It's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and to honor him, the following is excerpted from his essay "Six Aspects of Nonviolence and Nonviolent Resistance," from Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story (1958; New York: Ballantine Books, 1960), 81-86.

It must be emphasized that nonviolent resistance is not a method for cowards; it does resist. This is ultimately the way of the strong man. It is not a stagnant passivity. The phrase “passive resistance” often gives the false impression that this is a sort of “do-nothing method” in which the resister quietly and passively accepts evil. But nothing is further from the truth. For while the nonviolent resister is passive in the sense that is not physically aggressive toward his opponent, his mind and emotions are always active, constantly seeking to persuade his opponent that he is wrong. The method is passive physically, but strongly active spiritually. It is not passive resistance to evil, it is active nonviolent resistance to evil.

The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community, while the aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness. The tension in this city is, at bottom, between justice and injustice, between the forces of light and the forces of darkness.

Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can only be done by projecting the ethic of love to the center of our lives. In speaking of love at this point, we are not referring to some sentimental or affectionate emotion. Agape is not a weak, passive love. It is love in action. Agape is a willingness to go to any length to restore community. Love is the only cement that can hold this broken community together.

Martin Luther King, Jr., 1958

Links:

• Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Books and Bibliography (The King Center, Atlanta, Georgia)

  
  

• Longer excerpts from Stride Toward Freedom are included in Experiments with Truth: Gandhi and Images of Nonviolence. Helfenstein, Joseph, and Joseph N. Newland, eds. Houston: The Menil Collection, 2014.

• Related: interesting essay by designer Beth Mathews on the famous posters created before and after MLK’s assassination: “The Design History Behind the “I AM A MAN” Protest Poster,” January 15, 2026.

  
  

This post is part of The American 250, a series featuring 250 objects made by Americans, located in America, in honor of the country's 250th anniversary. 250 words on 250 works, from January 1 to December 31, 2026.

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