positive affirmation of peace. We must see that peace represents a sweeter music, far superior to the discords of war. Somehow we must transform the dynamics of the world power struggle from the negative nuclear arms race which no one can win to a positive contest to harness man's creative genius for the purpose of making peace and prosperity a reality for all of the nations of the world. In short, '''we must shift the arms race into a peace race.''' All that I've said is that we must work for peace, for racial justice, for economic justice, and for brotherhood the world over. We have inherited a big house, a great world house in which we have to live together — black and white, Easterners and Westerners, Gentiles and Jews, Protestants and Catholics, Moslem and Hindu. If we all learn to do this we, in a real sense, will remain awake through a great revolution.
* God is not interested in the freedom of black men or brown men or yellow men. God is interested in the freedom of the whole human race, the creation of a society where every man will respect the dignity and worth of personality. So when we sing ''We Shall Overcome'', we are singing a hymn of faith, a hymn of optimism, a hymn of faith in the future. I can still sing that song because I have faith in the future. '''I believe that we, as Negroes, are going to gain our freedom in America because the goal of America is freedom. Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with the destiny of America.'''

===== 1968 version =====
:King often delivered slightly revised versions of his speeches at different venues, and a later variant of this speech, [https://web.archive.org/web/20060314095859/http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/sermons/680331.000_Remaining_Awake.html delivered at the Episcopal National Cathedral, Washington D.C. (31 March 1968)], though retaining much, contained statements not in the 1965 version.
* '''Ultimately a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.'''
* '''On some positions, [[Cowardice]] asks the question, "Is it safe?" [[Expediency]] asks the question, "Is it politic?" And [[Vanity]] comes along and asks the question, "Is it popular?" But [[Conscience]] asks the question "Is it right?" And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because [[Conscience]] tells him it is right.''' I believe today that there is a need for all people of good will to come together with a massive act of conscience and say in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "We ain't goin' study war no more." '''This is the challenge facing modern man.'''

==== The American Dream (1965) ====
: [http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/kingpapers/article/the_american_dream/ Sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia (4 July 1965)]
* '''Oh yes, love is the way. Love is the only absolute. More and more I see this. I've seen too much hate to want to hate myself; hate is too great a burden to bear.''' I've seen it on the faces of too many sheriffs of the South — I've seen hate. In the faces and even the walk of too many Klansmen of the South, I've seen hate. Hate distorts the personality. Hate does something to the soul that causes one to lose his objectivity. The man who hates can't think straight; the man who hates can't reason right; the man who hates can't see right; the man who hates can't walk right. And '''I know now that [[Jesus]] is right, that love is the way. And this is why John said, ''"God is love,"'' so that he who hates does not know God, but he who loves at that moment has the key that opens the door to the meaning of ultimate reality. So this morning there is so much that we have to offer to the world...''' So '''yes, the dream has been shattered, and I have had my nightmarish experiences, but I tell you this morning once more that I haven't lost the faith. I still have a dream that one day all of God's children will have food and clothing and material well-being for their bodies, culture and education for their minds, and freedom for their spirits.''' I still have a dream this morning: one day all of God's black children will be respected like his white children. I still have a dream this morning that one day the lion and the lamb will lie down together, and every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid... I still have a dream this morning that truth will reign supreme and all of God's children will respect the dignity and worth of human personality... ''"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men (All right) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."'' We open the doors of the church now. If someone needs to accept Christ, this is a marvelous opportunity, a great moment to make a decision. And as we sing together, we bid you come at this time by Christian experience, [[baptism]], watch care. But come at this moment, [[w:Conversion to Christianity|become a part of this great Christian fellowship and accept Christ as your personal Savior.]]

==== A Christian Movement in a Revolutionary Age (1965) ====
:[http://www.thekingcenter.org/archive/document/christian-movement-revolutionary-age A Christian Movement in a Revolutionary Age (28 September 1965)]
* '''When [[Moses]] walked into the courts of [[w:Pharaoh|Pharaoh]] and thundered forth with the call to "Let my people go," he introduced into history the concept of a God who was concerned about the freedom and dignity of all his children and who was willing to turn heaven and earth that freedom might be a realty. Throughout the history of Israel as recorded in the [[Old Testament]], we see God active in the affairs of men, struggling relentlessly against the forces of evil that beset them and seeking to mold a people who will serve as his children, as partners in the building of His kingdom here on earth. The God of our fathers is a God of revolution. He will not be content with anything less than perfection in His children and in their society. It is this strong biblical tradition which has been the foundation of the freedom struggle for the past three centuries.''' As far as back as the early days of slavery black men heard the story of Moses and learned of this great God who would lead his people to freedom, and so they sang, "[[w:Go Down Moses|Go Down Moses]]." They sang of a "[[w:Balm in Gilead|Balm in Gilead]]" that would "heal the sin-sick soul" and "make the wounded whole." They sand of Ezekiel's dry bones and prophesied the day when the dry bones of the valleys of our land would rise up and become men and stand tall for freedom and dignity.
* '''A Christian movement in an age of revolution cannot allow itself to be limited by geographic boundaries. We must be as concerned about the poor in [[India]] as we are about the poor of [[w:Indiana|Indiana]].'''

==== Family Planning - A Special and Urgent Concern (1966) ====
{{Smallcite|1=[http://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-gulf-coast/mlk-acceptance-speech Upon Accepting The Planned Parenthood Federation of America Margaret Sanger Award (5 May 1966)]

Dr. King's award was presented on May 5, 1966. The citation read:

<div style="margin-left:2em>"This award is presented to the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., for his courageous resistance to bigotry and his lifelong dedication to the advancement of social justice and human dignity.</div>

Mrs. Coretta Scott King delivered her husband's acceptance speech on his behalf}}
[[File:Alien spaceship breaking through the clouds over a desert highway.jpg|thumb|Visitors from outer space ... would be stupefied at our conduct. They would observe that for death planning we spend billions to create engines and strategies for war.]]
[[File:LizzieVanZyl.jpg|thumb|There is scarcely anything more tragic in human life than a child who is not wanted. That which should be a blessing becomes a curse for parent and child.]]
[[File:Civil rights leaders meet with President John F. Kennedy3.jpg|thumb|Together we can and should unite our strength for the wise preservation, not of races in general, but of the one race we all constitute — the human race.]]
* Recently, the press has been filled with reports of sightings of [[flying saucers]]. While we need not give credence to these stories, they allow our imagination to speculate on how '''visitors from outer space''' would judge us. I am afraid '''they would be stupefied at our conduct. They would observe that for death planning we spend billions to create engines and strategies for war. They would also observe that we spend millions to prevent [[death]] by [[disease]] and other causes. Finally they would observe that we spend paltry sums for population planning, even though its spontaneous growth is an urgent threat to life on our planet. Our visitors from outer space could be forgiven if they reported home that our planet is inhabited by a race of insane men whose future is bleak and uncertain.'''
* There is no human circumstance more tragic than the persisting existence of a harmful condition for which a remedy is readily available. '''Family planning, to relate population to world resources, is possible, practical and necessary. Unlike plagues of the dark ages or contemporary diseases we do not yet understand, the modern plague of overpopulation is soluble by means we have discovered and with resources we possess.'''
* '''What is lacking is not sufficient knowledge of the solution but universal consciousness of the gravity of the problem and education of the billions who are its victims.'''
* It is easier for a Negro to understand a social paradox because he has lived so long with evils that could be eradicated but were perpetuated by indifference or ignorance. The Negro finally had to devise unique methods to deal with his problem, and perhaps the measure of success he is realizing can be an inspiration to others coping with tenacious social problems. '''In our struggle for equality we were confronted with the reality that many millions of people were essentially ignorant of our conditions or refused to face unpleasant truths. The hard-core bigot was merely one of our adversaries. The millions who were blind to our plight had to be compelled to face the social evil their indifference permitted to flourish.'''
* '''After centuries of relative silence and enforced acceptance, we adapted a technique of exposing the problem by direct and dramatic methods. We had confidence that when we awakened the nation to the immorality and evil of inequality, there would be an upsurge of conscience followed by remedial action. We knew that there were solutions and that the majority of the nation were ready for them. Yet we also knew that the existence of solutions would not automatically operate to alter conditions. We had to organize, not only arguments, but people in the millions for action. Finally we had to be prepared to accept all the consequences involved in dramatizing our grievances in the unique style we had devised.'''
* There is a striking kinship between our movement and [[Margaret Sanger]]'s early efforts. She, like we, saw the horrifying conditions of ghetto life. Like we, she knew that all of society is poisoned by cancerous slums. Like we, she was a direct actionist — a nonviolent resister. She was willing to accept scorn and abuse until the truth she saw was revealed to the millions. At the turn of the century she went into the slums and set up a birth control clinic, and for this deed she went to jail because she was violating an unjust law. Yet the years have justified her actions. She launched a movement which is obeying a higher law to preserve human life under humane conditions. Margaret Sanger had to commit what was then called a crime in order to enrich humanity, and today we honor her courage and vision; for without them there would have been no beginning. Our sure beginning in the struggle for equality by nonviolent direct action may not have been so resolute without the tradition established by [[w:Margaret Sanger|Margaret Sanger]] and people like her. Negroes have no mere academic nor ordinary interest in family planning. They have a special and urgent concern.

* During the past half century Negroes have migrated on a massive scale, transplanting millions from rural communities to crammed urban ghettoes. In their migration, as with all migrants, they carried with them the folkways of the countryside into an inhospitable city slum. The size of family that may have been appropriate and tolerable on a manually cultivated farm was carried over to the jammed streets of the ghetto. '''In all respects Negroes were atomized, neglected and discriminated against. Yet, the worst omission was the absence of institutions to acclimate them to their new environment.''' Margaret Sanger, who offered an important institutional remedy, was unfortunately ignored by social and political leaders in this period. In consequence, Negro folkways in family size persisted. '''The problem was compounded when unrestrained exploitation and discrimination accented the bewilderment of the newcomer, and high rates of illegitimacy and fragile family relationships resulted.'''

* For the Negro, therefore, intelligent guides of family planning are a profoundly important ingredient in his quest for security and a decent life. '''There are mountainous obstacles still separating Negroes from a normal existence. Yet one element in stabilizing his life would be an understanding of and easy access to the means to develop a family related in size to his community environment and to the income potential he can command.''' This is not to suggest that the Negro will solve all his problems through [[w:Planned_Parenthood|Planned Parenthood]]. '''His problems are far more complex, encompassing economic security, education, freedom from discrimination, decent housing and access to culture. Yet if family planning is sensible it can facilitate or at least not be an obstacle to the solution of the many profound problems that plague him.'''

* The Negro constitutes half the poor of the nation. Like all poor, Negro and white, they have many unwanted children. This is a cruel evil they urgently need to control. '''There is scarcely anything more tragic in human life than a child who is not wanted. That which should be a blessing becomes a curse for parent and child.''' There is nothing inherent in the Negro mentality which creates this condition. Their poverty causes it. When Negroes have been able to ascend economically, statistics reveal they plan their families with even greater care than whites. Negroes of higher economic and educational status actually have fewer children than white families in the same circumstances.

* Some commentators point out that with present birth rates it will not be long before Negroes are a majority in many of the major cities of the nation. As a consequence, they can be expected to take political control, and many people are apprehensive at this prospect. '''Negroes''' do not seek political control by this means. They '''seek only what they are entitled to and do not wish for domination purchased at the cost of human misery. Negroes were once bred by slave owners to be sold as merchandise. They do not welcome any solution which involves population breeding as a weapon. They are instinctively sympathetic to all who offer methods that will improve their lives and offer them fair opportunity to develop and advance as all other people in our society.'''

* For these reasons we are natural allies of those who seek to inject any form of planning in our society that enriches life and guarantees the right to exist in freedom and dignity. For these constructive movements we are prepared to give our energies and consistent support; because in the need for family planning, Negro and white have a common bond; and '''together we can and should unite our strength for the wise preservation, not of races in general, but of the one race we all constitute — the human race.'''

* Recently, the press has been filled with reports of sightings of flying saucers. While we need not give credence to these stories, they allow our imagination to speculate on how '''visitors from outer space''' would judge us. I am afraid '''they would be stupefied at our conduct. They would observe that for death planning we spend billions to create engines and strategies for war. They would also observe that we spend millions to prevent death by disease and other causes. Finally they would observe that we spend paltry sums for population planning, even though its spontaneous growth is an urgent threat to life on our planet. Our visitors from outer space could be forgiven if they reported home that our planet is inhabited by a race of insane men whose future is bleak and uncertain.'''

==== Guidelines for a Constructive Church (1966) ====
:[http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/multimediaentry/doc_guidelines_for_a_constructive_church/ Guidelines for a Constructive Church (5 June 1966)]

* When the church is true to its guidelines, it sets out to preach deliverance to them that are captive. This is the role of the church: to free people. This merely means to free those who are slaves. Now if you notice some churches, they never read this part. Some churches aren't concerned about freeing anybody. Some white churches face the fact Sunday after Sunday that their members are slaves to prejudice, slaves to fear. You got a third of them, or a half of them or more, slaves to their prejudices. And the preacher does nothing to free them from their prejudice so often. Then you have another group sitting up there who would really like to do something about racial injustice, but they are afraid of social, political, and economic reprisals, so they end up silent. And the preacher never says anything to lift their souls and free them from that fear. And so they end up captive. You know this often happens in the Negro church. You know, there are some Negro preachers that have never opened their mouths about the freedom movement. And not only have they not opened their mouths, they haven't done anything about it. And every now and then you get a few members: ''"They talk too much about civil rights in that church."'' I was talking with a preacher the other day and he said a few of his members were saying that. I said, ''"Don't pay any attention to them. Because number one, the members didn't anoint you to preach. And any preacher who allows members to tell him what to preach isn't much of a preacher."'' For the guidelines made it very clear that God anointed. No member of ''Ebenezer Baptist Church'' called me to the ministry. '''You called me to Ebenezer, and you may turn me out of here, but you can't turn me out of the ministry, because I got my guidelines and my anointment from God Almighty. And anything I want to say, I'm going to say it from this pulpit. It may hurt somebody, I don't know about that; somebody may not agree with it. But when God speaks, who can but prophesy? The word of God is upon me like fire shut up in my bones, and when God's word gets upon me, I've got to say it, I've got to tell it all over everywhere. And God has called me to deliver those that are in captivity.''' '''Some people are suffering. Some people are hungry this morning. Some people are still living with segregation and discrimination this morning. I'm going to preach about it. I'm going to fight for them. I'll die for them if necessary, because I got my guidelines clear. And the God that I serve and the God that called me to preach told me that every now and then I'll have to go to jail for them. Every now and then I'll have to agonize and suffer for the freedom of his children. I even may have to die for it. But if that's necessary, I'd rather follow the guidelines of God than to follow the guidelines of men.''' The church is called to set free those that are captive, to set free those that are victims of the slavery of segregation and discrimination, those who are caught up in the slavery of fear and prejudice.

==== [[w:Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence|Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence]] (1967) ====
[[File:Martin Luther King Jr NYWTS 4.jpg|thumb|I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the [[world]] [[revolution]], we as a [[nation]] must undergo a radical revolution of [[values]].]]
[[File:Vietnam War Protest in DC, 1967.gif|thumb|If [[America]]'s [[soul]] becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read: [[Vietnam]]. It can never be saved so long as it destroys the deepest [[hopes]] of men the world over.]]
[[File:Vietnam War protest in Washington DC April 1971.jpg|thumb|We still have a [[choice]] today: nonviolent coexistence or violent coannihilation. We must move past indecision to [[action]].]]
[[File:Vietnamprotestors.jpg|thumb|If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, [[dark]], and [[shameful]] corridors of [[time]] reserved for those who possess [[power]] without [[compassion]], might without [[morality]], and [[strength]] without [[sight]]. Now let us [[begin]]. Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter, but [[beautiful]], struggle for a new [[world]].]]
{{smallcite|Speech at Riverside Church in New York City (4 April 1967) - [http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm Online text and audio] This speech is similarly in style and themes to "Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam (1967)" (see below), but offers a more detailed view with respect to the early US involvement in the [[w:Vietnam War|Vietnam War]] than the "Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam" speech.}}

* Even when pressed by the demands of inner [[truth]], men do not easily assume the task of opposing their [[government]]'s policy, especially in time of [[war]]. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of [[conformist]] thought within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover, when the issues at hand seem as perplexing as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict, we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty; but we must move on. And some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak.

* '''As I have walked among the desperate, rejected and angry young men I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems. I have tried to offer them my deepest compassion while maintaining my conviction that social change comes most meaningfully through nonviolent action. But they asked — and rightly so — what about [[Vietnam]]?''' They asked if our own nation wasn't using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government.

* Now, it should be incandescently clear that no one who has any concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war. '''If America's soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read: Vietnam. It can never be saved so long as it destroys the deepest hopes of men the world over.''' So it is that those of us who are yet determined that America will be — are — are led down the path of protest and dissent, working for the health of our land.

* We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation and for those it calls "enemy," for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers [...] I have tried in these last few minutes to give a voice to the voiceless in Vietnam and to understand the arguments of those who are called "enemy" [...] Somehow this madness must cease. We must stop now. I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak of the — for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home, and death and corruption in Vietnam.
**Note: Rev. King was paraphrasing the [[w:Book of Proverbs|Book of Proverbs]] 31:8-10 when referring to "speak out for the voiceless" and the rights of people who need justice.

* This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love.

* '''[[War]] is not the answer. [[Communism]] will never be defeated by the use of atomic bombs or [[nuclear weapons]].''' Let us not join those who shout war and, through their misguided passions, urge the United States to relinquish its participation in the United Nations. These are days which demand wise restraint and calm reasonableness. We must not engage in a negative anticommunism, but rather in a positive thrust for democracy, realizing that our greatest defense against communism is to take offensive action in behalf of justice. We must with positive action seek to remove those conditions of poverty, insecurity, and injustice, which are the fertile soil in which the seed of communism grows and develops.

* '''I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the [[world]] [[revolution]], we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of [[values]].''' We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When [[machines]] and [[computers]], [[profit]] motives and [[property]] rights are considered more important than [[people]], the giant triplets of [[racism]], materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.

* '''Over the past two years, as I have moved to break the betrayal of my own silences and to speak from the burnings of my own heart, as I have called for radical departures from the destruction of Vietnam, many persons have questioned me about the wisdom of my path.''' At the heart of their concerns this query has often loomed large and loud: Why are you speaking about war, Dr. King? Why are you joining the voices of dissent? Peace and civil rights don't mix, they say. Aren't you hurting the cause of your people, they ask? And when I hear them, though I often understand the source of their concern, '''I am nevertheless greatly saddened, for such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known me, my commitment or my calling. Indeed, their questions suggest that they do not know the world in which they live.'''

* '''Here is the true [[meaning]] and [[value]] of [[compassion]] and nonviolence, when it helps us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves.''' For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition.

* '''A true [[revolution]] of [[values]] will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies.''' On the one hand, we are called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. '''True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.'''

* '''A genuine revolution of values means in the final analysis that our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Every [[nation]] must now develop an overriding [[loyalty]] to [[mankind]] as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies. This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all mankind.''' This oft misunderstood, this oft misinterpreted concept, so readily dismissed by the [[Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzsches]] of the world as a weak and cowardly force, has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man. '''When I speak of love I am not speaking of some sentimental and weak response. I am not speaking of that force which is just emotional bosh. I am speaking of that force which all of the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of [[life]]. [[Love]] is somehow the [[key]] that unlocks the [[door]] which leads to ultimate [[reality]].'''

* '''We can no longer afford to worship the [[god]] of [[hate]] or bow before the altar of retaliation.''' The oceans of [[history]] are made turbulent by the ever-rising tides of hate. And history is cluttered with the wreckage of nations and individuals that pursued this self-defeating path of hate.

* '''We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late. [[w:Procrastination|Procrastination]] is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity.''' The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood — it ebbs. '''We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, "Too late."'''

* '''There is an invisible book of [[life]] that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect.''' [[Omar Khayyam]] is right: "The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on."

* '''We still have a [[choice]] today: nonviolent coexistence or violent coannihilation. We must move past indecision to action.''' We must find new ways to speak for peace in Vietnam and justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. '''If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight. '''

* '''Now let us begin. Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter — but beautiful — struggle for a new world. This is the calling of the sons of [[God]], and our brothers wait eagerly for our response. Shall we say the odds are too great? Shall we tell them the struggle is too hard? Will our message be that the forces of American life militate against their arrival as full men, and we send our deepest regrets? Or will there be another message, of longing, of hope, of solidarity with their yearnings, of commitment to their cause, whatever the cost? The choice is ours, and though we might prefer it otherwise we must choose in this crucial moment of human history.'''

==== Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam (1967) ====
[[File:Cristo Redentor - Rio.jpg|thumb|He who lives with untruth lives in spiritual [[slavery]]. [[Freedom]] is still the bonus we receive for knowing the [[truth]]. "Ye shall know the truth," says [[Jesus]], "and the truth shall set you free."]]<ref>KJV, John 8:32</ref>
[[File:My Lai massacre.jpg|thumb|There is something strangely inconsistent about a [[nation]] and a press that would praise you when you say, "Be nonviolent toward [[w:Jim_Clark (sheriff)|Jim Clark]]," but will curse and damn you when you say, "Be nonviolent toward little brown Vietnamese children." There is something [[wrong]] with that press.]]
[[File:Flag-lens-flare.jpg|thumb|We as a [[nation]] must undergo a radical [[revolution]] of [[values]]. We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented [[society]] to a person-oriented society. When [[machines]] and [[computers]], [[profit]] motives and [[property]] rights are considered more important than [[people]], the giant triplets of racism, militarism and [[economic]] exploitation are incapable of being conquered.]]
[[File:Tank commander, Ft Knox, Ky.jpg|thumb|A [[nation]] that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual [[death]].]]
[[File:Martin Luther King Jr St Paul Campus U MN.jpg|thumb|Our only [[hope]] today lies in our ability to recapture the [[revolution]]ary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism.]]
[[File:Martin Luther King Jr NYWTS 6.jpg|thumb|Every [[nation]] must now develop an overriding [[loyalty]] to [[mankind]] as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual [[societies]]. This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing, unconditional [[love]] for all men.]]
[[File:God2-Sistine Chapel.png|thumb|All men are made in the image of [[God]]. All men are brothers. [[w:All men are created equal|All men are created equal]]. Every man is an heir to a legacy of [[dignity]] and [[worth]]. Every man has [[rights]] that are neither conferred by, nor derived from the State — they are [[God]]-given.]]
:[http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article16183.htm Speech at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia] (30 April 1967) This speech is similarly in style and themes to "Beyond Vietnam (1967)" (see above), but offers a less detailed view with respect to the early US involvement in the [[w:Vietnam War|Vietnam War]] than the "Beyond Vietnam" speech.

* I see this war as an unjust, evil, and futile war. I preach to you today on the war in Vietnam because my conscience leaves me with no other choice. The time has come for America to hear the truth about this tragic war. In international conflicts, the truth is hard to come by because most nations are deceived about themselves. [[Rationalization (sociology)|Rationalizations]] and the incessant search for scapegoats are the psychological cataracts that blind us to our sins. But the day has passed for superficial patriotism. '''He who lives with untruth lives in spiritual slavery. Freedom is still the bonus we receive for knowing the truth.''' "Ye shall know the truth," says [[Jesus]], "and the truth shall set you free." Now, I've chosen to preach about the [[w:Vietnam War|war in Vietnam]] because '''I agree with [[Dante]], that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality.''' There comes a time when silence becomes betrayal.
** King quoted here [[John F. Kennedy]] who at the signing of a charter establishing the German Peace Corps in Bonn, West Germany ([[24 June]] [[1963]]) remarked: '''[[Dante]] once said that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a period of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.'''
*** According to Bartleby.com, Kennedy's remark may have been inspired by the passage from Dante Alighieri's [[The Divine Comedy|La Comedia Divina]] "Inferno," canto 3, lines 35–42 (1972) passage as translated by Geoffrey L. Bickersteth: "by those disbodied wretches who were loth when living, to be either blamed or praised. [...] Fear to lose beauty caused the heavens to expel these caitiffs; nor, lest to the damned they theng ave cause to boast, receives them the deep hell." A more modern-sounding translation from the foregoing Dante's Inferno passage was translated 1971 by Mark Musa thus: "They are mixed with that repulsive choir of angels ... undecided in neutrality. Heaven, to keep its beauty, cast them out, but even Hell itself would not receive them for fear the wicked there might glory over them."
** This is also often quoted slightly differently as: "The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict"

* Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover, when the issues at hand seem as perplexing, as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict, we're always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty. But we must move on. Some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony. But we must speak. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak. And we must rejoice as well, for in all our history there has never been such a monumental dissent during a war, by the American people.

* Now, of course, one of the difficulties in speaking out today grows the fact that there are those who are seeking to equate dissent with disloyalty. It's a dark day in our nation when high-level authorities will seek to use every method to silence dissent. But something is happening, and people are not going to be silenced. The truth must be told, and I say that those who are seeking to make it appear that anyone who opposes the war in Vietnam is a fool or a traitor or an enemy of our soldiers is a person that has taken a stand against the best in our tradition.

* There is...a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I and others have been waging in America. A few years ago there was a shining moment in that struggle. It seemed that there was a real promise of hope for the poor, both black and white, through the Poverty Program. There were experiments, hopes, and new beginnings. Then came the build-up in Vietnam. And I watched the program broken as if it was some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war. And I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money, like some demonic, destructive suction tube. And you may not know it, my friends, but it is estimated that we spend $500,000 to kill each enemy soldier, while we spend only fifty-three dollars for each person classified as poor, and much of that fifty-three dollars goes for salaries to people that are not poor. So I was increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor, and attack it as such.

* As I have walked among the desperate, rejected, and angry young men, I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems. I have tried to offer them my deepest compassion while maintaining my conviction that '''social change comes most meaningfully through non-violent action'''; for they ask and write me, "So what about Vietnam?" They ask if our nation wasn't using massive doses of violence to solve its problems to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without first having spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today: my own government. For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of the hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence I cannot be silent.

* '''There is something strangely inconsistent about a nation and a press that would praise you when you say, "Be nonviolent toward [[w:Jim_Clark (sheriff)|Jim Clark]]," but will curse and damn you when you say, "Be nonviolent toward little brown Vietnamese children." There is something wrong with that press.'''

* I cannot forget that the Nobel Peace Prize was not just something taking place, but it was a commission — a commission to work harder than I had ever worked before for the brotherhood of Man. This is a calling that takes me beyond national allegiances. But even if it were not present, I would yet have to live with the meaning of my commitment to the ministry of Jesus Christ. To me, the relationship of this ministry to the making of peace is so obvious that I sometimes marvel at those who ask me why I am speaking against the war. Could it be that they do not know that the Good News was meant for all men, for [[Communism|communists]] and [[Capitalism|capitalists]], for their children and ours, for black and white, for revolutionary and conservative. Have they forgotten that my ministry is in obedience to the One who loved His enemies so fully that he died for them? What, then, can I say to the Vietcong, or to [[Fidel Castro|Castro]], or to [[Mao Tse Tung|Mao]], as a faithful minister to Jesus Christ? Can I threaten them with death, or must I not share with them my life?

* I must be true to my conviction that I share with all men the calling to be the son of the Living God. Beyond the calling of race or nation or creed is this vocation of sonship and brotherhood. And because I believe that the Father is deeply concerned, especially for His suffering and helpless and outcast children, I come today to speak for them. And as I ponder the madness of Vietnam and search within myself for ways to understand and respond in compassion, my mind goes constantly to the people of that peninsula. I speak not now of the soldiers of each side, not of the military government of Saigon, but simply of the people who have been under the curse of war for almost three continuous decades now. I think of them, too, because it is clear to me that there will be no meaningful solution until some attempt is made to know these people and hear their broken cries.

* And as I ponder the madness of Vietnam and search within myself for ways to understand and respond in compassion, my mind goes constantly to the people of that peninsula. I speak not now of the soldiers of each side, not of military government in Saigon, but simply of the people who have been under the curse of war for almost three continuous decades now. I think of them too because it is clear to me that there will be no meaningful solution until some attempt is made to know these people and hear their broken cries. Now let me tell you the truth about it. They must see Americans as strange liberators. Do you realize that the [[w:Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam|Vietnamese people proclaimed their own independence in 1945]], after a combined French and Japanese occupation. And incidentally, this was before the [[w:Chinese Communist Revolution|communist revolution in China]]. They were led by [[Ho Chi Minh]]. And this is a little known fact, these people declared themselves independent in 1945, they quoted ''our'' [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] in their document of freedom. And yet our government refused to recognize, President [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]] said they were not ready for independence. So we failed victim as a nation at that time of the same deadly arrogance that has poisoned the international situation for all of these years. France then set out to reconquer its former colony. And they fought eight long, hard, brutal years, trying to reconquer Vietnam. You know who helped France? It was the United States of America, it came to the point that we were meeting more than 80% of the war cost. And even when France started despairing of its reckless action, we did not. And [[w:Geneva Conference (1954)|in 1954, a conference was called at Geneva]], and an agreement was reached, because France had been defeated at [[w:Battle of Dien Bien Phu|Dien Bien Phu]]. But even after that and even after the Geneva Accord, we did not stop. We must face the sad fact that our government sought in a real sense to sabotage the Geneva Accord. Well, after the French were defeated, it looked as if independence and land reform would come through the Geneva agreement. But instead the United States came and started supporting a man named [[w:Ngo Dinh Diem|Diem]], who turned out to be one of the most ruthless dictators in the history of the world. He set out to silence all opposition, people were brutally murdered merely because they raised their voices against the brutal policies of Diem. And the peasants watched and cringed as Diem ruthlessly rooted out all opposition. The peasants watched as all this was presided over by United States influence, and then by increasing numbers of United States troops, who came to help quell the insurgency that Diem's methods had aroused. When Diem was overthrown they may have been happy, but the long line of military dictatorships seemed to offer no real change, especially in terms of their need for land and peace. And who are we supporting in Vietnam today? It's a man by the name of General [[w:Nguyen Cao Ky|Ky]], who fought with the French against his own people, and who said on one occasion that the greatest hero of his life is [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]. This is who we're supporting in Vietnam today. Oh, our government, and the press generally, won't tell us these things, but God told me to tell you this morning. '''The truth must be told.'''

* We have destroyed their two most cherished institutions: the family and the village. We have destroyed their land and their crops. We have cooperated in the crushing of the nation's only noncommunist revolutionary political force, the United Buddhist Church. This is a role our nation has taken, the role of those who make peaceful revolutions impossible but refusing to give up the privileges and the pleasures that comes from the immense profits of overseas investments. I'm convinced that '''if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, militarism and economic exploitation are incapable of being conquered.'''

* A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our present policies. On the one hand, we are called to play the [[w:Parable of the Good Samaritan|Good Samaritan]] on life's roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole [[w:Parable_of_the_Good_Samaritan#Road_from_Jerusalem_to_Jericho|Jericho Road]] must be changed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. '''True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar.''' A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth with righteous indignation. It will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa, and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say, "This is not just." It will look at [[w:Alliance for Progress|our alliance with the landed gentry of Latin America]] and say, "This is not just." The Western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others and nothing to learn from them is not just. A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war, "This way of settling differences is not just." This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into the veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice, and love. '''A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.'''

* It is a sad fact that because of comfort, complacency, a morbid fear of communism, our proneness to adjust to injustice, the Western nations that initiated so much of the revolutionary spirit of the modern world have now become the arch anti-revolutionaries. This has driven many to feel that only [[Marxism]] has a revolutionary spirit. Therefore, communism is a judgment against our failure to make democracy real and follow through on the revolutions that we initiated. '''Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the [[revolution]]ary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism.''' With this powerful commitment we shall boldly challenge the status quo, we shall boldly challenge unjust mores, and thereby speed up the day when "every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the rough places shall be made plain, and the crooked places straight. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."

* A genuine revolution of values means in the final analysis that our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. '''Every nation must now develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies. This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing, unconditional love for all men.''' This oft misunderstood and misinterpreted concept, so readily dismissed by the [[Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzsche]]s of the world as a weak and cowardly force, has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of mankind. And '''when I speak of love I'm not speaking of some sentimental and weak response. I am speaking of that force which all of the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life. Love is somehow the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality.''' This [[Hinduism|Hindu]]-[[Muslim]]-[[Christian]]-[[Judaism|Jewish]]-[[Buddhism|Buddhist]] belief about ultimate reality is beautifully summed up in the [[w:First Epistle of John|first epistle of John]] "Let us love one another, for God is love. And every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us."

* Let me say finally that I oppose the war in Vietnam because I love America. I speak out against this war, not in anger, but with anxiety and sorrow in my heart, and, above all, with a passionate desire to see our beloved country stand as the moral example of the world. I speak out against this war because I am disappointed with America. And there can be no great disappointment where there is not great love. I am disappointed with our failure to deal positively and forthrightly with the triple evils of racism, economic exploitation, and militarism.

* We are presently moving down a dead-end road that can lead to national disaster. America has strayed to the far country of racism and militarism. The home that all too many Americans left was solidly structured idealistically; its pillars were solidly grounded in the insights of our Judeo-Christian heritage. '''All men are made in the image of [[God]]. All men are brothers. [[w:All men are created equal|All men are created equal]]. Every man is an heir to a legacy of dignity and worth. Every man has rights that are neither conferred by, nor derived from the State — they are God-given. Out of one blood, God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth. What a marvelous foundation for any home!''' What a glorious and healthy place to inhabit. But America's strayed away, and this unnatural excursion has brought only confusion and bewilderment. It has left hearts aching with guilt and minds distorted with irrationality.

* '''Don't let anybody make you think God chose America as his divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world.''' God has a way of standing before the nations with justice and it seems I can hear God saying to America "you are too arrogant, and if you don't change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power, and I will place it in the hands of a nation that doesn't even know my name. Be still and know that I'm God. Men will beat their swords into plowshafts and their spears into pruning hooks, and nations shall not rise up against nations, neither shall they study war anymore." I don't know about you, I ain't going to study war anymore.

* I have not lost faith. I'm not in despair, because I know that there is a moral order. I haven't lost faith, because '''the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.''' I can still sing "[[w:We Shall Overcome|We Shall Overcome]]" because [[Thomas Carlyle|Carlyle]] was right: "No lie can live forever." We shall overcome because [[William Cullen Bryant]] was right: "Truth pressed to earth will rise again." We shall overcome because [[James Russell Lowell]] was right: "Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne." Yet, that scaffold sways the future. We shall overcome because the [[bible]] is right: "You shall reap what you sow." '''With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our world into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to speed up the day when justice will roll down like waters, and [[righteousness]] like a mighty stream.''' With this faith we will be able to speed up the day when the lion and the lamb will lie down together, and every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid because the words of the Lord have spoken it. With this faith we will be able to speed up the day when all over the world we will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we're free at last!" With this faith, we'll sing it as we're getting ready to sing it now. Men will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. And nations will not rise up against nations, neither shall they study war anymore. And I don't know about you, I ain't gonna study war no more.

==== Address to Local 815, Teamsters and the Allied Trades Council (1967) ====
:[http://www.aft.org/yourwork/tools4teachers/bhm/mlktalks.cfm Speaking to shop stewards of Local 815, Teamsters and the Allied Trades Council (2 May 1967)], as quoted in ''Now Is the Time. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Labor in the South: The Case for a Coalition'' (January 1986)

* Today Negroes want above all else to abolish poverty in their lives and in the lives of the white poor. This is the heart of their program. '''To end the humiliation was a start, but to end poverty is a bigger task.''' It is natural for Negroes to turn to the labor movement because it was the first and pioneer anti-poverty program....

* Negroes are not the only poor in the nation. There are nearly twice as many white poor as Negro, and therefore the struggle against poverty is not involved solely with color or racial discrimination but with elementary economic justice....

* '''Now most serious thinkers acknowledge that dislocations in the market operation of our economy and the prevalence of discrimination thrust people into idleness and bind them in constant or frequent unemployment against their will. The poor are less often dismissed from our conscience today by being branded as inferior and incompetent. We also know that no matter how dynamically the economy develops and expands, it does not eliminate all poverty.'''

* '''To a degree, we have been attacking the problem by increasing purchasing power through higher wage scales and increased Social Security benefits. But these measures are exercised with restraint and come only as a consequence of organized struggles...Those at the lowest economic level, the poor white, the Negro, the aged, are traditionally unorganized and have little or no ability to force a growth in their consumer potential. They stagnate or become even poorer in relation to the larger society.'''

* With the settlement of many of these early strikes, there was little or nothing added to the pay envelope, little or nothing for job security and a mountain of debts to pay and harsh memories to forget. Yet there was one thing that was won, one thing that was fought for as indispensable, one thing for which all the pain and sacrifice was justified--union recognition. It seemed so minuscule a victory that people outside the labor movement scorned it as in fact just a defeat. But to those who understood, union recognition meant the employer's acknowledgement of that strength, and the two meant the opportunity to fight again for further gains with united and multiplied power. As contract followed contract, the pay envelope fattened and fringe benefits and job rights grew to the mature work standards of today. All of these started with winning first union recognition.

====Why it's extremely disrespectful to tell someone to pull himself up by his own bootstraps (8 May 1967)====
:From an interview filmed in Atlanta by NBC News

:'''Reporter''': What is it about the negro? And every other group that came as an immigrant, somehow - not easily, but somehow, got around it? Is it just the fact that negroes are black?

:'''Dr. King''': White America must see that '''no other ethnic group has been a slave on American soil.''' That is one thing that other immigrant groups haven't had to face. The other thing is that the color became a stigma. American society made the negro's color a stigma, and that can never be overlooked. So, I think these things are absolutely necessary. The other thing is that America freed the slaves in 19, I mean, 1863 through the Emancipation Proclamation of [[Abraham Lincoln]], but gave the slaves no land, or nothing in reality as a matter of fact, to get started on. At the same time, America was giving away millions of acres of land in the west and the midwest, which meant that there was a willingness to give the white peasants from Europe an economic base. And yet, '''it refused to give its black peasants from [[Africa]], who came here involuntarily, in chains, and had worked free for 244 years, any kind of economic base.''' And so, emancipation for the negro was really freedom to hunger. It was freedom to the winds and rains of heaven. It was freedom without food to eat or land to cultivate, and, therefore, it was freedom and famine at the same time. And when white Americans tell the negro to lift himself by his own bootstraps, they don't own, they don't look over the legacy of slavery and segregation. I believe we ought to do all we can and seek to lift ourselves by our own bootstraps. But '''it's a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps.''' And many negros by the thousands and millions have been left bootless as a result of all of these years of oppression and as a result of a society that deliberately made his color a stigma and something worthless and degrading.

==== [[w:Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?|Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?]] (1967) ====
[[File:Benkos Bioho.jpg|thumb|As long as the [[mind]] is enslaved, the body can never be free.]]
[[File:Martin Luther King, Jr. and Lyndon Johnson 2.jpg|thumb|There is [[nothing]] [[wrong]] with [[power]] if power is used correctly.]]
[[File:Martin Luther King memorial during Allt ljus på Uppsala 2008-11-15.jpg|thumb|[[Power]] without [[love]] is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic.]]
[[File:MyLai Haeberle P33 BodiesNearBurningHouse.jpg|thumb|[[Darkness]] cannot put out darkness. Only [[light]] can do that.]]
[[File:MLK and Malcolm X USNWR cropped.jpg|thumb|We must massively assert our [[dignity]] and [[worth]]. We must stand up amidst a [[system]] that still oppresses us and develop an unassailable and [[majestic]] sense of [[values]].]]
[[File:Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King and Robert F. Wagner NYWTS.jpg|thumb|I know that [[love]] is ultimately the only answer to [[mankind]]'s [[problems]]. And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go.]]
[[File:RFK and MLK together.jpg|thumb|You may be able to speak with the tongues of men and [[angels]]; you may have the eloquence of articulate speech; but if you have not [[love]], it means nothing.]]
[[File:Thanksgiving chapel interior.jpg|thumb|Let us realize the arc of the [[moral]] [[universe]] is long but it bends toward [[justice]].]]
:[http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/where_do_we_go_from_here_delivered_at_the_11th_annual_sclc_convention/ Address to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (16 August 1967)]

* In short, over the last ten years the Negro decided to straighten his back up, realizing that '''a man cannot ride your back unless it is bent.'''

* '''Now, in order to answer the question, "Where do we go from here?" which is our theme, we must first honestly recognize where we are now.''' When the Constitution was written, a strange formula to determine taxes and representation declared that the Negro was sixty percent of a person. Today another curious formula seems to declare that he is fifty percent of a person. Of the good things in life, the Negro has approximately one half those of whites. of the bad things of life, he has twice those of whites. Thus half of all Negroes live in substandard housing. And Negroes have half the income of whites. When we view the negative experiences of life, the Negro has a double share. There are twice as many unemployed. The rate of infant mortality among Negroes is double that of whites and there are twice as many Negroes dying in Vietnam as whites in proportion to their size in the population.

* '''This is where we are. Where do we go from here? First, we must massively assert our dignity and worth. We must stand up amidst a system that still oppresses us and develop an unassailable and majestic sense of values.'''

* '''As long as the mind is enslaved, the body can never be free. Psychological freedom, a firm sense of self-esteem, is the most powerful weapon against the long night of physical [[slavery]].''' No [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincolnian]] [[emancipation proclamation]] or [[Andrew Johnson|Johnsonian]] [[w:Civil rights act of 1866|civil rights bill]] can totally bring this kind of freedom. The negro will only be free when he reaches down to the inner depths of his own being and signs with the pen and ink of assertive manhood his own emancipation proclamation. And, with a spirit straining toward true self-esteem, the Negro must boldly throw off the manacles of self-abegnation and say to himself and to the world, "I am somebody. I am a person. I am a man with dignity and honor. I have a rich and noble history, however painful and exploited that history has been. Yes, I was a slave through my foreparents, and now I'm not ashamed of that. I'm ashamed of the people who were so sinful to make me a slave." Yes, yes, we must stand up and say, "I'm black , but I'm black and beautiful." This, this self-affirmation is the black man's need, made compelling by the white man's crimes against him.

* We must stand up and say, "I'm black and I'm beautiful," and this self-affirmation is the black man's need, made compelling by the white man's crimes against him.

* '''Power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political and economic change. ... Now a lot of us are preachers, and all of us have our moral convictions and concerns, and so often have problems with power. There is nothing wrong with power if power is used correctly.''' You see, what happened is that some of our philosophers got off base. And one of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as opposites — polar opposites — so that love is identified with a resignation of power, and power with a denial of love. It was this misinterpretation that caused [[Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzsche]], who was a philosopher of the will to power, to reject the Christian concept of love. It was this same misinterpretation which induced Christian theologians to reject the Nietzschean philosophy of the will to power in the name of the Christian idea of love. Now, we've got to get this thing right. '''What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.''' And this is what we must see as we move on. What has happened is that we have had it wrong and confused in our own country, and this has led Negro Americans in the past to seek their goals through power devoid of love and conscience. This is leading a few extremists today to advocate for Negroes the same destructive and conscienceless power that they have justly abhorred in whites. It is precisely this collision of immoral power with powerless morality which constitutes the major crisis of our times.

* Today the poor are less often dismissed, I hope, from our consciences by being branded as inferior or incompetent. We also know that no matter how dynamically the economy develops and expands, it does not eliminate all poverty. The problem indicates that our emphasis must be twofold. We must create full employment or we must create incomes. People must be made consumers by one method or the other. Once they are placed in this position we need to be concerned that the potential of the individual is not wasted. New forms of work that enhance the social good will have to be devised for those for whom traditional jobs are not available.

* A host of positive psychological changes inevitably will result from widespread economic security. The dignity of the individual will flourish when the decisions concerning his life are in his own hands, when he has the means to seek self-improvement. Personal conflicts among husbands, wives and children will diminish when the unjust measurement of human worth on the scale of dollars is eliminated.

* '''We must reaffirm our commitment to nonviolence.''' I want to stress this. The futility of violence in the struggle for racial justice has been tragically etched in all the recent Negro riots. Yesterday, I tried to analyze the riots and deal with their causes. Today I want to give the other side. There is certainly something painfully sad about a riot. One sees screaming youngsters and angry adults fighting hopelessly and aimlessly against impossible odds. And deep down within them, you can see a desire for self-destruction, a kind of suicidal longing. Occasionally Negroes contend that the 1965 Watts riot and the other riots in various cities represented effective civil rights action. But those who express this view always end up with stumbling words when asked what concrete gains have been won as a result. At best, the riots have produced a little additional anti-poverty money allotted by frightened government officials and a few water sprinklers to cool the children of the ghettos. It is something like improving the food in the prison while the people remain securely incarcerated behind bars.

* '''Nowhere have the riots won any concrete improvement such as have the organized protest demonstrations. When one tries to pin down advocates of violence as to what acts would be effective, the answers are blatantly illogical.''' Sometimes they talk of overthrowing racist state and local governments and they talk about guerrilla warfare. They fail to see that '''no internal revolution has ever succeeded in overthrowing a government by violence unless the government had already lost the allegiance and effective control of its armed forces.''' Anyone in his right mind knows that this will not happen in the United States. '''Furthermore, few, if any, violent revolutions have been successful unless the violent minority had the sympathy and support of the non-resisting majority.'''

* It is perfectly clear that a violent revolution on the part of American blacks would find no sympathy and support from the white population and very little from the majority of Negroes themselves. This is no time for romantic illusions and empty philosophical debates about freedom. This is a time for action. What is needed is a strategy for change, a tactical program that will bring the Negro into the mainstream of American life as quickly as possible. So far, this has only been offered by the nonviolent movement. Without recognizing this we will end up with solutions that don't solve, answers that don't answer and explanations that don't explain.

* '''I say to you today that I still stand by nonviolence.''' And I am still convinced that it is the most potent weapon available to the Negro in his struggle for justice in this country. And the other thing is that I am concerned about a better world.''' I'm concerned about justice. I'm concerned about brotherhood. I'm concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about these, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer but you can't murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar but you can't establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate. Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that.'''

* '''I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems. And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go.''' I know it isn't popular to talk about it in some circles today. I'm not talking about emotional bosh when I talk about love, I'm talking about a strong, demanding love. And I have seen too much hate. I've seen too much hate on the faces of sheriffs in the South. I've seen hate on the faces of too many Klansmen and too many White Citizens Councilors in the South to want to hate myself, because every time I see it, I know that it does something to their faces and their personalities and I say to myself that hate is too great a burden to bear. '''I have decided to love. If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And the beautiful thing is that we are moving against wrong when we do it, because John was right, God is love. He who hates does not know God, but he who has love has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.'''

* And so I say to you today, my friends, that '''you may be able to speak with the tongues of men and angels; you may have the eloquence of articulate speech; but if you have not love, it means nothing. Yes, you may have the gift of prophecy; you may have the gift of scientific prediction and understand the behavior of molecules; you may break into the storehouse of nature and bring forth many new insights; yes, you may ascend to the heights of academic achievement so that you have all knowledge; and you may boast of your great institutions of learning and the boundless extent of your degrees; but if you have not love, all of these mean absolutely nothing. You may even give your goods to feed the poor; you may bestow great gifts to charity; and you may tower high in philanthropy; but if you have not love, your charity means nothing. You may even give your body to be burned and die the death of a martyr, and your spilt blood may be a symbol of honor for generations yet unborn, and thousands may praise you as one of history's greatest heroes; but if you have not love, your blood was spilt in vain.''' What I'm trying to get you to see this morning is that a man may be self-centered in his self-denial and self-righteous in his self-sacrifice. His generosity may feed his ego, and his piety may feed his pride. So '''without love, benevolence becomes egotism, and martyrdom becomes spiritual pride.'''

* '''Communism forgets that life is individual. Capitalism forgets that life is social, and the kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the thesis of communism nor the antithesis of capitalism but in a higher synthesis. It is found in a higher synthesis that combines the truths of both.''' Now, when I say question the whole society, it means ultimately coming to see that the problem of racism, the problem of exploitation, and the problem of war are all tied together. These are the triple evils that are interrelated.

* What I'm saying today is that we must go from this convention and say, "America, you must be born again!" And so, I conclude by saying today that we have a task, and let us go out with a divine dissatisfaction.

*Let us be dissatisfied until America will no longer have a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds.
** '''Let us be dissatisfied until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort from the inner city of poverty and despair shall be crushed by the battering rams of the forces of justice.'''
** '''Let us be dissatisfied until those who live on the outskirts of hope are brought into the metropolis of daily security.'''
** Let us be dissatisfied until slums are cast into the junk heaps of history, and every family will live in a decent, sanitary home.
** Let us be dissatisfied until the dark yesterdays of segregated schools will be transformed into bright tomorrows of quality integrated education.
** Let us be dissatisfied until integration is not seen as a problem but as an opportunity to participate in the beauty of diversity.
** '''Let us be dissatisfied until men and women, however black they may be, will be judged on the basis of the content of their character, not on the basis of the color of their skin.''' Let us be dissatisfied.
** Let us be dissatisfied until every state capitol will be housed by a governor who will do justly, who will love mercy, and who will walk humbly with his God.
** '''Let us be dissatisfied until from every city hall, justice will roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.''' Let us be dissatisfied until that day when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together, and every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid. '''Let us be dissatisfied.''' And men will recognize that out of one blood God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth. '''Let us be dissatisfied until that day when nobody will shout "White Power!" — when nobody will shout "Black Power!" — but everybody will talk about God's power and human power.'''

* '''I must confess, my friends, the road ahead will not always be smooth.''' There will be still rocky places of frustration and meandering points of bewilderment. There will be inevitable setbacks here and there. There will be those moments when the buoyancy of hope will be transformed into the fatigue of despair. '''Our dreams will sometimes be shattered and our ethereal hopes blasted.''' We may again with tear-drenched eyes have to stand before the bier of some courageous civil rights worker whose life will be snuffed out by the dastardly acts of bloodthirsty mobs. Difficult and painful as it is, we must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future. ... '''When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realize the arc of the [[moral]] [[universe]] is long but it bends toward [[justice]].'''
** King's often repeated expression that "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice" was his own succinct summation of sentiments echoing those of [[Theodore Parker]], who, in "Of Justice and the Conscience" (1853) asserted: "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice."

==== Why Jesus Called A Man A Fool (1967) ====
[[File:Tetragrammaton at RomanCatholic Church Saint-Germain Paris France.JPG|thumb|Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of men and is not concerned about the slums that cripple the souls — the economic conditions that stagnate the soul and the city governments that may damn the soul — is a dry, dead, do-nothing religion in need of new blood.]]
:[http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_why_jesus_called_a_man_a_fool/ Delivered at Mount Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church, Chicago, Illinois] (27 August 1967) 

* '''Before I was a civil rights leader, I was a preacher of the [[Gospel]]. This was my first calling and it still remains my greatest commitment. You know, actually all that I do in civil rights I do because I consider it a part of my ministry.'''' I have no other ambitions in life but to achieve excellence in the Christian ministry. I don't plan to run for any political office. '''I don't plan to do anything but remain a preacher. And what I'm doing in this struggle, along with many others, grows out of my feeling that the preacher must be concerned about the whole man.'''

* '''And any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of men and is not concerned about the slums that cripple the souls — the economic conditions that stagnate the soul and the city governments that may damn the soul — is a dry, dead, do-nothing religion in need of new blood.'''

* You see, each of us lives in two realms, the within and the without. Now the within of our lives is that realm of spiritual ends expressed in art, literature, religion, and morality. The without of our lives is that complex of devices, of mechanisms and instrumentalities by means of which we live. The house we live in — that's a part of the means by which we live. The car we drive, the clothes we wear, the money that we are able to accumulate — in short, the physical stuff that's necessary for us to exist. Now the problem is that we must always keep a line of demarcation between the two. This man was a fool because he didn't do that. [...] Somehow in life we must know that we must seek first the kingdom of God, and then all of those other things — clothes, houses, cars — will be added unto us. But the problem is all too many people fail to put first things first. They don't keep a sharp line of demarcation between the things of life and the ends of life.

* This man talked like he could build the barns by himself, like he could till the soil by himself. And he failed to realize that '''wealth is always a result of the commonwealth.'''

* I don't want you to forget it. No matter where you are today, somebody helped you to get there. (Yes) It may have been an ordinary person, doing an ordinary job in an extraordinary way. Some few are able to get some education; you didn't get it by yourself. Don't forget those who helped you come over.

* This man was a fool because he failed to realize his dependence on God... this man-centered foolishness is still alive today. In fact, it has gotten to the point today that some are even saying that ''God is dead''. The thing that bothers me about it is that they didn't give me full information, because at least I would have wanted to attend God's funeral. And today I want to ask, who was the coroner that pronounced Him dead? I want to raise a question, how long had He been sick? I want to know whether He had a heart attack or died of chronic cancer. These questions haven't been answered for me, and '''I'm going on believing and knowing that God is alive. You see, as long as love is around, God is alive. As long as justice is around, God is alive.''' There are certain conceptions of God that needed to die, but not God. You see, '''God is the supreme noun of life; He's not an adjective. He is the supreme subject of life; He's not a verb. He's the supreme independent clause; He's not a dependent clause. Everything else is dependent on Him, but He is dependent on nothing.'''

* God is life supreme. Now God, the power that holds the universe in the palm of his hand, is the only being that can say, "''I Am''," and put a period there and never look back. And don't be foolish enough to forget Him.

*I tell you this morning, my friends, there's no way to get rid of Him. And all of our new knowledge will not diminish God's being one iota. Neither the microcosmic compass of the atom nor the vast interstellar ranges of interstellar space can make God irrelevant for living in a universe, where stellar distance must be measured in light years, where stars are five hundred million million miles from the earth, where heavenly bodies travel at incredible speeds. Modern man still has to cry out with the Psalmist, "When I behold the heavens, the work of thy hands and all that thou hast created; what is man, that thou is mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou hast remembered him?"

* God is still around. One day, you're going to need him. The problems of life will begin to overwhelm you; disappointments will begin to beat upon the door of your life like a tidal wave. And if you don't have a deep and patient faith, you aren't going to be able to make it. I know this from my own experience.

* I had grown up in the church, and the church meant something very real to me, but it was a kind of inherited religion and I had never felt an experience with God in the way that you must have it if you're going to walk the lonely paths of this life.

* I never will forget one night very late. It was around midnight... the telephone started ringing and I picked it up. On the other end was an ugly voice. That voice said to me, in substance, "Nigger, we are tired of you and your mess now. And if you aren't out of this town in three days, we're going to blow your brains out and blow up your house." I'd heard these things before, but for some reason that night it got to me.

* I discovered then that religion had to become real to me and I had to know God for myself. And I bowed down over that cup of coffee — I never will forget it. And oh yes, I prayed a prayer and I prayed out loud that night. I said, "Lord, I'm down here trying to do what's right. I think I'm right; I think the cause that we represent is right. But Lord, I must confess that I'm weak now; I'm faltering; I'm losing my courage. And I can't let the people see me like this because if they see me weak and losing my courage, they will begin to get weak." I wanted tomorrow morning to be able to go before the executive board with a smile on my face. And it seemed at that moment that I could hear an inner voice saying to me, "Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness, stand up for justice, stand up for truth. And lo I will be with you, even until the end of the world." And I'll tell you, I've seen the lightning flash. I've heard the thunder roll. I felt sin-breakers dashing, trying to conquer my soul. But I heard the voice of [[Jesus]] saying still to fight on. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. No, never alone. No, never alone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.

* And I'm going on in believing in Him. You'd better know Him, and know His name, and know how to call His name. You may not know philosophy. You may not be able to say with [[Alfred North Whitehead]] that He's the Principle of Concretion. You may not be able to say with [[Hegel]] and [[Spinoza]] that He is the Absolute Whole. You may not be able to say with [[Plato]] that He's the Architectonic Good. You may not be able to say with [[Aristotle]] that He's the Unmoved Mover. But sometimes you can get poetic about it if you know Him. You begin to know that our brothers and sisters in distant days were right. Because they did know Him as a rock in a weary land, as a shelter in the time of starving, as my water when I'm thirsty, and then my bread in a starving land. And then if you can't even say that, sometimes you may have to say, "He's my everything. He's my sister and my brother. He's my mother and my father." If you believe it and know it, you never need walk in darkness. Don't be a fool. Recognize your dependence on God. As the days become dark and the nights become dreary, realize that there is a God who rules above. And so I'm not worried about tomorrow. I get weary every now and then. The future looks difficult and dim, but I'm not worried about it ultimately because I have faith in God.

* '''I don't mind telling you this morning that sometimes I feel discouraged. I felt discouraged in Chicago. As I move through Mississippi and Georgia and Alabama, I feel discouraged. Living every day under the threat of death, I feel discouraged sometimes. Living every day under extensive criticisms, even from Negroes, I feel discouraged sometimes.''' Yes, sometimes I feel discouraged and feel my work's in vain. '''But then the [[Holy Spirit]] revives my soul again.'''

==== The Role of the Behavioral Scientist in the Civil Rights Movement (1967) ====
:[https://www.apa.org/monitor/features/king-challenge.aspx Address at the American Psychological Association's 1967 Annual Convention in Washington, D.C.] (September 1967)

* All too many white Americans are horrified not with conditions of Negro life but with the product of these conditions-the Negro himself.

* When the majority of the country could not live with the extremes of brutality they witnessed, political remedies were enacted and customs were altered. / These partial advances were, however, limited principally to the South and progress did not automatically spread throughout the nation. There was also little depth to the changes. White America stopped murder, but that is not the same thing as ordaining brotherhood; nor is the ending of lynch rule the same thing as inaugurating justice.

* Negroes could contain their rage when they found the means to force relatively radical changes in their environment. / In the North, on the other hand, street demonstrations were not even a mild expression of militancy. The turmoil of cities absorbs demonstrations as merely transitory drama which is ordinary in city life. Without a more effective tactic for upsetting the status quo, the power structure could maintain its intransigence and hostility.

* A profound judgment of today's riots was expressed by [[Victor Hugo]] a century ago. He said, 'If a soul is left in the darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but he who causes the darkness.' / The policymakers of the white society have caused the darkness; they create discrimination; they structured slums; and they perpetuate unemployment, ignorance and poverty. '''It is incontestable and deplorable that Negroes have committed crimes; but they are derivative crimes. They are born of the greater crimes of the white society.''' When we ask Negroes to abide by the law, let us also demand that the white man abide by law in the ghettos.

* The slums are the handiwork of a vicious system of the white society; Negroes live in them but do not make them any more than a prisoner makes a prison.

* The problem is deep. It is gigantic in extent, and chaotic in detail. And I do not believe that it will be solved until there is a kind of cosmic discontent enlarging in the bosoms of people of good will all over this nation.

====Address to Canada (1967)====
* It is a deep personal privilege to address a nation-wide Canadian audience. Over and above any kinship of U.S. citizens and Canadians as North Americans there is a singular historical relationship between American Negroes and Canadians. Canada is not merely a neighbor to Negroes. Deep in our history of struggle for freedom Canada was the north star. The Negro slave, denied education, de-humanized, imprisoned on cruel plantations, knew that far to the north a land existed where a fugitive slave if he survived the horrors of the journey could find freedom. The legendary underground railroad started in the south and ended in Canada. The freedom road links us together. Our spirituals, now so widely admired around the world, were often codes. We sang of "heaven" that awaited us and the slave masters listened in innocence, not realizing that we were not speaking of the hereafter. '''Heaven was the word for Canada''' and the Negro sang of the hope that his escape on the underground railroad would carry him there. One of our spirituals, "Follow the Drinking Gourd," in its disguised lyrics contained directions for escape. The gourd was the big dipper, and the north star to which its handle pointed gave the celestial map that directed the flight to the Canadian border.
** [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]], 1967 [[w:Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] [[w:Massey Lectures|Massey Lectures]], "Conscience for Change" in [https://read.amazon.ca/?asin=B00JBGJ1LI&ref_=dbs_t_r_kcr The Lost Massey Lectures]

==== A Christmas Sermon (1967) ====
:[http://www.ecoflourish.com/Primers/education/Christmas_Sermon.html Sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia] (24 December 1967)] · [http://www.thekingcenter.org/archive/document/christmas-sermon King Center archives document]

* '''Everyman is somebody because he is a child of God. And so when we say ''[[w:Thou shalt not kill|Thou shalt not kill]]'', we're really saying that human life is too sacred to be taken on the battlefields of the world. Man is more than a tiny vagary of whirling [[w:electrons|electrons]] or a wisp of smoke from a limitless smoldering. Man is a child of God, [[w:image of God|made in His image]], and therefore must be respected as such. Until men see this everywhere, until nations see this everywhere, we will be fighting wars. One day somebody should remind us that, even though there may be political and ideological differences between us, the [[Vietnam]]ese are our brothers, the [[Russia]]ns are our brothers, the [[China|Chinese]] are our brothers; and one day we've got to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. But in [[Christ]] there is neither [[Jew]] nor Gentile. In Christ there is neither [[male]] nor [[female]]. In Christ there is neither [[Communism|Communist]] nor [[Capitalism|Capitalist]]. In Christ, somehow, there is neither bound nor free. We are all one in Christ [[Jesus]]. And when we truly believe in the sacredness of human personality, we won't exploit people, we won't trample over people with the iron feet of oppression, we won't kill anybody.'''

* '''[[Christ]] came to show us the way. Men love darkness rather than the light, and they crucified Him, and there on Good Friday on the Cross it was still dark, bu the [[Easter]] came, and Easter is an eternal reminder of the fat that the truth-crushed [to] earth will rise again."'''

* '''We must either learn to live together as brothers or we are all going to perish together as fools.'''

==== The Drum Major Instinct (1968) ====
[[File:Barye - Thésée Minotaure.png|thumb|True greatness comes not by favoritism, but by fitness.]]
[[File:Londres The ten Christian Martyrs in Westminster Abbey (4988191958).jpg|thumb|We all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. ... And the great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct. It is a good instinct if you don't distort it and pervert it.]]
[[File:Vitro buckfast.jpg|thumb|If you want to be important — wonderful. If you want to be recognized — wonderful. If you want to be great — wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness. And [...] by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. [...] You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.]]
[[File:Martin_Luther_King_Jr_Coretta_Scott_King_Tomb.jpg|thumb|'I'd like somebody to mention that day, that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. I'd like for somebody to say that day, that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody. I want you to say that day, that I tried to be right on the [[w:Vietnam War|war question]]. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say, on that day, that I did try, in my life, to visit those who were in prison. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.]]
[[File:Garment workers listen to funeral service for MLK on portable radio April 8 1968.jpg|thumb|If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. ... I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that's all I want to say.]]

:[http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_the_drum_major_instinct/ Sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia] (4 February 1968) King's "Drum Major Instinct" sermon was an adaptation of the 1952 homily ''Drum-Major Instincts'' by J. Wallace Hamilton, a well-known, liberal, white Methodist preacher. King encouraged his congregation to seek greatness, but to do so through service and love. King concluded the sermon by imagining his own funeral, downplaying his famous achievements and emphasizing his heart to do right.

* '''And there is deep down within all of us an instinct. It's a kind of drum major instinct — a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first. And it is something that runs the whole gamut of life.'''

* '''We all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. ... And the great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct. It is a good instinct if you don't distort it and pervert it. Don't give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be the first in love. I want you to be the first in moral excellence. I want you to be the first in generosity.'''

* '''We like to do something good. And you know, we like to be praised for it.''' Now if you don't believe that, you just go on living life, and you will discover very soon that you like to be praised. Everybody likes it, as a matter of fact. And '''somehow this warm glow we feel when we are praised''' or when our name is in print '''is something of the vitamin A to our ego. Nobody is unhappy when they are praised, even if they know they don't deserve it and even if they don't believe it. The only unhappy people about praise is when that praise is going too much toward somebody else. But everybody likes to be praised because of this real drum major instinct.'''

* [...] '''the drum major instinct''' is real. And you know what else it causes to happen? It '''often causes us to live above our means.'''

* '''There comes a time that the drum major instinct can become destructive.''' And that's where I want to move now. '''I want to move to the point of saying that if this instinct is not harnessed, it becomes a very dangerous, pernicious instinct. For instance, if it isn't harnessed, it causes one's personality to become distorted. I guess that's the most damaging aspect of it: what it does to the personality. If it isn't harnessed, you will end up day in and day out trying to deal with your ego problem by boasting.''' Have you ever heard '''people''' that — you know, and I'm sure you've met them — that really '''become sickening because they just sit up all the time talking about themselves. And they just boast and boast and boast, and that's the person who has not harnessed the drum major instinct. And then it does other things to the personality. It causes you to lie about who you know sometimes. There are some people who are influence peddlers. And in their attempt to deal with the drum major instinct, they have to try to identify with the so-called big-name people. And if you're not careful, they will make you think they know somebody that they don't really know. They know them well, they sip tea with them, and they this-and-that. That happens to people.'''

* '''And the other thing is that it causes one to engage ultimately in activities that are merely used to get attention. Criminologists tell us that some people are driven to crime because of this drum major instinct. They don't feel that they are getting enough attention through the normal channels of social behavior, and so they turn to anti-social behavior in order to get attention, in order to feel important. And so they get that gun, and before they know it they robbed a bank in a quest for recognition, in a quest for importance.'''

* '''And then the final great tragedy of the distorted personality is the fact that when one fails to harness this instinct, he ends up trying to push others down in order to push himself up. And whenever you do that, you engage in some of the most vicious activities. You will spread evil, vicious, lying gossip on people, because you are trying to pull them down in order to push yourself up. And the great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct.'''

* The drum major instinct can lead to exclusivism in one's thinking and can lead one to feel that because he has some training, he's a little better than that person who doesn't have it. Or because he has some economic security, that he's a little better than that person who doesn't have it. And that's the uncontrolled, perverted use of the drum major instinct.

* '''True greatness comes not by favoritism, but by fitness.'''

* And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. '''If you want to be important — wonderful. If you want to be recognized — wonderful. If you want to be great — wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness.''' And this morning, the thing that I like about it: '''by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great,''' (Everybody) '''because everybody can serve.''' You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about [[Plato]] and [[Aristotle]] to serve. You don't have to know [[Einstein]]'s theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. '''You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.'''

* I know a man — and I just want to talk about him a minute, and maybe you will discover who I'm talking about as I go down the way because he was a [[great]] one. And he just went about serving. He was born in an obscure village, the child of a poor peasant woman. And then he grew up in still another obscure village, where he worked as a carpenter until he was thirty years old. Then for three years, he just got on his feet, and he was an itinerant preacher. And he went about doing some things. He didn't have much. He never wrote a [[book]]. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never owned a house. He never went to college. He never visited a big city. He never went two hundred miles from where he was born. He did none of the usual things that the world would associate with greatness. '''He had no credentials but himself.'''

* '''He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. They called him a rabble-rouser. They called him a troublemaker. They said he was an agitator. He practiced civil disobedience; he broke injunctions. And so he was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. And the [[irony]] of it all is that his friends turned him over to them. One of his closest friends denied him. Another of his friends turned him over to his enemies. And while he was dying, the people who killed him gambled for his clothing, the only possession that he had in the world. When he was dead he was buried in a borrowed tomb, through the pity of a friend.

* '''Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today he stands as the most influential figure that ever entered human history.''' All of the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned put together have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one solitary life. His name may be a familiar one. But today I can hear them talking about him. Every now and then somebody says, "He's King of Kings." And again I can hear somebody saying, "He's Lord of Lords." Somewhere else I can hear somebody saying, "In Christ there is no East nor West." And then they go on and talk about, "In Him there's no North and South, but one great Fellowship of Love throughout the whole wide world." '''He didn't have anything. He just went around serving and doing [[good]].'''

* This morning, you can be on his right hand and his left hand if you serve. It's the only way in.

* Every now and then I guess we all think realistically about that day when we will be victimized with what is life's final common denominator — that something we call [[death]]. We all think about it. And '''every now and then I think about my own death, and I think about my own funeral.''' And I don't think of it in a morbid sense. '''Every now and then I ask myself, "What is it that I would want said?"''' And I leave the word to you this morning. If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don't want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. Every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize, that isn't important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards, that's not important. Tell him not to mention where I went to school. '''I'd like somebody to mention that day, that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. I'd like for somebody to say that day, that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody. I want you to say that day, that I tried to be right on the [[w:Vietnam War|war question]]. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say, on that day, that I did try, in my life, to visit those who were in prison. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that's all I want to say.'''
** Paraphrased on the Stone of Hope in the [[w:Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial|Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial]] in Washington, DC as "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness." (Rachel Manteuffel, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/martin-luther-king-a-drum-major-if-you-say-so/2011/08/25/gIQAmmUkeJ_story.html "Martin Luther King a drum major? If you say so."] ''The Washington Post'', 25 August 2011) The monument plans used a correct and contextualized quote, but the lead architect and the sculptor altered it to use fewer words for visual appearance. (Rachel Manteuffel, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mlk-memorials-drum-major-quote-will-be-corrected-interior-secretary-says/2012/01/13/gIQAnjYvwP_story.html "Correcting the Martin Luther King memorial mistake",] ''The Washington Post'', 13 January 2012)

* Yes, Jesus, I want to be on your right or your left side, not for any selfish reason. I want to be on your right or your left side, not in terms of some political kingdom or ambition. But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so that we can make of this old world a new world.

==== ''The Other America'' (1968) ====
:[http://www.gphistorical.org/mlk/mlkspeech/index.htm Speech at Grosse Pointe High School] (March 14, 1968)

* I'm absolutely convinced that a riot merely intensifies the fears of the white community while relieving the guilt. And I feel that we must always work with an effective, powerful weapon and method that brings about tangible results. But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And '''I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard.''' And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity.

* '''I happen to be a pacifist but if I had had to make a decision about fighting a war against Hitler, I may have temporarily given up my pacifism and taken up arms.''' But nobody is to compare what is happening in Viet Nam today with that. I'm convinced that it is clearly an unjust war and it's doing so many things - not only on the domestic scene, it is carrying the whole world closer to nuclear annihilation.

==== I've Been to the Mountaintop (1968) ====
[[File:The Sun Studio at Night.jpg|thumb|Something is happening in Memphis, something is happening in our [[world]]. ... [[Trouble]] is in the [[land]]. Confusion all around. That's a [[strange]] statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the [[stars]].]]
[[File:MLK Bust Capitol.jpg|thumb|When [[people]] get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.]]
[[File:Martin Luther King memorial Westminster Abbey.jpg|thumb|Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together.]]
[[File:Genius Bar, SoHo Apple Store, September 2003.jpg|thumb|All we say to [[America]] is, "Be true to what you said on paper."]]
[[File:Martin_Luther_King_Jr_Coretta_Scott_King_Tomb.jpg|thumb|Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.]]
[[File:MLK Memorial dedication.jpg|thumb|Let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.]]
[[File:Sunset Solar Halo at Keys View of Joshua Tree National Park.jpg|thumb|We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. ... And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land.]]
:[http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/ive_been_to_the_mountaintop/ Speech delivered at Bishop Charles Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee] (3 April 1968)

* '''I'm delighted to see each of you here tonight in spite of a storm warning. You reveal that you are determined to go on anyhow. Something is happening in Memphis, something is happening in our world.'''

* As you know, if I were standing at the beginning of [[time]], with the possibility of general and panoramic view of the whole [[human]] [[history]] up to now, and the Almighty said to me, "Martin Luther King, which age would you like to live in?" — I would take my mental flight by Egypt through, or rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness on toward the promised land. And in spite of its magnificence, I wouldn't stop there. I would move on by [[Greece]], and take my mind to [[w:Mount_Olympus|Mount Olympus]]. And I would see [[Plato]], [[Aristotle]], [[Socrates]], [[Euripides]] and [[Aristophanes]] assembled around the [[w:Parthenon|Parthenon]] as they discussed the great and eternal issues of reality. But I wouldn't stop there. I would go on, even to the great heyday of the Roman Empire. And I would see developments around there, through various emperors and leaders. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even come up to the day of the [[Renaissance]], and get a quick picture of all that the Renaissance did for the cultural and esthetic life of man. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even go by the way that the man for whom I'm named had his habitat. And I would watch [[Martin Luther]] as he tacked his ninety-five theses on the door at the church in Wittenberg. But I wouldn't stop there. I would come on up even to 1863, and watch a vacillating president by the name of [[Abraham Lincoln]] finally come to the conclusion that he had to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even come up the early thirties, and see a man grappling with the problems of the bankruptcy of his nation. And come with [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|an eloquent cry that we have nothing to fear but fear itself]]. But I wouldn't stop there. Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, "If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the [[20th century|twentieth century]], I will be happy." Now that's a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. '''Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around. That's a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the [[stars]]. And I see [[God]] working in this period of the twentieth century in a way that men, in some strange way, are responding — something is happening in our [[world]].''' The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in [[w:Johannesburg|Johannesburg]], [[South Africa]]; [[w:Nairobi|Nairobi]], [[Kenya]]: [[w:Accra|Accra]], [[Ghana]]; [[New York City]]; [[w:Atlanta|Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]; [[w:Jackson,_Mississippi|Jackson]], [[Mississippi]]; or [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], [[Tennessee]] — the cry is always the same — "We want to be free."

* Another reason that I'm happy to live in this period is that we have been forced to a point where we're going to have to grapple with the problems that men have been trying to grapple with through history, but the demands didn't force them to do it. Survival demands that we grapple with them. Men, for years now, have been talking about war and peace. But now, no longer can they just talk about it. '''It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world; it's nonviolence or nonexistence.'''

* We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying that we are God's children. And that we don't have to live like we are forced to live.

* We've got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in [[Egypt]], he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh's court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that's the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let us maintain unity.

* '''When people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.'''

* We aren't going to let any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces; they don't know what to do.

* '''All we say to America is, "Be true to what you said on paper."''' If I lived in [[China]] or even [[Russia]], or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. And so just as I say, we aren't going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on.

* It's all right to talk about "long white robes over yonder," in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. It's all right to talk about "streets flowing with milk and honey," but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can't eat three square meals a day. It's all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God's preacher must talk about the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do.

* Now, we are poor people, individually, we are poor when you compare us with white society in America. We are poor. Never stop and forget that collectively, that means all of us together, collectively we are richer than all the nations in the world, with the exception of nine. Did you ever think about that? After you leave the United States, [[Soviet Union|Soviet Russia]], [[United Kingdom|Great Britain]], [[Germany|West Germany]], [[France]], and I could name the others, the Negro collectively is richer than most nations of the world. We have an annual income of more than thirty billion dollars a year, which is more than all of the exports of the United States, and more than the national budget of [[Canada]]. Did you know that? That's power right there, if we know how to pool it. We don't have to argue with anybody. We don't have to curse and go around acting bad with our words. We don't need any bricks and bottles, we don't need any Molotov cocktails, we just need to go around to these stores, and to these massive industries in our country, and say, "God sent us by here, to say to you that you're not treating his children right. And we've come by here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda — fair treatment, where God's children are concerned. Now, if you are not prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that we must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from you."

* '''Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together.'''

* '''Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.''' One day a man came to [[Jesus]]; and he wanted to raise some questions about some vital matters in life. At points, he wanted to trick Jesus, and show him that he knew a little more than Jesus knew, and through this, throw him off base. Now that question could have easily ended up in a philosophical and theological debate. But Jesus immediately pulled that question from mid-air, and placed it on a dangerous curve between [[Jerusalem]] and [[w:Jericho|Jericho]]. And he talked about a certain man, who fell among [[Theft|thieves]]. You remember that a Levite and a priest passed by on the other side. They didn't stop to help him. And finally a man of another race came by. He got down from his beast, decided not to be compassionate by proxy. But with him, administered first aid, and helped the man in need. Jesus ended up saying, this was the good man, because he had the capacity to project the "I" into the "thou," and to be concerned about his brother.

* I remember when Mrs. King and I were first in Jerusalem. We rented a car and drove from Jerusalem down to Jericho. And as soon as we got on that road, I said to my wife, "I can see why Jesus used this as a setting for his parable." It's a winding, meandering road. It's really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 1200 miles, or rather 1200 feet above sea level. And by the time you get down to Jericho, fifteen or twenty minutes later, you're about 2200 feet below sea level. That's a dangerous road. In the day of Jesus it came to be known as the "Bloody Pass." And you know, it's possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it's possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the first question that the Levite asked was, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the [[w:Parable of the Good Samaritan|Good Samaritan]] came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?".

* '''Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.''' And I want to thank God, once more, for allowing me to be here with you.

* You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first book that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up. The only question I heard from her was, "Are you Martin Luther King?" And I was looking down writing, and I said yes. And the next minute I felt something beating on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that's punctured, you drown in your own blood — that's the end of you. It came out in the ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' the next morning, that if I had sneezed, I would have died. Well, about four days later, they allowed me, after the operation, after my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to move around in the wheel chair in the hospital. They allowed me to read some of the mail that came in, and from all over the states, and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, but one of them I will never forget. I had received one from [[Lyndon B. Johnson|the President]] and [[Hubert Humphrey|the Vice-President]]. I've forgotten what those telegrams said. I'd received a visit and a letter from [[w:Nelson_A._Rockefeller|the Governor of New York]], but I've forgotten what the letter said. But there was another letter that came from a little girl, a young girl who was a student at the White Plains High School. And I looked at that letter, and I'll never forget it. It said simply, "Dear Dr. King: I am a ninth-grade student at the Whites Plains High School." She said, "While it should not matter, I would like to mention that I am a white girl. I read in the paper of your misfortune, and of your suffering. And I read that if you had sneezed, you would have died. And I'm simply writing you to say that I'm so happy that you didn't sneeze." And I want to say tonight, I want to say that I am happy that I didn't sneeze.

* If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around in 1962, when Negroes in [[w:Albany,_Georgia|Albany, Georgia]], decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs up, they are going somewhere, because a man can't ride your back unless it is bent. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, aroused the conscience of this nation, and brought into being the Civil Rights Bill. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have had a chance later that year, in August, to try to tell America about a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been down in Selma, Alabama, to see the great movement there. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been in Memphis to see a community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I'm so happy that I didn't sneeze.

* '''Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop.''' And I don't mind. '''Like any man, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land.''' And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. '''Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.'''

{{disputed begin}}

== Disputed ==
[[File:Mlk quote.jpg|thumb|"Justice runs down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream" on the Civil Rights Monument in Montgomery, Alabama; most of this quotation actually comes from Amos 5:24, which King himself had quoted.]]

* '''When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews, You are talking anti-Semitism!'''
** In a discussion at the home of [[w:Marty Peretz|Marty Peretz]] in Cambridge, Massachusetts (27 October 1967), as quoted in ''The Socialism of Fools : The Left, the Jews and Israel'' by [[w:Seymour Martin Lipset|Seymour Martin Lipset]] in ''[[w:Encounter (magazine)|Encounter]]'' magazine (December 1969), p. 24; in the anecdotal recounting of the incident Lipset writes:
:: One of the young men present happened to make some remark against the Zionists. Dr. King snapped at him and said, "'''Don't talk like that! When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You're talking anti-Semitism!'''"
:The accuracy and authenticity of this quote was disputed at [https://www.counterpunch.org/2004/01/17/the-use-and-abuse-of-martin-luther-king-jr-by-israel-s-apologists/ "The Use and Abuse of Martin Luther King Jr. by Israel's Apologists" by Fadi Kiblawi and Will Youmans at ''Counterpunch'' (17 January 2004)] and there is also said to be a speech attributed to King based on this quote which is a hoax, as well as a report which includes criticism of Wikiquote's labeling of this controversial quotation as "Disputed" in [https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/sorry-dr-king-did-not-consider-you-an-enlightened-anti-zionist_b_1091950 "Sorry, Dr. King Did Not Consider You an Enlightened Anti-Zionist. Deal With it."] by [[w:Douglas Anthony Cooper|Douglas Anthony Cooper]] at ''The Huffington Post'' (18 November 2011). Further corroboration of Lipset's account of such remarks by King has been made in research done by [[w:Martin Kramer|Martin Kramer]] posted in [http://www.martinkramer.org/sandbox/2012/03/in-the-words-of-martin-luther-king "In the words of Martin Luther King..." in his ''Sandbox'' (12 March 2012)]. In this he states that he wrote to [[w:Marty Peretz|Marty Peretz]] "to ask whether the much-quoted exchange did take place at his Cambridge home on that evening almost 45 years ago. His answer:''' 'Absolutely'.'''"

* '''To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing'''
** As quoted by George Sweeting (senior pastor at [[w:Moody Church|Moody Church]] and former President of the [[w:Moody Bible Institute|Moody Bible Institute]]), in ''[http://books.google.es/books?id=3U47r8goSvwC&q=%22To+be+a+Christian+without+prayer+is+no+more+possible+than+to+be+alive+without+breathing%22&dq=%22To+be+a+Christian+without+prayer+is+no+more+possible+than+to+be+alive+without+breathing%22&hl=es&sa=X&ei=zJ47UubGKKasyAHvuoDoCA&ved=0CDgQ6AEwATgK Talking it over]'' (Sep. 1, 1979), p. 88. and ''The Basics of the Christian Life'' (Aug 1, 1983), p. 83. No earlier sources are pointed out.

* '''The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind.'''
** "An eye for an eye leaves everybody blind" is of indefinite origin, but has been disputably attributed to various figures, including [[Mahatma Gandhi]]. This variant describing it as an "old law" is attributed to King in [http://books.google.com/books?id=irMxJS36904C&redir_esc=y ''The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.'', (2008)] by [[Coretta Scott King]], Second Edition ; it also occurs in the credits of Spike Lee's movie ''Do the Right Thing'' (1989).

{{Disputed end}}

{{Misattributed begin}}

==Misattributed==

* Justice runs down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
** A phrase used in many notable speeches by King, which is actually a quotation of [[w:Book of Amos|Amos]] 5:24 in the [[Bible]].

* Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.
** Protestant Reformation leader [[Martin Luther]] (King's namesake)

* Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.
** [[Martin Luther]]

* Peace and justice are goals for man.
** [[Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi|Mahatma Gandhi]]

* I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
** Mentioned in [http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/05/out-of-osamas-death-a-fake-quotation-is-born/238220/ "Out of Osama's Death, a Fake Quotation Is Born" by Megan McArdle, ''The Atlantic'' (May 2011)], and widely [http://twitter.com/#!/jmadly/status/65314784136011776 distributed on twitter] as a quote of King, after the death of [[Osama bin Laden]], the first sentence is one written by [http://i.imgur.com/cqtjw.jpg Jessica Dovey] on her Facebook page, which became improperly combined by others with genuine statements of King, whom she quoted, and which occur in ''Strength to Love'' (1963), Ch. 5 : Loving your enemies, and in ''Where Do We Go from Here : Chaos or Community?'' (1967), p. 62.
** For the full story see [http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/05/anatomy-of-a-fake-quotation/238257/ "Anatomy of a Fake Quotation" by Megan McArdle, ''The Atlantic'' (May 3, 2011)] and for the [http://skeptics.stackexchange.com Facebook version of the quote see Did Martin Luther King, Jr. say that "I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy"? at skeptics.stackexchange.com].

{{Misattributed end}}

==Quotes about Martin Luther King, Jr.==
[[File:Martin Luther King memorial during Allt ljus på Uppsala 2008-11-15.jpg|thumb|Martin Luther King Jr. held to the [[fact]] that an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth would end up with a [[blind]] [[society]] and a toothless generation. ~ [[Ralph Abernathy]] ]]
[[File:P38128-03-398h.jpg|thumb|I'm more determined than ever that my husband's [[dream]] will become a [[reality]]. ~ [[Coretta Scott King]] ]]
[[File:Nichelle_Nichols%2C_NASA_Recruiter_-_GPN-2004-00017.jpg|thumb|He (Martin Luther King Jr.) felt it was [[important]] that [[children]] of all [[races]] see an [[African American]] [[female]] appearing on [[television]] as an [[equal]]. ~ [[Nichelle Nichols]]]]
[[File:Martin Luther King - March on Washington.jpg|thumb|We rightly and best remember [[Martin Luther King, Jr.#I_Have_A_Dream_.281963.29|Dr. King's soaring oratory that day]], how he gave mighty voice to the quiet hopes of millions; how he offered a salvation path for oppressed and oppressors alike. His words belong to the ages, possessing a power and prophecy unmatched in our time. ~ [[Barack Obama]]]]
[[File:President Obama at MLK Memorial dedication.jpg|thumb|Dr. King was a man of flesh and blood and not a figure of [[stone]] that he inspires us so. His life, his story, tells us that [[change]] can come if you don't give up. ~ [[Barack Obama]]]]
[[File:Equal_symbol.svg|thumb|In his grave, we praise him for his decency - but when he walked amongst us, we responded with no decency of our own. When he suggested that all men should have a place in the sun - we put a special sanctity on the right of ownership and the privilege of prejudice by maintaining that to deny homes to Negroes was a democratic right. Now we acknowledge his compassion - but we exercised no compassion of our own. When he asked us to understand that men take to the streets out of anguish and hopelessness and a vision of that dream dying, we bought guns and speculated about roving agitators and subversive conspiracies and demanded law and order. We felt anger at the effects, but did little to acknowledge the causes. We extol all the virtues of the man - but we chose not to call them virtues before his death. '''And now, belatedly, we talk of this man's worth - but the judgement comes late in the day as part of a eulogy when it should have been made a matter of record while he existed as a living force. If we are to lend credence to our mourning, there are acknowledgements that must be made now, albeit belatedly. We must act on the altogether proper assumption that Martin Luther King asked for nothing but that which was his due... He asked only for equality, and it is that which we denied him.''' ~ [[Rod Serling]]]]
* '''Martin Luther King Jr. held to the [[fact]] that an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth would end up with a [[blind]] [[society]] and a toothless generation.'''
** [[Ralph Abernathy]], [http://repository.wustl.edu/concern/videos/ht24wm39b ''Eyes on the Prize'' interview with Callie Crossely, Atlanta, Georgia (6 November 1985)]

* He was always gracious and courteous to women, whether they were attractive to him or not. He had perfect manners. He was well educated. He was warm and friendly. He could make them laugh. He was good company, something that cannot always be said of heroes. These qualities made him even more attractive in close proximity than he was at a distance. Then, too, Martin's own love of women was apparent in ways that could not be easily pinpointed — but which women clearly sensed, even from afar.
** [[Ralph Abernathy]], ''And the Walls Came Tumbling Down: An Autobiography'' (1989), p. [https://books.google.ca/books?id=JFx2AAAAMAAJ 472], also quoted in [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/four-things-about-king/ "Four Things You Didn't Know About Martin Luther King, Jr." at ''Snopes.com'']

* There was a qualitative growth in Martin Luther King. To me, having just to see him grow from the American Civil Rights Movement, the passive resistance, the non-violent resistance, and to see him grow into one going to Africa, meeting with [[Kwame Nkrumah|Nkrumah]], returning, broadening his sight to include all oppressed people (which is why he was killed, of course), so that his [[w:Poor_People's_March|Poor People's March]] said, 'I want Black people, [[w:Poor_white|poor white]], [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], [[Mexican Americans|Mexican American]], [[Asian American]]; I want everybody who is poor, downtrodden and oppressed, come. We will sit in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]].'
** 1988 interview in ''Conversations with [[Maya Angelou]]'' (1989)

* I think that he was a magnificent spirit. He could only have happened in the United States. Although he was inspired by [[Mahatma Gandhi]] and [[Bertrand Russell]], he was an American phenomenon. He was a great spiritual leader and an extraordinary man.
** 1977 interview in ''Conversations with [[Maya Angelou]]'' (1989)

* Martin Luther King, Jr., more than any other public figure helped to solidify my ideas and inspired me to act upon them.
** [[Joan Baez]] ''And a Voice to Sing With'' (1989)

* It seemed a miracle that I would meet, and have the blessing to know and work with, one of the two saints of the phenomenon which had won my heart when I was barely sixteen years old: the concept of radical nonviolence, introduced to the world as a revolutionary political tool by [[Mahatma Gandhi]] in [[India]], and reintroduced now by Martin Luther King, Jr., in the United States of America.
** [[Joan Baez]] ''And a Voice to Sing With'' (1989)

* There is no way to verify the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]]'s information. It is not clear whether the agents involved were transcribing the true reality of King's private life, or creating idle gossip as part of their campaign against him. Alongside the tapes was the now-infamous, anonymous letter urging King to avoid embarrassment, with the words, "There is only one thing left for you to do. You know what it is. ... There is but one way out for you." It was delivered inside a manila envelope. The letter runs to more than 500 words, and claims to be from an African-American who supported the civil rights movement. In fact, it was written by the FBI.
** Bill Bostock, [https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-tapes-allege-mlk-watched-rape-2019-5 "55 years ago, the FBI tried to blackmail Martin Luther King Jr with a 'suicide' letter. This week, newly discovered documents finally explain the sordid origin of the plan." ''Business Insider'' (29 May 2019)]

* It wasn't a Republican who wiretapped and snooped on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but Democrats [[John F. Kennedy]] and his brother [[Robert F. Kennedy|Robert]], who signed the order as Attorney General.
** [[w:Bruce Bartlett|Bruce Bartlett]], in [https://books.google.com/books?id=vb3Mx7GqAmwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=isbn:9780230600621&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAGoVChMIi92Er-SPxwIVhnQ-Ch3plQCk#v=onepage&q&f=false ''Wrong on Race: The Democratic Party's Buried Past''] (8 January 2008), p. xi

* There is no way to verify the FBI's information. It is not clear whether the agents involved were transcribing the true reality of [[Martin Luther King Jr.|King]]'s private life, or creating idle gossip as part of their campaign against him. Alongside the tapes was the now-infamous, anonymous letter urging King to avoid embarrassment, with the words, "There is only one thing left for you to do. You know what it is. ... There is but one way out for you." It was delivered inside a manila envelope. The letter runs to more than 500 words, and claims to be from an African-American who supported the civil rights movement. In fact, it was written by the FBI.
** Bill Bostock, [https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-tapes-allege-mlk-watched-rape-2019-5 "55 years ago, the FBI tried to blackmail Martin Luther King Jr with a 'suicide' letter. This week, newly discovered documents finally explain the sordid origin of the plan."], ''Business Insider'', (29 May 2019)

* In this time of division and hatred, I’ve found myself returning time and again to Dr King’s words as a source of comfort and guidance, and a number of things have struck me. First is how overtly Christian the speech was, imbued throughout with biblical theology. Of course Dr King was a Baptist minister, so this is no surprise, but his faith was clearly central to everything he said and did and he wasn’t embarrassed, unlike most politicians and even senior clergy today, to make this plain. Second, far from wanting to destroy America, as many modern activists advocate, he wanted to build it up. He saw the “magnificent” words of the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence as a “promissory note” to deliver “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” to all Americans.For black Americans this had become a “bad cheque” that had come back marked “insufficient funds” and he saw it as nothing less than a sacred obligation on his fellow countrymen to put right this injustice.
** [https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/betrayal-martin-luther-kings-i-have-dream-speech-bill-carmichael-2881711 Bill Carmichael, in "The betrayal of Martin Luther King’s 'I Have a Dream' speech", ''The Yorkshire Post]'' (12 June 2020)

* Dr. King's policy was, if you are nonviolent, if you suffer, your opponent will see your suffering and will be moved to change his heart. That's very good. He only made one fallacious assumption. In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience. The United States has none.
**[[Stokely Carmichael]], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXQxyYllXnM&t=40 The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975]

* King used to say, "People think of me as a civil [[rights]] [[leader]], but fundamentally, I'm a Baptist preacher."
** Professor Clayborne Carson, Stanford University. 15 January 2007 n [http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Writings-show-King-as-liberal-Christian-2623685.php "Writings show King as liberal Christian" at SFGate'']

* My friends, the time for action is upon us. The enemies of justice wants you to think of [[Martin Luther King Jr.|Dr. King]] as only a [[civil rights]] leader, but he had a much broader agenda. He was a tireless crusader for the rights of the poor, for an end to the [[Vietnam War|war in Vietnam]] long before it was popular to take that stand, and for the rights of workers everywhere. Many people find it convenient to forget that Martin was murdered while supporting a desperate strike on that tragic day in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], [[Tennessee]]. He died while fighting for the rights of sanitation workers. Dr. King's dedication to the rights of the workers who are so often exploited by the forces of greed has profoundly touched my life and guided my struggle.
** [[Cesar Chavez]], ''Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'' (12 January 1990)

* He was very pure in mind and heart. He was a lover: a lover not only of his race but a lover of all mankind. His heart was so broad, so great, so magnanimous, and this gave him a most sincere feeling of absolute oneness with everyone. This is what made him so divinely great.
** [[Sri Chinmoy]], ''America the Beautiful'' (2010)

* There is a [[reason]] that I require all new agents and analysts to [[study]] the FBI's interaction with Dr. [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]], and to visit [[w:Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial|his memorial]] in [[w:Washington, D.C.|Washington]] as part of their [[training]]. And there is a reason I keep on my desk a copy of [[Attorney General]] [[Robert F. Kennedy|Robert Kennedy]]'s approval of [[J. Edgar Hoover]]'s request to [[w:Wiretapping|wiretap]] Dr. King. It is a single page. The entire application is five sentences long, it is without [[fact]] or substance, and is predicated on the naked assertion that there is "[[communist]] influence in the [[racial]] situation." The reason I do those things is to ensure that we [[remember]] our [[mistakes]] and that we [[learn]] from them.
** [[James Comey]], [http://www.fbi.gov/news/speeches/hard-truths-law-enforcement-and-race "Hard Truths: Law Enforcement and Racism"] (12 February 2015), Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

* In the way we think about past movements, I encourage people to look beyond heroic male figures. While Martin Luther King is someone I revere, I don't like to allow his representation to erase the contributions of ordinary people. The 1955 Montgomery bus boycott was successful because Black women, domestic workers, refused to ride the bus.
** 2014 interview in ''Conversations with [[Angela Davis]]'' Edited by Sharon Lynette Jones (2021)

* Martin Luther King is dead now, but he left a legacy. He planted in all of us, black and white, the seeds of love of justice, of decency, of honor, and we must not fail to have these seeds bear fruit. Martin Luther King is dead now, and there is only time for action. The time for debate, the time for blame, the time for accusation is over. Ours is a clear call to action. We must not only dedicate ourselves to great principles, but we must apply those principles to our lives. Martin Luther King is dead now, and he is because he dared believe in nonviolence in a world of violence. Because he dared believe in peace in a world of conflict. He is dead now because he challenged all of us to believe in his dream. Martin Luther King is dead now, and we cannot allow the substance of his dream to turn into the ashes of defeat. If we are to build a tribute to what he stood for, we must, each of us, stand for the same things.
** [[David Dinkins]] anthologized in ''Remembrances and Celebrations'' edited by Jill Werman Harris (2000)

* A lot of people are waiting for Martin Luther King or [[Mohandas K. Gandhi|Mahatma Gandhi]] to come back — but they are gone. We are it. It is up to us. It is up to you.
** [[w:Marian Wright Edelman|Marian Wright Edelman]], as quoted in ''The Art of Winning Commitment : 10 Ways Leaders Can Engage Minds, Hearts, And Spirits'' (2004) by Dick Richards, p. 11

* In Montgomery, Alabama, [[w:Jonah Edelman|Jonah]] and I went to the Civil Rights Memorial, and then we walked around to Dexter Baptist Church and went up into Martin's pulpit. I'd forgotten what a little place it was. We looked out from the little pulpit in that little church and talked about how something so big started from a place so small. Just a lot of committed people of faith in church on one side of the street, and all the power of Alabama in the state capitol right across the street. As a young lawyer, I used to listen to Dr. King in chapel at Spelman College. One of the thngs I liked about him was that he didn't pretend to be a great powerful know-it-all. I remember him discussing openly his gloom, depression, his fears, admitting that he didn't know what the next step was. He would then say: ''"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."''
** [[Marian Wright Edelman]], as quoted in ''[[w:Marian Wright Edelman|Mother Jones Magazine]]'' [http://books.google.com.mx/books?id=IecDAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Take+the+first+step+in+faith.+You+don%27t+have+to+see+the+whole+staircase%2C+just+take+the+first+step.%22&q=%22Take+the+first+step+in+faith.+You+don%27t+have+to+see+the+whole+staircase%2C+just+take+the+first+step.%22#v=snippet&q=%22Take%20the%20first%20step%20in%20faith.%20You%20don't%20have%20to%20see%20the%20whole%20staircase%2C%20just%20take%20the%20first%20step.%22&f=false May-Jun 1991. Vol. 16, No. 3. p. 77].

* How many know that Dr. King, with a phraseology reminiscent of the biblical prophets, also said, “This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism?” Or, “There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, ‘When will you be satisfied?’”... The “I Have a Dream Speech” speech reads like an activists’ wake up alarm. Tens of thousands of grassroots activists worked hard to win this president’s reelection. With Obama’s inauguration in a few weeks, can we revitalize the profound calling in Kings’ speech to really tackle the struggles we face today — a polarized Congress, a Tea Party-infused Republican right, high unemployment, a regressive attack on women’s rights to our own bodies, a decades-long epidemic of gun violence in our inner cities, a fragmented healthcare system? In the second term of our first black presidency, can we not just honor Dr. King’s words as history, but infect ourselves with his passion for creating the change we believe in? Along with losing weight and exercising more, make a political New Year’s resolution this year. But first, for inspiration and vision, read Dr. King’s speech.
** Ellen Freudenheim, [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mlk-day-obama-inauguration_b_2393642 "Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream Speech’ Turns 50 in 2013; Obama Inauguration on MLK Day"], ''Huffington Post'' (2 January 2013)

* Dr. King's birthday is a celebration of his [[life]] and [[values]], but it is more than that. The slogan 'A Day On, Not A Day Off' is very important. [[w:Martin Luther King Jr. Day|MLK Day]] is a day of [[learning]], [[commitment]] and [[service]], and I [[hope]] a great many [[students]] get involved.
** Gloria Gibson, [http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/198.html "Civil Rights Commission chair highlights celebration of Martin Luther King's life"], ''Indiana University'', (January 15, 2002).

* Hitherto unseen FBI surveillance records reviewed by King biographer David J. Garrow in 2019 surfaced shocking allegations about [[Martin Luther King Jr.|King]]'s personal life that are in stark contrast to his reputation as an icon of social justice and Christian morality. Apart from more graphic details about numerous extramarital affairs, these documents allege King participated in the rape and sexual abuse of a female parishioner by a fellow minister. "King looked on, laughed and offered advice," during the rape, according to the files. Evidence about King's true character as revealed in these FBI records has been excluded from the hagiographic treatment of his legacy embraced by Democrats and Republicans alike. Indeed, the latter seem most willing to ignore the more unsavory parts of his story to serve their own ends.
** Pedro Gonzalez, [https://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/blog/the-sordid-legacy-of-dr--king/ "The Sordid Legacy of Dr. King"], ''Chronicles'', 17 January 2022

* While Republicans and Democrats have been able to selectively quote King to fit their policy and propaganda needs, what may soon be indisputable is his reputation as the vilest kind of abuser, as revealed by Garrow's 2019 research. Garrow is no right-winger eager to trash King's reputation. On the contrary, Garrow is a democratic socialist, who won a Pulitzer Prize for an earlier glowing biography of Dr. King. Garrow spent weeks poring over never-before-seen FBI documents, publishing his shocking findings in the British magazine Standpoint. They reveal the agency's surveillance of King in new detail, which began due to his connection to Stanley D. Levison, a New York attorney with Communist Party ties, who gave King $10,000 in cash over two years, or nearly $90,000 in 2021 dollars. Garrow reviewed one report showing that King's friend, Logan Kearse, the pastor of Baltimore's Cornerstone Baptist Church, brought several of his female "parishioners" to Washington. He offered King and his friends an introduction. "The group met in his room and discussed which women among the parishioners would be suitable for natural or unnatural sex acts," the report states. "When one of the women protested that she did not approve of this, the Baptist minister immediately and forcibly raped her." King "looked on, laughed and offered advice" as the minister raped the parishioner. Garrow added that the agents who captured the incident on a microphone-transmitted tape-recording "would not have had any apparent motive … to inaccurately embellish upon the actual recording and its full transcript."
** Pedro Gonzalez, [https://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/blog/the-sordid-legacy-of-dr--king/ "The Sordid Legacy of Dr. King"], ''Chronicles'', 17 January 2022

* Our dream ticket would have been one consisting of [[Martin Luther King]] and [[Benjamin Spock]], linking the issues of civil rights and peace.
** [[Dorothy Ray Healey]] ''California Red: A Life in the American Communist Party'' (1990)

* If there is one thing that captures popular understanding of the [[Jewish]] community's relationship to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., it's an image from Selma, 1965. Rabbi [[Abraham Joshua Heschel]] links arms with a line of activists that include Rev. King, a shoulder's breadth away, on their historic [[w:Selma to Montgomery marches|march to Montgomery]]. Heschel's comments afterward have taken on a similarly iconic status: "I felt my feet were [[praying]]."
** Eric Herschthal, [http://www.thejewishweek.com/arts/herschthal_arts/king_and_jews_beyond_heschel "King And The Jews — Beyond Heschel"], ''The Jewish Week'' (11 January 2011)

* In a private letter written to [[w:Morris Berthold Abram|Morris Abram]], president of the American Jewish Committee and a longtime King supporter, King wrote that "[[Israel]]'s right to exist as a state in security is incontestable." It is less often noted that King also stressed the need to develop the Arab world in order to prevent future conflicts. Or that he urged for greater understanding for what he believed was the root cause of the Arab world's [[anger]]. As he wrote to Abram in that same letter: "The great powers have the obligation to recognize the Arab world is in a state of imposed [[poverty]] and backwardness that must threaten [[peace]] and [[harmony]]."
** Eric Herschthal, [http://www.thejewishweek.com/arts/herschthal_arts/king_and_jews_beyond_heschel "King And The Jews — Beyond Heschel"], ''The Jewish Week'' (11 January 2011)

* The whole future of America will depend upon the impact and influence of Dr. King.
** [[w:Abraham Joshua Heschel|Abraham Joshua Heschel]], "Conversation with Martin Luther King", ''Conservative Judaism XXII'', no. 3 (Spring 1968)

* Schools across the country celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Day today... Many schools show his historic “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial, a speech given before hundreds of thousands... Dr. King’s commitment provides a wonderful example for all of us, but particularly for the young. By the wisdom of his teaching, the justice of his cause, the intensity of his commitment, he helped transform America. Today, Dr. King’s example is more important than ever. Inequality has reached new extremes. We have a president that purposefully rouses racial and ethnic fears and divisions. Politics has become bitter, partisan, and increasingly marked by extreme and often hateful rhetoric. We are spending more and more on the Pentagon—already the largest military budget by far in the world—and cutting back on programs for the vulnerable, everything from food stamps, to Medicaid, to public housing and aid for poor schools and students. We end up with guided missiles and misguided young people—a tragic waste. Today, a new P[[Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival|Poor People’s Campaign]] is building, organizing lines of race, region, and religion. It has been marching on state legislatures and now is increasing pressure on Washington. It is not about right or left, but about right and wrong. Dr. King called on us to express the better angels of our souls. Now, as we celebrate his life, we would do well to put his lessons into practice.
** [[Jesse Jackson]] [https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/01/20/dr-king-called-us-express-better-angels-our-souls Dr. King Called On Us to Express the Better Angels of Our Souls ''Chicago Sun Times, via Common Dreams'' (20 January 2020)]

* Dr. King was a union man, and the Amazon workers of Bessemer saw themselves as following in his footsteps on the long road toward justice.
** [[Kim Kelly (journalist)]] ''Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor'' (2022)

* Martin Luther King is really a tricky person. ... I just can't see a picture of Martin Luther King without thinking, you know, that man's terrible.
** [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis|Jacqueline Kennedy]], 1964, as quoted in ''Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy'' (2011)

* I'm more determined than ever that my husband's [[dream]] will become a [[reality]].
** [[Coretta Scott King]],as quoted in ''A Wonderful Life: 50 Eulogies to Lift the Spirit'' (2006), edited by Cyrus Copeland, p. 76

* [[Martin Luther King]]’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered at the 28 August 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, synthesized portions of his previous sermons and speeches, with selected statements by other prominent public figures... As King and his advisors prepared his speech for the conclusion of the 1963 march, he solicited suggestions for the text. Clarence Jones offered a metaphor for the unfulfilled promise of constitutional rights for African Americans, which King incorporated into the final text: “America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned”... King recalled that he did not finish the complete text of the speech until 3:30 A.M. on the morning of 28 August. Later that day, King stood at the podium overlooking the gathering. Although a typescript version of the speech was made available to the press on the morning of the march, King did not merely read his prepared remarks. He later recalled: “I started out reading the speech, and I read it down to a point … the audience response was wonderful that day…. And all of a sudden this thing came to me that … I’d used many times before.... ‘I have a dream.’ And I just felt that I wanted to use it here … I used it, and at that point I just turned aside from the manuscript altogether. I didn’t come back to it” (King, 29 November 1963).
** [https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/i-have-dream The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University]

* ("Can you think of a usable term that approximates the social notion of conquest and is still rooted in pacifism?") Kingston: Well, I guess Martin Luther King Jr. said "overcome, we shall overcome." That's a lovely word "overcome." It's coming home, and over means going high and flying above. That's very nice.
** Interview in ''Conversations with [[Maxine Hong Kingston]]'' (1998)

* In U.S. historiography, as in American popular culture, historians have tended to over-emphasize the role of the individual in history. Great men are identified as founders and leaders; they become the virtual representatives of the movement: [[William Lloyd Garrison]] for abolition, [[Eugene Debs]] for the socialist movement, Martin Luther King Jr. for the civil rights movement. In fact, no mass movement of any significance is carried forward by and dependent upon one leader, or one symbol. There are always leaders of subgroups, of local and regional organizations, competing leaders representing differing viewpoints, and, of course, the ground troops of anonymous activists. And, as can be shown in each of the above cases, emphasis on the "great man" omits women, minorities, many of the actual agents of social change. In so doing it gives a partial, an erroneous picture of how social change was actually achieved in the past and thereby fosters apathy and confusion about how social change can be made in the present.
** [[Gerda Lerner]] ''Living With History / Making Social Change'' (2009)

* One of the great accomplishments of Martin Luther King (and apologies for invoking him, since it has become so banal) is that he managed to bring prejudiced people to his side. Attitudes in the South toward blacks and their place in society were changed by viewing well-dressed men and women attacked by dogs and blasted by fire hoses. The starry-eyed might claim that prejudice was thereby eliminated, and in many cases that was surely true. But a more modest view is that many people, ''still maintaining antipathy toward black Americans'', found the visuals to be repellent. They didn’t like King and his supporters, but they disliked what they saw even more. Such thinking, that humans frequently have to select between two bad choices, is part and parcel of the [[Conservatism|right-wing]] view of humanity and seems a far more realistic explanation of human behavior than the idea that [[prejudice]] was or can be somehow totally or even largely expunged from a culture grounded in it.
** [[Michael Malice]], ''The New Right: A Journey to the Fringe of American Politics'' (2019)

* Let the strivings of us all, prove Martin Luther King Jr. to have been correct, when he said that humanity can no longer be tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war. Let the efforts of us all, prove that he was not a mere dreamer when he spoke of the beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace being more precious than diamonds or silver or gold. Let a new age dawn!
** [[Nelson Mandela]], ''Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Address'' (10 December 1993)

* Martin Luther King was an exponent of nonviolence. Nevertheless, the [[American imperialism|U.S. imperialists]] did not on that account show any tolerance toward him, but used counter-revolutionary violence and killed him in cold blood.
** [[Mao Zedong]], "A New Storm Against Imperialism" (16 April 1968)

* We can be slow as well to give greatness its due, a mistake I made myself long ago when I voted against a federal holiday in memory of Dr. King. I was wrong. I was wrong. And eventually realized that, in time to give full support for a state holiday in Arizona. I'd remind you we can all be a little late sometimes in doing the right thing, and Dr. King understood this about his fellow Americans.
** [[John McCain]], [https://inkslwc.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/mccain-was-wrong-voting-against-martin-luther-king-holiday-how-other-congressional-members-voted/ Speech at National Civil Rights Museum] (4 April 2008), Memphis, Tennessee

* Then, as now, getting arrested or jailed or associated with criminality in any fashion, whether in a hoodie or a suit and tie, was bound to upset the political establishment. When [[Black Lives Matter]] activists blocked traffic and engaged in other acts of mass civil disobedience, many white liberals and older black activists charged that King wouldn’t have approved of the type of disruption these protests caused. While the likes of King and [[Rosa Parks]] are now celebrated for their acts of defiance, their protests were no less controversial at the time, even within the civil-rights movement.
** [[Bree Newsome]], [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/02/bree-newsome-generation-gap/552554/ "The Civil-Rights Movement’s Generation Gap"], ''The Atlantic'' (2018)

* He (Martin Luther King Jr.) felt it was [[important]] that [[children]] of all [[races]] see an [[African American]] [[female]] appearing on [[television]] as an [[equal]].
** [[Nichelle Nichols]], [http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2012/09/08/interview-star-treks-nichelle-nichols-talks-about-her-famous-kiss-with-captain-kirk "Interview: Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols On Uhura’s Groundbreaking Kiss With Captain Kirk"], ''The Geeks of Doom'', (September 8, 2012).

* Unlike the others commemorated in this place, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was not a president of the United States — at no [[time]] in his [[life]] did he hold public office. He was not a [[hero]] of foreign [[wars]]. He never had much [[money]], and while he lived he was reviled at least as much as he was celebrated. By his own accounts, he was a man frequently racked with [[doubt]], a man not without flaws, a man who, like [[Moses]] before him, more than once questioned why he had been chosen for so arduous a task — the task of leading a people to [[freedom]], the task of healing the festering wounds of a nation's original [[sin]]. And yet lead a nation he did. Through [[words]] he gave [[voice]] to the voiceless. Through deeds he gave [[courage]] to the faint of [[heart]]. By dint of [[vision]], and determination, and most of all [[faith]] in the redeeming power of [[love]]. he endured the humiliation of arrest, the loneliness of a [[prison]] cell, the constant threats to his life, until he finally inspired a nation to transform itself, and begin to live up to the [[meaning]] of its creed. Like [[Moses]] before him, he would never live to see the Promised Land. But from the [[mountain]] top, he pointed the way for us — a land no longer torn asunder with racial hatred and ethnic strife, a land that measured itself by how it treats the least of these, a land in which strength is defined not simply by the capacity to wage war but by the determination to forge peace — a land in which all of [[God]]'s children might come together in a [[spirit]] of [[brotherhood]]. We have not yet arrived at this longed for place. For all the [[progress]] we have made, there are times when the land of our [[dreams]] recedes from us — when we are lost, wandering spirits, content with our [[suspicions]] and our [[angers]], our long-held grudges and petty disputes, our frantic diversions and tribal allegiances. And yet, by erecting this monument, we are reminded that this different, better place beckons us, and that we will find it not across distant hills or within some hidden valley, but rather we will find it somewhere in our [[hearts]].
** [[Barack Obama]], address at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Groundbreaking Ceremony (13 November 2006)

* It is right for us to celebrate Dr. King's marvelous oratory, but it is worth remembering that [[progress]] did not come from words alone. Progress was hard. Progress was purchased through enduring the smack of billy clubs and the blast of fire hoses. It was bought with days in jail cells and nights of bomb threats. For every victory during the height of the [[w:African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968)|civil rights movement]], there were setbacks and there were defeats. We forget now, but during his life, Dr. King wasn't always considered a unifying figure. Even after rising to prominence, even after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. King was vilified by many, denounced as a rabble-rouser and an agitator, a [[communist]] and a [[radical]].
** [[Barack Obama]]'s [http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=96905&st=&st1=#axzz1uaMPaFY3 remarks at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Dedication at The National Mall in Washington, D.C.], (16 October 2011)

* If he were alive today, I believe he would remind us that the unemployed worker can rightly challenge the excesses of Wall Street without demonizing all who work there, that the businessman can enter tough negotiations with his company's union without vilifying the right to collectively bargain. He would want us to know we can argue fiercely about the proper size and role of [[government]] without questioning each other's [[love]] for this [[country]], with the [[knowledge]] that in this [[democracy]], government is no distant object, but is rather an expression of our common commitments to one another. He would call on us to assume the best in each other rather than the worst and challenge one another in ways that ultimately heal rather than wound. In the end, that's what I [[hope]] my daughters take away from this monument. I want them to come away from here with a [[faith]] in what they can accomplish when they are determined and working for a righteous cause. I want them to come away from here with a faith in other people and a faith in a benevolent [[God]]. This sculpture, massive and iconic as it is, will remind them of Dr. King's strength, but to see him only as larger than life would do a disservice to what he taught us about ourselves. He would want them to know that he had setbacks, because they will have setbacks. He would want them to know that he had doubts, because they will have doubts. He would want them to know that he was flawed, because all of us have flaws. It is precisely because Dr. King was a man of flesh and blood and not a figure of stone that he inspires us so. His life, his story, tells us that change can come if you don't give up. He would not give up, no matter how long it took, because in the smallest hamlets and the darkest slums, he had witnessed the highest reaches of the human spirit; because in those moments when the struggle seemed most hopeless, he had seen men and women and children conquer their fear; because he had seen hills and mountains made low and rough places made plain, and the crooked places made straight and God make a way out of no way. And that is why we honor this man — because he had faith in us. And that is why he belongs on this [[w:National Mall|Mall]], because he saw what we might become.
** [[Barack Obama]]'s remarks at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Dedication at The National Mall in Washington, D.C. (16 October 2011)

* We rightly and best remember [[Martin Luther King, Jr.#I_Have_A_Dream_.281963.29|Dr. King's soaring oratory that day]], how he gave mighty voice to the quiet hopes of millions; how he offered a salvation path for oppressed and oppressors alike. His words belong to the ages, possessing a power and prophecy unmatched in our time.
** [[Barack Obama]]'s [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/08/28/remarks-president-let-freedom-ring-ceremony-commemorating-50th-anniversa Remarks at the "Let Freedom Ring" Ceremony Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington], Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. (August 28, 2013)

* Boy, it sure burns me to have a national holiday for that pro-communist philanderer Martin Luther King. I voted against this outrage time and time again as a Congressman. What an infamy that [[Ronald Reagan]] approved it! We can thank him for our annual Hate Whitey Day.
** {{citation
| year = 1990
| month = February
| title = The Coming Race War
| periodical = Ron Paul Political Report
| page = 7
| url = http://www.tnr.com/sites/default/files/February1990.pdf
}}, quoted in {{citation
| date = 2012-01-08
| title = Ron Paul Did Not Vote for MLK Day
| first = Ta-Nehisi
| last = Coates
| journal = The Root
| url = http://www.theroot.com/buzz/ron-paul-did-not-vote-mlk-day
}}

* He was also a comsymp, if not an actual party member, and the man who replaced the evil of forced segregation with the evil of forced integration. King, the FBI files show, was not only a world-class adulterer, he also seduced underage girls and boys. The Re. Ralph David Abernathy revealed before his death that King had made a pass at him many years before. And we are supposed to honor this "Christian minister" and lying [[socialist]] satyr with a holiday that puts him on a par with [[George Washington]]?
** {{citation
| year = 1990
| month = December
| periodical = Ron Paul Political Report
| page = 8
| url = http://www.tnr.com/sites/default/files/PR_Dec90_p8.pdf
}}, quoted in {{citation
| date = 2011-12-23
| title = TNR Exclusive: A Collection of Ron Paul's Most Incendiary Newsletters
| journal = New Republic
| url = http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/98883/ron-paul-incendiary-newsletters-exclusive}}

* With the election behind us, our country turns hopeful eyes to the future. I have a few hopes of my own. I congratulate our first African-American president-elect. Martin Luther King, Jr. certainly would be proud to see this day. We are stronger for embracing diversity, and I am hopeful that we can continue working through the tensions and wrongs of the past and become a more just and colorblind society. I hope this new administration will help bring us together, and not further divide us. I have always found that freedom is the best way to break down barriers. A free society emphasizes the importance of individuals, and not because they are part of a certain group. That's the only way equal justice can be achieved.
** [[Ron Paul]], as quoted in [https://web.archive.org/web/20120119202026/http://www.ronpaularchive.com/2008/11/hopes-for-the-future/ ''Hopes For the Future''] (November 2008)

* Dr. King touched all the themes of the day, only better than anybody else. He was full of the symbolism of Lincoln and Gandhi, and the cadences of the Bible. He was both militant and sad, and he sent the crowd away feeling that the long journey had been worthwhile.
** [[James Reston]], on his "[[w:I Have a Dream|I Have a Dream]]" speech, as quoted by [https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/i-have-dream The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University], Quoting from Reston's “‘I Have a Dream…’: Peroration by Dr. King Sums Up a Day the Capital Will Remember,” ''New York Times'' (29 August 1963)

* The laudable move away from lavishing attention solely on charismatic leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. to giving credit to behind-the-scenes Black women catalysts like [[Ella Baker]] has created more space for examining the contributions of Black and white women on the ground.
** Debra L. Schultz ''Going South: Jewish Women in the Civil Rights Movement'' (2002)

* In his grave, we praise him for his decency - but when he walked amongst us, we responded with no decency of our own. When he suggested that all men should have a place in the sun - we put a special sanctity on the right of ownership and the privilege of prejudice by maintaining that to deny homes to Negroes was a democratic right. Now we acknowledge his compassion - but we exercised no compassion of our own. When he asked us to understand that men take to the streets out of anguish and hopelessness and a vision of that dream dying, we bought guns and speculated about roving agitators and subversive conspiracies and demanded law and order. We felt anger at the effects, but did little to acknowledge the causes. We extol all the virtues of the man - but we chose not to call them virtues before his death. '''And now, belatedly, we talk of this man's worth - but the judgement comes late in the day as part of a eulogy when it should have been made a matter of record while he existed as a living force. If we are to lend credence to our mourning, there are acknowledgements that must be made now, albeit belatedly. We must act on the altogether proper assumption that Martin Luther King asked for nothing but that which was his due... He asked only for equality, and it is that which we denied him.'''
** [[Rod Serling]], excerpt from a letter to ''The Los Angeles Times'' in response to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr (8 April 1968)

* In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. cautioned us about adding "deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars." He wrote that darkness cannot drive out darkness, that hate cannot drive out hate, and he reminded us that only love can do that. Thirty years later, [[Octavia E. Butler]] wrote in her novel Parable of the Sower that our "destiny is to take root among the stars." The activist and the artist seem at first to have been engaged in markedly different lifework, yet they embraced a shared dream for the future. Their work is linked by faith and a fusion of spiritual teachings and social consciousness, a futuristic social gospel. In its essence, social justice work, which King embodied and Butler expressed so skillfully in her novels and stories, is about love-a love that has the best hopes and wishes for humanity at heart.
** [[Sheree Thomas]] ''Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements'' (2015)

* I believe Doctor King was a Republican. Most of the blacks in the late 1950s and at least up to 1960 were Republican. Our party was sympathetic to them and the Democrats were the ones enforcing 'Jim Crow' laws and segregation.
** [[w:Fletcher Thompson|Fletcher Thompson]], as quoted by John Gizzi in [http://www.newsmax.com/US/martin-luther-king-republican/2013/09/01/id/523296/ "Registration Unknown, Martin Luther King Was Likely Republican"], ''NewsMax'', (1 September 2013)

* In [[Donald Trump|Donald]]'s mind, even acknowledging an inevitable threat would indicate weakness. Taking responsibility would open him up to blame. Being a hero- being good- is impossible for him. The same could be said of his handling of the [[w:2020_United_States_racial_unrest|worst civil unrest since the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.]] This is another crisis in which it would have been so easy for Donald to triumph, but his ignorance overwhelms his ability to turn to his advantage the third national catastrophe to occur on his watch. An effective response would have entailed a call for unity, but Donald requires division. It is the only way he knows how to survive- [[w:Fred_Trump|my grandfather]] ensured that decades ago when he turned his children against each other.
** [[Mary L. Trump]], ''Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man'' (2020), p. 210

*King never confined himself to being solely the leader of black America—even though the white press attempted to do so.
**[[Cornel West]] ''Race Matters'' (1993)

* Most people think King would be the last person to own a gun. Yet in the mid-1950s, as the civil rights movement heated up, King kept firearms for self-protection. In fact, he even applied for a permit to carry a concealed weapon. A recipient of constant death threats, King had armed supporters take turns guarding his home and family. He had good reason to fear that the Klan in Alabama was targeting him for assassination.
** Adam Winkler, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-winkler/mlk-and-his-guns_b_810132.html "MLK and His Guns"], ''Huffington Post'', (Jan 17, 2011)

* The white man pays Reverend Martin Luther King, subsidizes Reverend Martin Luther King, so that Reverend Martin Luther King can continue to teach the Negroes to be defenseless—that's what you mean by nonviolent—to be defenseless in the face of one of the most cruel beasts that have ever taken a people into captivity. That's the American white man. And they have proven it throughout the country by the police dogs and the police clubs. A hundred years ago they used to put on a white sheet and use a bloodhound against Negroes. Today they've taken off the white sheet and put on police uniforms, they've traded in the bloodhounds for police dogs, and they're still doing the same thing. And just as Uncle Tom, back during slavery, used to keep the Negroes from resisting the bloodhound, or resisting the [[Ku Klux Klan]], by teaching them to love their enemy, or pray for those who use them spitefully, today Martin Luther King is just a 20th century or modern Uncle Tom, or a religious Uncle Tom, who is doing the same thing today, to keep Negroes defenseless in the face of an attack, that Uncle Tom did on the plantation to keep those Negroes defenseless in the face of the attacks of the Klan in that day.
** [[Malcolm X]], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4PqLKWuwyU interviewed] by Kenneth Clark, ''PBS'', (1963)

* With $800 of SCLC money, the prestige of Martin Luther King, the organizing wisdom of [[Ella Baker]], and the enthusiasm of the rare young people who were leading the new student movement, the [[Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee]] was born.
** [[Howard Zinn]] ''SNCC: The New Abolitionists'' (1964)

==See also==
* [[Black Lives Matter]]
* [[H.R. 40 - Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act]]
* [[Malcolm X]]
* [[Racism in the United States]]
* [[Reparations for slavery]]

==External links==
{{wikipedia}}
{{wikisource author}}
{{commonscat}}
* [https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm "I have a Dream" speech (28 August 1963)] (available via [https://www.americanrhetoric.com/ American Rhetoric] website)
* [http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm "Beyond Vietnam" speech (4 April 1967)] (available via [https://www.americanrhetoric.com/ American Rhetoric] website)
* [https://archive.org/details/knockatmidnighti00king/ A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.] by Martin Luther King, Jr., Clayborne Carson, and Peter Holloran, 1998. Available via [[w:controlled digital lending|controlled digital lending]] at [https://archive.org/ Internet Archive]. Full text of "The American Dream", "Guidelines for a Constructive Church", "Why Jesus Called Man a Fool", "The Drum Major Instinct", and others.
* [https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia Martin Luther King, Jr. Encyclopedia] available from the [https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/ King Institute at Stanford University]. Note that some content is not readily available to the general public such as the full text for "The Drum Major Instinct" speech.
* [http://okra.stanford.edu/transcription/document_images/undecided/630416-019.pdf "Letter From A Birmingham Jail" April 16, 1963] as a PDF from the [https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/ King Institute at Stanford University]. Also available in [https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html HTML format] from the [https://africana.sas.upenn.edu/center Center for Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania].
* [https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/where-do-we-go-here "Where do we go from here?" 1967 SCLC Address] available from the [https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/ King Institute at Stanford University].
* [https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2002/01/harvard-gazette-remarks-of-charles-v-willie-of-martin-luther-king-jr-day/ "The Ethical Foundations of Dr. King's Political Action" by Charles V. Willie] published in ''The Harvard Gazette'', January 17, 2002.
* [https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-resources/lbj-and-mlk Recorded phone call between LBJ and MLK, November 25, 1963], soon after President Johnson was sworn in following the assassination of President Kennedy, available from [https://millercenter.org/ The Miller Center at the University of Virginia].
* [http://millercenter.virginia.edu/programs/prp/quest/clips/10_LBJ_MLK%2011_25_63.pdf MLK and LBJ on JFK] {{dead link}}.

{{DEFAULTSORT:King Jr., Martin Luther}}
[[Category:Activists from the United States]]
[[Category:Spiritual teachers]]
[[Category:Civil rights activists]]
[[Category:Anti-apartheid activists]]
[[Category:Anti-racism activists]]
[[Category:Anti-war activists]]
[[Category:Christian leaders]]
[[Category:Christian nonviolence]]
[[Category:Baptist ministers]]
[[Category:Democratic socialists]]
[[Category:Christian socialists]]
[[Category:Gandhians]]
[[Category:Political leaders]]
[[Category:Non-fiction authors from the United States]]
[[Category:Academics from the United States]]
[[Category:Theologians from Atlanta]]
[[Category:Nobel laureates from the United States]]
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:1968 deaths]]
[[Category:Prisoners]]
[[Category:Murdered people]]
[[Category:African American socialists]]
[[Category:Orators from the United States]]
[[Category:Baptists from the United States]]
[[Category:Religious leaders from the United States]]
[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients]]

Saigyo

2026-04-10T00:52:30Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* Quotes about */ ce

[[File:The Cherry Tree of Priest Saigyo LACMA M.80.219.44 (cropped).jpg|thumb|In a dream I saw the winds of spring scattering the cherry blossoms— and after I woke, the sound was still rustling in my breast.]]

'''[[w:Saigyo|Saigyo]]''' (西行; 1118–1190) was a [[w:Japanese poetry|Japanese poet]] of the late [[w:Heian period|Heian]] and early [[w:Kamakura period|Kamakura period]].

==Quotes==

* The pathway I marked when last year I made my way into [[w:Mount Yoshino|Yoshino]]— I abandon now to visit blossoms I have not yet seen.
** ''Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology'' (1991), Steven D. Carter

* Even a person free of passion would be moved to sadness: autumn evening in a marsh where snipes fly up.
** ''Saigyo: Poems of a Mountain Home'', 1991, Watson, Burton, New York: Columbia University Press, p. 81

[[File:Salida Luna - Villa Gesell.JPG|thumb|right|Let me not spend my life lamenting the world’s sorrows for above in the wide sky the moon shines pure]]

* Let me not spend my life lamenting the world’s sorrows for above in the wide sky the moon shines pure
** ''Gazing at the Moon: Buddhist Poems of Solitude'' (2021), McKinney, M.

* That spring long ago at Naniwa in Tsu— was it all a dream? Now only dead leaves on the reeds rustle in the passing wind.
** ''Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology'' (1991), Steven D. Carter

[[File:EB1911 Japan - Landscape in snow.jpg|thumb|How I delight in this well-timed snow that buries the mountain path behind me as I enter intent on long seclusion]]

* What's to be done? I thought I was past caring for the spring but my frozen water pipe has made me long for it again
** ''Gazing at the Moon: Buddhist Poems of Solitude'' (2021), McKinney, M.

* How I delight in this well-timed snow that buries the mountain path behind me as I enter intent on long seclusion
** ''Gazing at the Moon: Buddhist Poems of Solitude'' (2021), McKinney, M.

* That one back home whom I promised to think about when I saw the moon: on this night perhaps she too will be soaking her sleeves with tears.
** ''Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology'' (1991), Steven D. Carter

* This is what I want: to die in the springtime, beneath the blossoms— midway through the Second Month, when the moon is at the full.
** ''Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology'' (1991), Steven D. Carter

* In a dream I saw the winds of spring scattering the cherry blossoms— and after I woke, the sound was still rustling in my breast.
** ''Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology'' (1991), Steven D. Carter

[[File:Sakura guerdon (cropped).jpg|thumb|The cherries' only fault: the crowds that gather when they bloom.]]

* The cherries' only fault: the crowds that gather when they bloom.
** ''Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, 1600-1900'' (2008)

* It creates a heart even in those among us who think of themselves as indifferent to all things— the world. this first wind of autumn.
** ''Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology'' (1991), Steven D. Carter

* If not for solitude, how dismal my life would be!
** ''Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology'' (1991), Steven D. Carter

[[File:Hokusai-fuji-koryuu.png|thumb|right|Trailing on the wind, the smoke of [[w:Mount Fuji|Mount Fuji]] fades in the sky, moving like my thoughts toward some unknown end]]

* 風になびく 富士の煙の 空にきえて ゆくへも知らぬ わが思ひかな ''kaze ni nabiku fuji no keburi no sora ni kiete yukue mo shiranu waga omoi kana''
** Just as smoke drifts on the winds over [[w:Mount Fuji|Mount Fuji]], Only to vanish – whither no one knows – So, too, does my soul wander on.
*** ''The Literature of Mt Fuji: Japanese Classical Literature'', Chuo University (2017)
** The wisps of smoke from Fuji yield to the wind and lose themselves in sky, in emptiness, which takes as well the aimless passions that through my life burned deep inside.
*** William R. Lafleur, ''Awesome Nightfall: The Life, Times, and Poetry of Saigyō'' (2012)
** Trailing on the wind, the smoke of Mount Fuji fades in the sky, moving like my thoughts toward some unknown end
*** Burton Watson, ''Saigyo: Poems of a Mountain Home'' (1991)

==Quotes about==
* The poet Saigyo Would have written a poem Even for the woman Washing potatoes.
** [[Matsuo Basho]], as quoted in ''Basho, Plodding in Saigyo's Footsteps'' by Meng-hu, Simply Haiku: A Quarterly Journal of Japanese Short Form Poetry, Winter 2005, vol. 3., no. 4

* The fact that Saigyō composed the poem that begins, "I shall be unhappy without loneliness," shows that he made loneliness his master. He also wrote: <blockquote>''In the mountain village who are you calling, yobuko-bird? I thought you lived alone.''</blockquote> There's nothing so intriguing as living alone.
** Matsuo Basho, Robert Hass (1994) ''The Essential Haiku: Versions of Bashō, Buson, and Issa''

* Truly fine poetry sits uncomfortably under any label. Yet, as long as qualifiers do not overwhelm what is universal in the poetry to which they have been attached, they can have value. To forbid any reference to [[Dante]] or [[Milton]] as "Christian poets" would be to deny something of central importance in the sensibilities and writing of both men. And in a similar fashion we may refer to Saigyo as Japan's foremost "Buddhist" poet—and do so without short-changing what is universal in his verse.
** William R. Lafleur, ''Awesome Nightfall: The Life, Times, and Poetry of Saigyō'' (2012)

==See also==
* [[Shotetsu]]
* [[Fujiwara no Teika]]
* [[Basho]]
* [[Kobayashi Issa]]
* [[Masaoka Shiki]]

==External links==
{{Wikipedia}}

[[Category:Poets from Japan]]

Talk:Lucy Parsons

2026-04-09T21:29:41Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: add heading

==August 2018==

<big>Never be deceived...</big>

I've been seeking a primary source on the quote "Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth" without success. The location cited, Lucy Parsons: Freedom, Equality & Solidarity - Writings & Speeches, 1878-1937, is an anthology of Parson's writings, but the remark quoted appears only on a title page, without source or attribution. If anyone has a more reliable primary source on this quote, please update this article... --[[User:AnarchistKieran|AnarchistKieran]] ([[User talk:AnarchistKieran|talk]]) 06:33, 21 August 2018 (UTC)

== URL: https://lucyparsons.org/ ==

This URL seems to have nothing more to do with Lucy Parsons. Please check and update this URL. Thanks. [[Special:Contributions/~2026-21902-16|~2026-21902-16]] ([[User talk:~2026-21902-16|talk]]) 15:07, 9 April 2026 (UTC)

:Thanks, I removed the links. [[User:IOHANNVSVERVS|IOHANNVSVERVS]] ([[User talk:IOHANNVSVERVS|talk]]) 21:29, 9 April 2026 (UTC)

Talk:Lucy Parsons

2026-04-09T21:29:19Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* URL: https://lucyparsons.org/ */ Reply

<big>Never be deceived...</big>

I've been seeking a primary source on the quote "Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth" without success. The location cited, Lucy Parsons: Freedom, Equality & Solidarity - Writings & Speeches, 1878-1937, is an anthology of Parson's writings, but the remark quoted appears only on a title page, without source or attribution. If anyone has a more reliable primary source on this quote, please update this article... --[[User:AnarchistKieran|AnarchistKieran]] ([[User talk:AnarchistKieran|talk]]) 06:33, 21 August 2018 (UTC)

== URL: https://lucyparsons.org/ ==

This URL seems to have nothing more to do with Lucy Parsons. Please check and update this URL. Thanks. [[Special:Contributions/~2026-21902-16|~2026-21902-16]] ([[User talk:~2026-21902-16|talk]]) 15:07, 9 April 2026 (UTC)

:Thanks, I removed the links. [[User:IOHANNVSVERVS|IOHANNVSVERVS]] ([[User talk:IOHANNVSVERVS|talk]]) 21:29, 9 April 2026 (UTC)

Lucy Parsons

2026-04-09T21:29:02Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: /* External links */ remove dead links

[[File:Lucy Parsons.1920.jpg|thumb|right|Most [[anarchists]] believe the coming [[change]] can only come through a revolution, because the possessing class will not allow a peaceful change to take place; still we are willing to work for [[peace]] at any price, except at the price of [[liberty]].]]
'''[[w:Lucy Parsons|Lucy Eldine Gonzalez Parsons]]''' ([[1851]] – [[7 March]] [[1942]]) was a radical American labor organizer, [[Anarchism|anarchist]], and orator. She was born in Virginia, likely as a slave, to parents of Native American, Black American and Mexican ancestry. She often went by the name of '''Lucy Gonzalez'''.

== Quotes ==
[[File:1886 Photo Lucy Parsons.jpg|thumb|right|Anarchists know that a long period of education must precede any great fundamental change in society, hence they do not believe in vote begging, nor political campaigns, but rather in the development of self-thinking individuals.]]

* Let every dirty, lousy tramp arm himself with a revolver or a knife, and lay in wait on the steps of the palaces of the rich and stab or shoot the owners as they come out. Let us kill them without mercy, and let it be a war of extermination.
** Statement appearing in the ''Chicago Tribune'' in 1885, as quoted in [http://theredphoenixapl.org/2012/02/10/whats-missing-from-black-history-month/ "What’s Missing From Black History Month" by Jon Hochshartner in ''The Red Phoenix'' (10 February 2012)]

*Never since the days of the Spartan Helots has history recorded such brutality as has been ever since the war and as is now being perpetrated upon the Negro in the South. How easy for us to go to Russia and drop a tear of sympathy over the persecuted Jew. But a step across Mason’s and Dixon’s line will bring us upon a scene of horrors before which those of Russia, bad as they are, pale into insignificance! No irresponsible, blood-thirsty mobs prowl over Russian territory, lashing and lynching its citizens.
**"Southern Lynching" (April 1892)
*Women are stripped to the skin in the presence of leering, white-skinned, black-hearted brutes and lashed into insensibility and strangled to death from the limbs of trees. A girl child of fifteen years was lynched recently by these brutal bullies. Where has justice fled? The eloquence of [[Wendell Phillips]] is silent now. [[John Brown]]'s body lies moldering in the grave. But will his spirit lie there moldering, too? Brutes, inhuman monsters—you heartless brutes—you whom nature forms by molding you in it, '''deceive not yourselves by thinking that another John Brown will not arise.'''
**"Southern Lynching" (April 1892)
*What has ever been granted to the countless millions of workers of Earth without a fight? Czar Nicholas has discovered that he is not all Russia. Will he "let the voice of the people be heard"? Was it argument or force that changed Czar Nicholas's mind? Well, the Russia people have gotten thin edge of the wedge in; let them keep striking hard, they will split the throne after a while.
**"On Revolution in Russia and Chinese Use of the Boycott", (1905)
*'''The trusts will not allow you to vote them out of power because they ''are'' the power, as is shown by the interview given above.'''
**"Wage Slaves vs Corporations" (1905)
*Remind them that the sword still hangs upon the wall and the heart still beats within the man, and that ''that'' sword will be unsheathed again, if necessary, in defense of your rights. Given them to understand that you will not stand patiently by and see your hard earnings squandered by a luxuriating class of idlers. If the American manhood will arouse itself and speak to those fellows in plain language, not to be misunderstood, they can save themselves, their country and their children, from the fate of poverty which awaits them. Will you do it?
**"Wage Slaves vs Corporations" (1905)
* '''Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth.'''
** ''Lucy Parsons: Freedom, Equality & Solidarity - Writings & Speeches, 1878-1937''
*Oh, working man! Oh, starved, outraged, and robbed laborer, how long will you lend attentive ear to the authors of your misery? When will you become tired of your slavery and show the same by stepping boldly into the arena with those who declare that "Not to be a slave is to dare and DO?" When will you tire of such a civilization and declare in words, the bitterness of which shall not be mistaken, "Away with a civilization that thus degrades me; it is not worth the saving?"
**"Our Civilization: Is It Worth Saving?" (1885)
*'''Who, pray, are benefiting by all this waste and confusion? The dew, a mere small percentage of the population of the world. All the remainder submit, because they think "it always has been so and it must always be so." The work of those who have a conception of a true society of the future, must devote all their efforts towards disabusing the people's minds of the ancient false hoods. It ''can'' be done. Many other hoary lies have passed away, so will this one, too.'''
**"Property Rights vs. Human Rights" (Nov. 1905)

*If our social arrangements were so adjusted that each person could follow that calling in life which they are by nature adapted for, what a great gainer society as a whole would be. These few who are so fortunate as to be able to follow the calling of their heart’s desire make a success of life. Florence Nightingale was one of the fortunate few, who could engage in that occupation for which she was best adapted. Florence Nightingale was a born nurse. In her was found that rare combination of heart, brain and sympathy which makes the ideal nurse. It is when one is laid low by the ravages of disease that they can appreciate to its utmost depth the value of human kindness...In the future, when the war drum will be heard no more, and the only reveille to be sounded will be that which shall call men to the peaceful walks of life, the name of Florence Nightingale will be revered, as a woman who, though delicate and far removed from want, nevertheless was willing to risk her own life, that she might bring relief to that most stupid victim of our present system, the soldier.
**[https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/lucy-e-parsons-florence-nightingale Famous Women of History]: [[Florence Nightingale]] (October 22, 1905)

*How many are there of the countless millions who have entered this life, passed through its changing scenes and at last have laid down to rest, of whom it can be truly said, “Here rest they who have labored for the uplifting of the oppressed, who have devoted their energies unstintingly in the interest of the ‘common people?’” We fear there are few indeed. A life devoted to the interest of the working class; a life of self-abnegation, a life full of love, kindness, gentleness, tragedy, activity, sadness and kind-ness, are some of the characteristics which went to make up the varied life of our comrade, Louise Michel. In the elderly woman, clad in simple black garments, with gray hair curling upon rounded shoulders and kindest of blue eyes glancing from the strongly marked face, none but those who knew her personally would in the last few years have recognized Louise Michel…So it is in the baffling ocean of humanity. A strong character like Louise Michel looms up like a pillar of light or a star of hope, and the weary reformer sees it and takes fresh courage to struggle on in the surging ocean of humanity, and endeavors to calm its troubled waves and point the way to the harbor of plenty.
**[https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/lucy-e-parsons-louise-michel "Famous Women of History"]: [[Louise Michel]] (October 29, 1905)

*The [[Industrial Workers of the World]], an organization launched in Chicago last June, is making wonderful progress in all parts of the country, and in practically every industry. This is as it should be, because the IWW is organized along the lines of the evolution of capitalism, which is so organized, that under one head or one management, whole lines of industry are conducted, reaching from ocean to ocean or from Maine to Mexico. So that the freight-handler working in the freight yards in San Francisco is affected when the longshoreman in New York City asks for better conditions from the employer, and he must be prepared to back his brother up in his just demand…It is the mission of the IWW to teach the laboring classes their solidarity of interest as a mass and, how they in future must act as a class, in order to win in their contests with capital. The line of action of the IWW is in direct contrast to that of the AFL, whose members are compelled to “scab” on each other when a [[Strike action|strike]] of any dimension is declared
**[https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/lucy-e-parsons-industrial-workers-of-the-world "Industrial Workers of the World: Aims and Objects"] (November 22, 1907)

*Grand Old Rebel! I am writing you these few lines to express my admiration and appreciation of the grand stand that you have taken, regarding your restoration to citizenship. Why should you ask for that which you, in justice and fairness, have never forfeited? It is [thanks] to such characters as you that reaction is halted and this stupid old world moves on a little, until the time for change is reached...Hoping that your useful life may be spared for many years, I am
**[https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/lucy-e-parsons-letter-to-eugene-victor-debs Letter] to [[Eugene V. Debs]] (March 12, 1926)

*'''They call us Reds. I don't know that ''that'' is very bad. I do not believe that is a very bad name. We are pretty red. I tell you I am a real Red.'''
**"May Day Speech" (1930)

*The worker is a mere appendage to the capitalist factory. Machinery has eliminated him. [[Robert Burns]] said: “O God, that men should be so cheap, and bread should be so dear!”
**[https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/lucy-e-parsons-u-s-anarchism-in-the-1930s "U.S. Anarchism in the 1930s"] (February 27, 1934)

=== The Principles of Anarchism ===
:[http://web.archive.org/web/20030626013810/http://www.tao.ca/~lucyparsons/ThePrinciplesofAnarchism.html A lecture printed without date of publication sometime in the 1890s]

* I came to understand how organized [[governments]] used their concentrated power to retard progress by their ever-ready means of silencing the voice of discontent if raised in vigorous protest against the machinations of the scheming [[Elite|few]], who always did, always will and always must rule in the councils of nations where {{w|majority rule}} is recognized as the only means of adjusting the affairs of people. I came to understand that such concentrated [[power]] can be always wielded in the interest of the few and at the expense of the many. Government in its last analysis is this power reduced to a science. '''Governments never lead; they follow progress.''' When the prison, stake or scaffold can no longer silence the voice of the protesting minority, progress moves on a step, but not until then.

* I learned by close study that it made no difference what fair promises a [[political party]], out of power might make to the people in order to secure their confidence, when once securely established in control of the affairs of society that they were after all but human with all the human attributes of the politician. Among these are: First, to remain in power at all hazards; if not individually, then those holding essentially the same views as the administration must be kept in control. Second, in order to keep in power, it is necessary to build up a powerful machine; one strong enough to crush all opposition and silence all vigorous murmurs of discontent, or the party machine might be smashed and the party thereby lose control. When I came to realize the faults, failings, shortcomings, aspirations and ambitions of fallible man, I concluded that it would not be the safest nor best policy for society, as a whole, to entrust the management of all its affairs, with all their manifold deviations and ramifications in the hands of finite man, to be managed by the party which happened to come into power, and therefore was the majority party, nor did it ten, nor does it now make one particle of difference to me what a party, out of power may promise; it does not tend to allay my fears of a party, when entrenched and securely seated in power might do to crush opposition, and silence the voice of the minority, and thus retard the onward step of progress.

* My mind is appalled at the thought of a political party having control of all the details that go to make up the sum total of our lives. Think of it for an instant, that the party in power shall have all authority to dictate the kind of books that shall be used in our schools and universities, government officials editing, printing, and circulating our literature, histories, magazines and press, to say nothing of the thousand and one activities of life that a people engage in, in a civilized society.

* To my mind, the struggle for liberty is too great and the few steps we have gained have been won at too great a sacrifice, for the great mass of the people of this 20th century to consent to turn over to any political party the management of our social and industrial affairs. For all who are at all familiar with history know that men will abuse power when they possess it, for these and other reasons, I, after careful study, and not through sentiment, turned from a sincere, earnest, political Socialist to the non-political phase of Socialism, Anarchism, because in its philosophy I believe I can find the proper conditions for the fullest development of the individual units in society, which can never be the case under government restrictions.

* '''The philosophy of anarchism is included in the word "Liberty"; yet it is comprehensive enough to include all things else that are conducive to progress.''' No barriers whatever to human progression, to thought, or investigation are placed by anarchism; nothing is considered so true or so certain, that future discoveries may not prove it false; therefore, it has but one infallible, unchangeable motto, "Freedom." Freedom to discover any truth, freedom to develop, to live naturally and fully. Other schools of thought are composed of crystallized ideas — principles that are caught and impaled between the planks of long platforms, and considered too sacred to be disturbed by a close investigation. In all other "issues" there is always a limit; some imaginary boundary line beyond which the searching mind dare not penetrate, lest some pet idea melt into a myth. But '''anarchism is the usher of science — the master of ceremonies to all forms of [[truth]]. It would remove all barriers between the human being and natural development.'''

* '''Anarchists know that a long period of education must precede any great fundamental change in society, hence they do not believe in vote begging, nor political campaigns, but rather in the development of self-thinking individuals.''' We look away from government for relief, because we know that force (legalized) invades the personal liberty of man, seizes upon the natural elements and intervenes between man and natural laws; from this exercise of force through governments flows nearly all the misery, poverty, crime and confusion existing in society.

* We perceive, there are actual, material barriers blockading the way. These must be removed. If we could hope they would melt away, or be voted o prayed into nothingness, we would be content to wait and vote and pray. But they are like great frowning rocks towering between us and a land of freedom, while the dark chasms of a hard-fought past yawn behind us. Crumbling they may be with their own weight and the decay of time, but to quietly stand under until they fall is to be buried in the crash. There is something to be done in a case like this-the rocks must be removed. '''[[Passivity]] while slavery is stealing over us is a crime.''' For the moment we must forget that was are anarchists-when the work is accomplished we may forget that we were revolutionists-hence most anarchists believe the coming change can only come through a [[revolution]], because the possessing class will not allow a peaceful change to take place; still '''we are willing to work for [[peace]] at any price, except at the price of [[liberty]].'''

* And what of the glowing beyond that is so bright that those who grind the faces of the poor say it is a dream? It is no dream, it is the real, stripped of brain-distortions materialized into thrones and scaffolds, mitres and guns. It is nature acting on her own interior laws as in all her other associations. It is a return to first principles; for were not the land, the water, the light, all free before governments took shape and form? In this free state we will again forget to think of these things as "property." It is real, for we, as a race, are growing up to it. The idea of less restriction and more liberty, and a confiding trust that nature is equal to her work, is permeating all modern thought. From the dark year-not so long gone by-when it was generally believed that man's soul was totally depraved and every human impulse bad; when every action, every thought and every emotion was controlled and restricted; when the human frame, diseased, was bled, dosed, suffocated and kept as far from nature's remedies as possible; when the mind was seized upon and distorted before it had time to evolve a natural thought-from those days to these years the progress of this idea has been swift and steady. It is becoming more and more apparent that in every way '''we are "governed best where we are governed least."'''

* How ill we go on like human beings eating and sleeping, working and loving, exchanging and dealing, without government? So used have we become to "organized authority" in every department of life that ordinarily we cannot conceive of the most common-place avocations being carried on without their interference and "protection." But anarchism is not compelled to outline a complete organization of a free society. To do so with any assumption of authority would be to place another barrier in the way of coming generations. The best thought of today may become the useless vagary of tomorrow, and to crystallize it into a creed is to make it unwieldy.

* We judge from experience that man is a gregarious animal, and instinctively affiliates with his kind co-operates, unites in groups, works to better advantage, combined with his fellow men than when alone. This would point to the formation of co-operative communities, of which our present trades-unions are embryonic patterns.

* People have become so used to seeing the evidences of authority on every hand that most of them honestly believe that they would go utterly to the bad if it were not for the policeman's club or the soldier's bayonet. But the anarchist says, "Remove these evidence of brute force, and let man feel the revivifying influences of self responsibility and self control, and see how we will respond to these better influences."

* Men are to a great extent creatures of habit, and grow to love associations; under reasonably good conditions, he would remain where he commences, if he wished to, and, if he did not, who has any natural right to force him into relations distasteful to him? Under the present order of affairs, persons do unite with societies and remain good, disinterested members for life, where the right to retire is always conceded.

* What we anarchists contend for is a larger opportunity to develop the units in society, that mankind may possess the right as a sound being to develop that which is broadest, noblest, highest and best, unhandicapped by any centralized authority, where he shall have to wait for his permits to be signed, sealed, approved and handed down to him before he can engage in the active pursuits of life with his fellow being. We know that after all, as we grow more enlightened under this larger liberty, we will grow to care less and less for that exact distribution of material wealth, which, in our greed-nurtured senses, seems now so impossible to think upon carelessly. The man and woman of loftier intellects, in the present, think not so much of the riches to be gained by their efforts as of the good they can do for their fellow creatures. There is an innate spring of healthy action in every human being who has not been crushed and pinched by poverty and drudgery from before his birth, that impels him onward and upward. He cannot be idle, if he would; it is as natural for him to develop, expand, and use the powers within him when no repressed, as it is for the rose to bloom in the sunlight and fling its fragrance on the passing breeze.

* We have laws, jails, courts, armies, guns and armories enough to make saints of us all, if they were the true preventives of crime; but we know they do not prevent crime; that wickedness and depravity exist in spite of them, nay, increase as the struggle between classes grows fiercer, wealth greater and more powerful and poverty more gaunt and desperate.

* The grandest works of the past were never performed for the sake of money. '''Who can measure the worth of a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo or Beethoven in dollars and cents?'''

* Some higher incentive must, and will, supersede the greed for gold. The involuntary aspiration born in man to make the most of one's self, to be loved and appreciated by one's fellow-beings, to "make the world better for having lived in it," will urge him on the nobler deeds than ever the sordid and selfish incentive of material gain has done.

* If, in the present chaotic and shameful struggle for existence, when organized society offers a premium on greed, cruelty, and deceit, men can be found who stand aloof and almost alone in their determination to work for good rather than gold, who suffer want and persecution rather than desert principle, who can bravely walk to the scaffold for the good they can do humanity, what may we expect from men when freed from the grinding necessity of selling the better part of themselves for bread? The terrible conditions under which labor is performed, the awful alternative if one does not prostitute talent and morals in the service of mammon; and the power acquired with the wealth obtained by ever so unjust means, combined to make the conception of free and voluntary labor almost an impossible one. And yet, there are examples of this principle even now. In a well bred family each person has certain duties, which are performed cheerfully, and are not measured out and paid for according to some pre-determined standard; when the united members sit down to the well-filled table, the stronger do not scramble to get the most, while the weakest do without, or gather greedily around them more food than they can possibly consume. Each patiently and politely awaits his turn to be served, and leaves what he does not want; he is certain that when again hungry plenty of good food will be provided. This principle can be extended to include all society, when people are civilized enough to wish it.

* The utter impossibility of awarding to each and exact return for the amount of labor performed will render absolute communism a necessity sooner or later. The land and all it contains, without which labor cannot be exerted, belong to no one man, but to all alike. The inventions and discoveries of the past are the common inheritance of the coming generations; and when a man takes the tree that nature furnished free, and fashions it into a useful article, or a machine perfected and bequeathed to him by many past generations, who is to determine what proportion is his and his alone? Primitive man would have been a week fashioning a rude resemblance to the article with his clumsy tools, where the modern worker has occupied an hour. The finished article is of far more real value than the rude one made long ago, and yet the primitive man toiled the longest and hardest. Who can determine with exact justice what is each one's due? There must come a time when we will cease trying. The earth is so bountiful, so generous; man's brain is so active, his hands so restless, that wealth will spring like magic, ready for the use of the world's inhabitants. We will become as much ashamed to quarrel over its possession as we are now to squabble over the food spread before us on a loaded table. "But all this," the objector urges, "is very beautiful in the far off future, when we become angels. It would not do now to abolish governments and legal restraints; people are not prepared for it."

* So many able writers have shown that the unjust institutions which work so much misery and suffering to the masses have their root in governments, and owe their whole existence to the power derived from government. We cannot help but believe that were every law, every title deed, every court, and every police officer or soldier abolished tomorrow with one sweep, we would be better off than now.

* We have laws, jails, courts, armies, guns and armories enough to make saints of us all, if they were the true preventives of crime; but we know they do not prevent crime; that wickedness and depravity exist in spite of them, nay, increase as the struggle between classes grows fiercer, wealth greater and more powerful and poverty more gaunt and desperate.

* To the governing class the anarchists say: "Gentlemen, we ask no privilege, we propose no restriction; nor, on the other hand, will we permit it. We have no new shackles to propose, we seek emancipation from shackles. We ask no legislative sanction, for co-operation asks only for a free field and no favors; neither will we permit their interference.("?) It asserts that in freedom of the social unit lies the freedom of the social state. It asserts that in freedom to possess and utilize soil lie social happiness and progress and the death of rent. It asserts that order can only exist where liberty prevails, and that progress leads and never follows order. It asserts, finally, that this emancipation will inaugurate liberty, equality, fraternity. That the existing industrial system has outgrown its usefulness, if it ever had any is I believe admitted by all who have given serious thought to this phase of social conditions.

* Think clearly and act quickly, or you are lost. Strike not for a few cents more an hour, because the price of living will be raised faster still, but strike for all you earn, be content with nothing less.

==Quotes about Lucy Parsons==
*In the 1880's socialist and labor organizer Lucy Gonzales Parsons was actively organizing women workers in Chicago. Her very presence and activity as a leader in the labor movement for thirty years propelled both the feminist and labor causes.
**[[Martha P. Cotera]], "Our Feminist Heritage" (1973)

*One of the first Chicanas to come into contact with the suffragist movements in the 1880s was Lucy Gonzalez Parsons, a Chicana socialist labor organizer...Although many social workers like [[Jane Addams]], [[Florence Kelley]], and [[Sophonisba P. Breckenridge]], and socialists like [[Emma Goldman]] advocated the rights of immigrants and working women, in most instances during the 1890 to 1910 period their advocacy had little or no effect on the suffragist movement's attitude toward minority or working-class women
**[[Martha P. Cotera]], "Feminism: The Chicano and Anglo Versions-A Historical Analysis" (1980)

*At this (IWW) convention I was thrilled to meet Mrs. Lucy Parsons, widow of Albert Parsons, who had been executed 20 years before in the yard of the Cook County Jail in the heart of Chicago. While he was hanged she was held a prisoner in the Clark Street Station House, not far from where we were then meeting... I remember Mrs. Parsons speaking warmly to the young people, warning us of the seriousness of the struggles ahead that could lead to jail and death before victory was won. For years she traveled from city to city, knocking on the doors of local unions and telling the story of the Chicago trial. Her husband had said: "Clear our names!" and she made this her lifelong mission.
**[[Elizabeth Gurley Flynn]], ''The Rebel Girl: An Autobiography, My First Life'' (1955)

*(The IWW} was not only the inheritor of many of the traditions of the 1880's but personalities who were identified with the 1880's were present at the early conventions of the IWW. The names may not be known to you unless you are students of labor history but included were such figures as [[Eugene Debs]], [[Daniel DeLeon]] and Mrs. Lucy Parsons
**[[Elizabeth Gurley Flynn]], [http://www.sojust.net/speeches/elizabeth_flynn_memories.html "Memories Of The Industrial Workers Of The World"] (November 8, 1962)

*The nineteenth century allowed little room for women of color to find their voices-let alone share them with the masses-and the few who did manage to break their silence often became figures of mixed curiosity and revulsion. There are few greater examples of that than Lucy Parsons...Her enthralling demeanor, sophisticated oratory skills, and blistering anti-capitalist rhetoric also made her a star to live crowds, defying the nineteenth-century social convention against women addressing mixed crowds...Her impassioned entreaties on behalf of suffering laborers earned her both awe and scorn from the press, which would call her a "red-mouthed anarchist" in one line and then breathlessly wax on about her beauty and fashionable dresses in the next.
**[[Kim Kelly (journalist)]], ''Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor'' (2022)

*Lucy Parsons was a study in contradictions, many of them of her own devising. She strove to project the image of the perfect Victorian wife and mother, even while writing columns encouraging workers to dynamite the homes of the rich. She feuded with fellow anarchist [[Emma Goldman]] over the idea of "free love," wearing her public persona of pious chastity like a mourning veil while taking on new lovers in private. Her identity as one of the best-known anarchists in America clashed with her later involvement in the Communist Party, and the harsh criticism she reserved for generations of younger anarchist activists. Her horrific treatment of her son, Albert, Jr., whom she had confined in a psychiatric institution after he expressed his desire to join the military, remains difficult to fathom.
**[[Kim Kelly (journalist)]], ''Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor'' (2022)

*Lucy Parsons never stopped working for the revolution to end the oppressive capitalist system. It could come only through a well-organized workers' movement, she said, which would take over the factories, all the means of production. Repeatedly imprisoned for her work, she saw free speech as crucial…Lucy was a warrior woman of unlimited courage and commitment.
**[[Elizabeth Martinez]], ''500 Years of Chicana Women's History/500 Años de la Mujer Chicana'' (2008)

== External links ==
{{wikipedia}}
{{Wikisource author}}
{{commonscat}}
* [http://www.waste.org/~roadrunner/ScarletLetterArchives/LucyParsons/FuryForJustice.htm "A Fury For Justice: Lucy Parsons And The Revolutionary Anarchist Movement in Chicago" by Jacob McKean]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Lucy}}
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[[Category:African American anarchists]]
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[[Category:Anarcha-feminists]]
[[Category:Socialist feminists]]
[[Category:Feminists from the United States]]
[[Category:Orators from the United States]]
[[Category:Labor activists]]
[[Category:Women activists from the United States]]
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[[Category:Non-fiction authors from the United States]]
[[Category:Women authors from the United States]]
[[Category:1853 births]]
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[[Category:Anarchists from the United States]]
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Epaminondas

2026-04-06T22:19:12Z

IOHANNVSVERVS: shorten lede

[[File:Epameinondas, Nordisk familjebok.png|thumb|There is no need of money in the matter; for if what the king desires is for the good of the Thebans, I am ready to do it for nothing; but if otherwise, he has not gold and silver enough to move me, for I would not accept the riches of the whole world in exchange for my love for my country.]]

'''{{w|Epaminondas}}''' (Ἐπαμεινώνδας; circa 419/411–362 BC) was a Greek general and statesman of the city-state of {{w|Thebes}}, best known for defeating the Spartans at the {{w|Battle of Leuctra}}.

==Quotes==

* You deceive your countrymen with words, in dissuading them from war, since under the name of peace you are bringing upon them slavery; for peace is procured by war, and they, accordingly, who would enjoy it long, ought to be trained to war. If therefore, my countrymen, you wish to be leaders of Greece, you must devote yourselves to the camp, not to the {{w|palaestra}}.
** As quoted by [[Cornelius Nepos]], ''Great Generals of Foreign Nations'', translation of J.C. Rolfe

* As to supposing that I am emulous of {{w|Agamemnon}}, you are mistaken; for he, with the support of all Greece, hardly took one city in ten years; I, on the contrary with the force of this one city of ours, and in one day, delivered all Greece by defeating the Lacedaemonians.
** As quoted by Cornelius Nepos, ''Great Generals of Foreign Nations'', translation of J.C. Rolfe

===Indirect quotations===

* It was his habit to appear at all times with a well-groomed body and a cheerful countenance, but on the day after that battle he went forth unwashed and with a look of dejection. When his friends asked if anything distressing had befallen him, he said, "Nothing ; but yesterday I found myself feeling a pride greater than is well. Therefore to-day I am chastising my immoderate indulgence in rejoicing."
** {{w|Pausanius}}, ''{{w|Description of Greece}}'', 9.1-22, translated by W.H.S. Jones

* When the Spartans accused the Thebans of a long list of serious offences, he retorted, "These Thebans, however, have put a stop to [[w:Laconic phrase|your brevity of speech]]!"
** Pausanius, ''Description of Greece'', 9.1-22, translated by W.H.S. Jones

* When somebody reported that the Athenians had sent an army, decked out with novel equipment, into the Pelopennese, he said, "Why should Antigenidas cry if Tellen has a new flute or two?" (Tellen was the worst of flute-players, and Antigenidas the best.)
** Pausanius, ''Description of Greece'', 9.1-22, translation and bracketed note by W.H.S. Jones

* Learning that his shield-bearer had received a great deal of money from a man who had been taken captive in the war, he said to him, "Give me back my shield, and buy yourself a tavern in which to spend the rest of your days; for you will no longer be willing to face danger as before, now that you have become one of the rich and prosperous."
** Pausanius, ''Description of Greece'', 9.1-22, translated by W.H.S. Jones

* His indifference to money was put to the proof by Diomedon of Cyzicus; for he, at the request of {{w|Artaxerxes}}, had undertaken to bribe Epaminondas. He accordingly came to Thebes with a large sum in gold, and, by a present of five talents, brought over Micythus, a young man for whom Epaminondas had then a great affection, to further his views. Micythus went to Epaminondas, and told him the cause of Diomedon's coming. But Epaminondas, in the presence of Diomedon, said to him, '''"There is no need of money in the matter; for if what the king desires is for the good of the Thebans, I am ready to do it for nothing; but if otherwise, he has not gold and silver enough to move me, for I would not accept the riches of the whole world in exchange for my love for my country."'''
** Cornelius Nepos, ''Great Generals of Foreign Nations'', translation of J.C. Rolfe

* Epaminondas is reported wittily to have said of a good man that died about the time of the battle of Leuctra, "How came he to have so much leisure as to die, when there was so much stirring?"
** [[Plutarch]], ''Moralia'', Rules for the Preservation of Health, 25, Goodwin translation

* He was so frugal in his manner of living that once, when he was invited to dinner by a neighbour, and found there an elaborate display of cake and pastry and other dishes, and perfumes as well, he left at once, saying, "I thought this was to be a meal and not a display of arrogance."
** Plutarch, ''Moralia'', Sayings of Kings and Commanders, F.C. Babbitt translation

==Quotes About==

[[File:Epaminondas defending Pelopidas.jpg|thumb|right|‘Tis a miracle to be able to mix any image of justice with such violent actions]]

* On the statue of Epaminondas is an inscription in elegiac verse relating among other things that he founded {{w|Messene}}, and that through him the Greeks won freedom. The elegiac verses are these: <blockquote>By my counsels was Sparta shorn of her glory, And holy Messene received at last her children. By the arms of Thebe was [[w:Megalopolis, Greece|Megalopolis]] encircled with walls, And all Greece won independence and freedom.</blockquote>
** {{w|Pausanius}}, {{w|Description of Greece}} 9.1-22, translated by W.H.S. Jones

* Spintharus, speaking in commendation of Epaminondas, says he scarce ever met with any man who knew more and spoke less.
** Plutarch, ''Moralia'', Of Hearing, 6, Goodwin translation

* I find so vast a distance betwixt Epaminondas, according to my judgment of him, and some that I know, who are yet men of good sense, that I could willingly enhance upon Plutarch, and say that there is more difference betwixt such and such a man than there is betwixt such a man and such a beast: and that there are as many and innumerable degrees of mind as there are cubits betwixt this and heaven.
** [[Michel de Montaigne]], ''[[w:Essays (Montaigne)|Essays]]'', Book I, Chapter XLII, Charles Cotton translation, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3600/3600-h/3600-h.htm

* Of this virtue of his, he has, in my idea, given as ample proof as [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]] himself or [[Caesar]]: for although his warlike exploits were neither so frequent nor so full, they were yet, if duly considered in all their circumstances, as important, as bravely fought, and carried with them as manifest testimony of valour and military conduct, as those of any whatever.
** Michel de Montaigne, ''Essays'', Book II, Chapter XXXVI, Charles Cotton translation

* The Greeks have done him the honour, without contradiction, to pronounce him the greatest man of their nation; and to be the first of Greece, is easily to be the first of the world. As to his knowledge, we have this ancient judgment of him, "That never any man knew so much, and spake so little as he"; for he was of the [[w:Pythagoreanism|Pythagorean]] sect; but when he did speak, never any man spake better; an excellent orator, and of powerful persuasion.
** Michel de Montaigne, ''Essays'', Book II, Chapter XXXVI, Charles Cotton translation

* 'Tis true that I look upon his obstinate poverty, as it is set out by his best friends, as a little too scrupulous and nice; and this is the only feature, though high in itself and well worthy of admiration, that I find so rugged as not to desire to imitate, to the degree it was in him.
** Michel de Montaigne, ''Essays'', Book II, Chapter XXXVI, Charles Cotton translation

* This was a soul of a rich composition: '''he married goodness and humanity, nay, even the tenderest and most delicate in the whole school of philosophy, to the roughest and most violent human actions.''' Was it nature or art that had intenerated that great courage of his, so full, so obstinate against pain and death and poverty, to such an extreme degree of sweetness and compassion? Dreadful in arms and blood, he overran and subdued a nation invincible by all others but by him alone; and yet in the heat of an encounter, could turn aside from his friend and guest. Certainly he was fit to command in war who could so rein himself with the curb of good nature, in the height and heat of his fury, a fury inflamed and foaming with blood and slaughter. '''‘Tis a miracle to be able to mix any image of justice with such violent actions: and it was only possible for such a steadfastness of mind as that of Epaminondas therein to mix sweetness and the facility of the gentlest manners and purest innocence.'''
** Michel de Montaigne, ''Essays'', Book III, Chapter I, Charles Cotton translation

* Relaxation and facility, methinks, wonderfully honour and best become a strong and generous soul. Epaminondas did not think that to take part, and that heartily, in songs and sports and dances with the young men of his city, were things that in any way derogated from the honour of his glorious victories and the perfect purity of manners that was in him.
** Michel de Montaigne, ''Essays'', Book III, Chapter XIII, Charles Cotton translation

* He was so great a lover of truth, that he would not tell a falsehood even in jest.
** Cornelius Nepos, ''Great Generals of Foreign Nations'', translation of J.C. Rolfe

* He bore poverty so easily, that he received nothing from the state but glory. He did not avail himself of the means of his friends to maintain himself; but he often used his credit to relieve others, to such a degree that it might be thought all things were in common between him and his friends; for when any one of his countrymen had been taken by the enemy, or when the marriageable daughter of a friend could not be married for want of fortune, he used to call a council of his friends, and to prescribe how much each should give according to his means; and when he had made up the sum required, he brought the man who wanted it to those who contributed, and made them pay it to the person himself, in order that he, into whose hands the sum passed, might know to whom he was indebted, and how much to each.
** Cornelius Nepos, ''Great Generals of Foreign Nations'', translation of J.C. Rolfe

* His eloquence shone most at Sparta (when he was ambassador before the battle of Leuctra), where, when the ambassadors from all the allies had met, Epaminondas, in a full assembly of the embassies, so clearly exposed the tyranny of the Lacedaemonians, that he shook their power by that speech not less than by the battle of Leuctra; for he was at that time the cause (as it afterwards appeared) that they were deprived of the support of their allies.
** Cornelius Nepos, ''Great Generals of Foreign Nations'', translation of J.C. Rolfe

* Epameinondas, however, was carried back to camp still living, and the physicians were summoned, but when they declared that undoubtedly as soon as the spear-point should be drawn from his chest, death would ensue, with supreme courage he met his end. For first summoning his armour-bearer he asked him if he had saved his shield. On his replying yes and placing it before his eyes, he again asked, which side was victorious. At the boy's answer that the Boeotians were victorious, he said, "It is time to die," and directed them to withdraw the spear point. His friends present cried out in protest, and one of them said: "You die childless, Epameinondas," and burst into tears. To this he replied, "No, by Zeus, on the contrary I leave behind two daughters, Leuctra and [[w:Battle of Mantineia|Mantineia]], my victories." Then when the spear point was withdrawn, without any commotion he breathed his last.
** {{w|Diodorus Silicus}}, ''{{w|Bibliotheca historica}}, Book 15, translation of C. H. Oldfather

==External links==
{{wikipedia}}

[[Category:Military leaders from Greece]]
[[Category:Politicians from Greece]]
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[[Category:BCE deaths]]