Through violence you may murder a hater, but you cannot murder hate. Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Only Light Can Do That
Topic: Overcoming Adversity
I say to you today that I still stand by nonviolence… 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.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, as Michael Luther King Jr., but later changed his name to Martin. He came from a family of pastors, with his grandfather and father both serving as pastors at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Martin Luther King Jr. attended segregated public schools and graduated from high school at the age of fifteen. He went on to earn his B.A. degree in 1948 from Morehouse College, where his father and grandfather had also graduated.
After completing three years of theological study at Crozer Theological Seminary, where he was elected president of a predominantly white senior class, King received his B.D. degree in 1951. He then pursued graduate studies at Boston University, where he met and married Coretta Scott. King completed his doctorate in 1955 and had two sons and two daughters with Coretta. Throughout his life, Martin Luther King Jr. played a crucial role in the civil rights movement, advocating for racial equality and justice through nonviolent means. His leadership and inspiring speeches, such as his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, made him a prominent figure in the fight against segregation and discrimination. In 1964, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to promote peaceful change and equality for African Americans. Tragically, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, but his legacy as a champion of civil rights continues to inspire people around the world.
Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?
Wilson, Andrew, editor. World Scripture II. Universal Peace Federation, 2011, p. 1088 [Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos Or Community? Address to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (16 August 1967)].
Martin Luther King Jr.
Theme: Adversity
About This Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotation [Commentary]
Martin Luther King, Jr. begins with a clear commitment: “I still stand by nonviolence.” He links that commitment to what he is “concerned about”—“a better world,” “justice,” “brotherhood,” and “truth.” In that sequence, he gives the reason for restraint under pressure: “when one is concerned about these, he can never advocate violence.” The aim shapes the method.
He then names what violence can do, and what it cannot do. “Through violence you may murder a murderer but you can’t murder murder.” A life can be taken, yet the thing itself remains. “Through violence you may murder a liar but you can’t establish truth.” Force can silence a person, but it cannot create what is true. And his central line presses the point further: “Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can’t murder hate.”
That is why Martin Luther King, Jr. ends with plain contrast: “Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that.” When hardship and conflict tempt people to answer harm with harm, his words keep the focus on what actually changes the conditions we suffer under—“justice,” “brotherhood,” and “truth,” held together with “nonviolence.” The work he points to is not escape or revenge, but a steadier way through: refusing to “advocate violence,” and choosing what can “put out darkness.”
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