“I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.” –Letter from Birmingham Jail
The above passage was influenced by Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience,” in which he argues that one should break unjust laws immediately, and be willing to accept the consequences. King noted in his autobiography that reading Thoreau’s essay as a college student introduced him to the idea of nonviolent resistance.
