This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.' 'I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.' 'Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Washington National Cathedral, March 31, 1968. 'We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.' Paraphrased from his Februsermon in Atlanta, the full quote is '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 the other shallow things will not matter.' South Wall
This quote was removed from the memorial in 2013. 'I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.' The quotation serves as the theme of the overall design of the memorial, which realizes the metaphorical mountain and stone. 'Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.'įrom the 'I Have A Dream' speech in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963. The following quotations are engraved on the Martin Luther King, Jr.
