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. Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep loving them, and they cant stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes theyll 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. Thats love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. Theres something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies. (from "Loving Your Enemies")
creation destruction enemies hate love redemption

About This Quote

About Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a 20th-century American civil rights activist. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister who was a leader of the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. Read more on Wikipedia →

Themes

  • Love — Quotes exploring romantic love, compassion, and human connection

More quotes by Martin Luther King Jr.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
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“No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”
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“I have decided to stick to love...Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
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“Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.”
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“There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.”
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