Temporary victories

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.

                        Martin Luther King, Jr., speech accepting the Nobel Peace Prize