‘I Would Rather Die Than Hate You.’

Martin Luther King, Jr., knew love isn’t just a means of redeeming our enemies; it’s a way of redeeming ourselves. Hatred can only lead to more hatred, but by injecting love, the chain of hatred can be broken. Hatred ultimately, inevitably leads to death. We should rather die while loving than lifelessly march toward death while hating.

This morning, as I look into your eyes, and into the eyes of all of my brothers in Alabama and all over America and over the world, I say to you, “I love you. I would rather die than hate you.” And I’m foolish enough to believe that through the power of this love somewhere, men of the most recalcitrant bent will be transformed. And then we will be in God’s kingdom. We will be able to matriculate into the university of eternal life because we had the power to love our enemies, to bless those persons that cursed us, to even decide to be good to those persons who hated us, and we even prayed for those persons who despitefully used us.

Martin Luther King, Jr., “Loving Your Enemies,” Sermon delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in 1957.