A small brass balance scale with a white feather in each pan and a leafy branch leaning against its base.

Original artwork, not a still

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

King argues that nonviolence is the answer to the biggest moral and political questions of the era. The goal is beating oppression and violence without using them. Means and ends have to match, he's saying, so the method can't betray the cause.

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