Welcome to a compilation of insightful and empowering quotes by Bernice King, a prominent figure in the fight for civil rights and social justice. As the youngest child of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, Bernice carries on her family’s legacy with grace, wisdom, and a steadfast commitment to equality. Throughout her life, Bernice King has been a tireless advocate for justice, using her platform to address issues such as racial discrimination, economic inequality, and the importance of nonviolent activism.
With a blend of eloquence and passion, Bernice King’s words resonate deeply, inspiring individuals worldwide to stand up against injustice and work towards a more equitable society. Her quotes are a beacon of hope, reminding us of the power of love, compassion, and unity in the face of adversity. As you explore the collection below, you’ll find words that challenge, uplift, and encourage. Whether you seek motivation for personal growth, social change, or simply a moment of reflection, these quotes offer invaluable insights into the enduring struggle for equality and human dignity.
Choosing nonviolence does not mean that one will never get angry or become upset with others, including the ones we love. Bernice King
Daddy taught us through his philosophy of nonviolence, which placed love at the centerpiece, that through that love we can turn enemies into friends. Through that love, we can create more dignified atmospheres. Bernice King
With The King Center as her base, my mother pressed on to fulfill a role that changed lives and legislation. She was a woman who refused to surrender the reigns of what she knew to be her assignment, even when male civil rights and business leaders tried to convince her that she should leave the work of building her husband’s legacy to them. Bernice King
My mother made countless sacrifices so that her children – and all children – could grow up in a better nation and world. Bernice King
Trump’s election could be a blessing in disguise. This is the opportunity for America to correct itself. Bernice King
It is incumbent on the media industry to discourage the glorification of media violence. It is also incumbent on consumers who love America to support this effort with selective patronage campaigns to encourage media that provides uplifting content and to boycott the worst offenders, if necessary. Bernice King
Do we want to be successful, or do we just want to make noise just to make it? Or just to put something on the record? I’ll be honest with you, I’m tired of putting stuff on the record. I’m ready to see some real transformation and change. Bernice King
All of us have to be committed to a life beyond our own aspirations. Bernice King
Like my father, I believe that nonviolence is the antidote to what he called ‘the triple evils of racism, poverty and militarism.’ These three evils were consuming our hopes for community in 1964, and, fifty years later, we remain divided because of their festering effects. Bernice King
Somehow, we have to realize that what we watch and what we listen to not only often reflects our most violent tendencies but cultivates more violence. Bernice King
My dad was one who – he was nonpartisan, first of all. He learned to work with whatever administration was in office. Bernice King
The more you resist something, the more aggressive it becomes. Bernice King
In addition to a stronger focus on better training for law enforcement, America urgently needs programs to provide jobs and educational opportunities in economically depressed communities. Bernice King
When I speak, I want to ensure that there is at least one person in the audience who leaves the room transformed. Bernice King
I am urging Americans to be more careful about the kinds of media we support with our consumer spending. We’ve got to invest less in the media that glorifies violence and more in entertainment that lifts up the values of love, compassion, and the best in human nature. Bernice King
With continued prayer and an equally-determined commitment to action for needed anti-violence reforms, let us resolve to work toward a new era in which every American child and every adult are protected from the ravages of brutality, safe and secure in our homes and schools and communities. Bernice King
Before my mother was a King, she was a gifted vocalist and musician, whose skill and academia garnered her a scholarship to the prestigious New England Conservatory for Music in Boston. Bernice King
Before she was a King, my mother was a peace advocate, a courageous leader, and an accomplished artist. Bernice King
King-ian nonviolence is a way of thinking and living and is not confined to the work of social and systemic change. Bernice King
It is painful beyond measure to lose a loving father and grandmother to violence. Bernice King
Every time I go to these racial forums, it is people who are alike, or it is progressives and liberals. So I said, ‘At some point, we’ve got to bring the progressives and the liberals and the conservatives together.’ Bernice King
Before my mother was a King, she climbed trees and wrestled with boys. And won. Even as a child, Coretta Scott demonstrated that her gender would not deter her success, nor did it detract from her strength. Bernice King
If people want to criticize me, that’s their issue. Bernice King
I think the most pressing issue in our community is probably a generational divide. Bernice King
Consider all of the possibilities for positive global progress if we utilized nonviolence as the central value of our culture, encompassing our law enforcement and labor practices, which currently include people in numerous nations working for inhumane wages in unhealthy conditions. Bernice King
Some people feel like I’m arrogant. It’s unfortunate, because people don’t know my heart. Bernice King
I wrestled with anger from the age of sixteen. It’s still one of my nemeses. I have to remember that the word of God says, ‘Be slow to anger.’ Bernice King
One person cannot be blamed for years of problems as it relates to race in America. This is something that has been with us since the founding of this nation. I mean, we were founded with slaves. Bernice King
Something big is going on. I’m talking about a society that refuses to allow injustice just to persist without making our voices heard and without organizing to bring about effective change through our voting system. Bernice King
Continue to speak out against all forms of injustice to yourselves and others, and you will set a mighty example for your children and for future generations. Bernice King
Thank God for the efforts of Black Lives Matter – we’ve seen an awakening in this era in a way we didn’t see in Daddy’s era in terms of people coming to grips with white privilege. Bernice King
We cannot afford to regard as normal the presence of injustice, inhumanity, and violence, including their verbal and cyber manifestations. Bernice King
People have labeled me homophobic. If I was homophobic, I wouldn’t have friends who are gay and lesbian, so that can’t be true. Bernice King
Nelson Mandela, a better man, not a bitter man, made our world a better place in which to live. His life and leadership exemplify the highest courage, dignity, and dedication to human liberation. Bernice King
My first introduction to South Africa’s struggle for freedom came when I was just 17. I had volunteered to speak in my mother’s stead at a United Nations forum on South Africa because she was unable to attend on that occasion. Bernice King
At Grinnell College, for the first time in my life, I was in an all-white setting. It was a shocking experience. Bernice King
Institutionalized racism has been with us pre-Obama, and it obviously will be with us post-Obama. Bernice King
The time has long since come for truth, transparency, and talks in every sector of society, including media, advertisement and entertainment. We can challenge each other, gain understanding, and create a more just, humane, and peaceful world. Bernice King
Seek out your brothers and sisters of other cultures and join together in building alliances to put an end to all forms of racial discrimination, bigotry, and prejudice. There are people of good will of all races, religions, and nations who will join you in common quest for the betterment of society. Bernice King
We must rediscover our faith in the future and join with one another to ensure that nonviolence is the prevalent choice for government, law enforcement, the non-profit sector, business, education, media, entertainment, arts, and for the global citizenry. Bernice King
In addition to needed gun control reforms, America urgently needs a stronger protest movement dedicated to reducing the glorification of violence in our culture – in music, film, television, video games, and even the Internet. Bernice King
How do we expect change to occur if we are not willing to put on the whole armor of God and fight injustice wherever it raises its ugly head? Bernice King
We can put millions of America’s idle young people to work helping to repair and restore America’s deteriorating infrastructure, public utilities, and transportation systems. Nothing would revitalize the nation’s sagging economy more than such a commitment. Bernice King
My mother and Ethel Kennedy became good friends and worked together on a number of causes they had shared with their husbands. They together co-chaired ‘A Time to Remember’ to mobilize a movement for gun control. Bernice King
Always realize that even your strongest advocate and opponent is a part of the human family; albeit they may have small shortcomings and even strength in them, they are part of that human family. Bernice King
Don’t be afraid of who sits in the White House. God can triumph over Trump. Bernice King
I don’t know if you realize this, but anger is anger. It has no mind. It has no rationality. It’s mad, and it just wants to destroy. Bernice King
My father literally fought his entire life to ensure the inclusion of all people because he understood that we were intertwined and connected together in humanity. Bernice King
I know that the absence of my father in my life had its cost. Bernice King
Occasionally, in the afternoons, I catch a movie, watch football, go to Sunday brunch, or visit with family and friends. Bernice King
In 1985, I was arrested, along with my mother and brother, Martin III, in a protest against apartheid at the South African Embassy in Washington, D.C. Bernice King
You will encounter misguided people from time to time. That’s part of life. The challenge is to educate them when you can, but always to keep your dignity and self-respect and persevere in your personal growth and development. Bernice King
My favorite preacher is not with me anymore, and that’s my father. Bernice King
In the end, I still have the same hope as my father – that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the last word. Bernice King
When I think about some of the policies that we make in this country, the policies are so self-driven. Bernice King
Police departments across the nation must develop nonviolent ‘rules of engagement,’ so that they don’t reflexively respond to suspected crimes with violence. This will require more in-depth training in the behavioral psychology of conflict resolution so police have tried-and-true techniques of preventing and de-escalating violence. Bernice King
Without my ministry, I would just be Martin Luther King’s daughter. You know, when people call me that, it doesn’t bother me anymore. I know I am not my father. I know I am me. Bernice King
My mother was the strong wife, partner, and co-worker Martin Luther King, Jr. needed to be an effective leader, and he said so on many occasions. Bernice King
We are faced with the dilemma of how or if we demonstrate where we stand on critical issues and corresponding social ills. We are also bombarded with so many instances of inhumanity that it can be difficult to determine what part we play in human progress. Bernice King
Environmental injustice is a tangible, intolerable example of an exhibited moral laxity and minimal concern for healthy standards by corporations and political structures based on the race, ethnicity, and class of those being impacted. Bernice King
Each of us must decide whether it is more important to be proved right or to provoke righteousness. Bernice King
I wouldn’t say I’m against same-sex marriage. I believe in freedom and equality for all people. I believe that when it comes to gay marriage, that’s a political and legal issue that has to be dealt with in that arena. I have privately held beliefs, but when it comes to that, it’s properly placed in the political and legal arena. Bernice King
If I had to do it all over again, would I want my dad here? I would say no. Our world is in a better place because our father gave his life. Bernice King
How do we navigate and process painful biases and conflicting emotions and press on to be sacrificial and suffer in the struggle? And what do we do with images and depictions that, known or unknown to those perpetuating them, may contribute to the impediment of human progress? Bernice King
Unlike some people, my father would try to meet with President-elect Trump because he recognizes that in order to move the agenda of justice, freedom, and equality forward, you can’t just protest and resist. You also have to negotiate as well. Bernice King
As you know, my father was for the inclusiveness and the betterment of society and the world. Certainly we recognize that there are diverse voices in our country, and people have the right of free speech. They have the right of choice, but again, it is our hope that when they choose, they choose to reflect those ideals that he taught us. Bernice King
My father really set the tone for us to be a more moral nation, to take a moral high ground in everything that we do. Bernice King
I didn’t have a father to deal with about boyfriends. I didn’t have a father to show me how a man and woman relate in a family setting. Therefore, I have given over my life to mentoring young people. I’m adamant about young people who have been denied a father/daughter relationship. Bernice King
I spend a lot of time meditating, which is something that I don’t think most people know about me. Bernice King
In 1985, I joined my mother in a protest against apartheid in which we were arrested at the South African embassy in Washington, D.C. And she was at President-elect Mandela’s side in Johannesburg when he claimed victory in South Africa’s first free elections. Bernice King
It is time for humanity to reset our spiritual compass from self-centeredness to other-centeredness. Bernice King
When my father died, the money he left us would have dried up within a year were it not for my mother… We might very well have ended up on welfare. Bernice King
After acknowledging that most law enforcement personnel are fair-minded and do a difficult job, it only takes one exception to create a terrible tragedy. Bernice King
Love is not a weak, spineless emotion; it is a powerful moral force on the side of justice. Bernice King
Some of the aspects of my speaking style are inherited and come naturally to me. I didn’t take classes, and I didn’t do anything to hone my skills. Bernice King
Often, I am asked, ‘What was your father like?’ or, ‘What would he think?’ These are very difficult questions to answer, as I was so very young when I lost my father. Bernice King
Something is very wrong when our federal and state governments have a high tolerance for the unrestricted distribution of weapons of mass destruction, and it would be wrong to let this deadly form of neglect continue to facilitate bloodshed across America. Bernice King
My father provided some very important guidance in how we deal with conflict and polarization. Bernice King
In my view, it was no accident that Nelson Mandela was chosen by God to lead the people of South Africa. There are very few people who could be imprisoned, kept away from their family and loved ones, and exit that same prison with such a powerful spirit of love and a desire for reconciliation. Bernice King
The private sector enjoys tremendous freedom in the U.S, as it should. With freedom, however, comes responsibilities. Bernice King
Refuse to be disheartened, discouraged, distracted from your goals in life. Bernice King
If each of us works toward making a sincere effort when we wake up each morning with a renewed commitment and dedication to embracing nonviolence as a lifestyle, this world will become a better place, bringing us ever closer to the Beloved Community of which my father so often spoke. Bernice King
Among her many accomplishments, my mother is often identified as the leader of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday movement. Bernice King
Nonviolence as a lifestyle and perpetual strategy will allow us to be on the offense instead of continually on the defense. We will be able to move the ball down the field with team decisions and playmaking versus constantly thinking about how the opposing forces are moving the ball. Bernice King
As I reflect on the legacy of my father, the greatest aspect is his legacy of peace. Bernice King
We are carrying collectively a lot of trauma, especially those of us in the African-American community. And if we’re not careful, it’ll overtake us, and we’ll self-destruct. Bernice King
I believe that everyone, regardless of their beliefs, deserves the dignity of being called by their name. Bernice King
Nonviolence will empower and equip us to bring generations to the table and fuse our knowledge, gifts, and zeal together. Bernice King
What I’m trying to do is fulfill what my father said, which is, ‘We have to find a way to live together as brothers and sisters, or together we’re going to perish as fools.’ Bernice King