"I understand that you have an economic system in America known as Capitalism. Through this economic system you have been able to do wonders. You have become the richest nation in the world, and you have built up the greatest system of production that history has ever known. All of this is marvelous, but Americans, there is the danger that you will misuse your Capitalism. I still contend that money can be the root of all evil. It can cause one to live a life of gross materialism. I am afraid that many among you are more concerned about making a living than making a life. You are prone to judge the success of your profession by the index of your salary and the size of the wheel base on your automobile, rather than the quality of your service to humanity. The misuse of Capitalism can also lead to tragic exploitation. This has so often happened in your nation. They tell me that one tenth of one percent of the population controls more than forty percent of the wealth. Oh America, how often have you taken necessities from the masses to give luxuries to the classes. If you are to be a truly Christian nation you must solve this problem. You cannot solve the problem by turning to communism, for communism is based on an ethical relativism and a metaphysical materialism that no Christian can accept. You can work within the framework of democracy to bring about a better distribution of wealth. You can use your powerful economic resources to wipe poverty from the face of the earth. God never intended for one group of people to live in superfluous inordinate wealth, while others live in abject deadening poverty. God intends for all of his children to have the basic necessities of life, and He has left in this universe "enough and to spare" for that purpose. So I call upon you to bridge the gulf between abject poverty and superfluous wealth."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Activists from the United StatesSpiritual teachersCivil rights activistsAnti-apartheid activistsAnti-racism activists
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
King makes two biblical allusions to Luke 15:17 and 1 Timothy 6:10: "For the love of money is the root of all evil".
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Martin Luther King Jr.
pastor, preacher, civil rights advocate
1929 – 1968 · United States
523 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. →
Related Quotes
"The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritua…"
"Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a desc…"
"We must set out to do a good job irrespective of race. We must seek to do our life's work so well that nobody could d…"
"The meaning of this story is not found in the drowning of the Egyptian soldiers, for no one should rejoice at the dea…"
"Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumina…"
"There are certain things in our nation and in the world which I am proud to be maladjusted and which I hope all men o…"
"One of the sure signs of maturity is the ability to rise to the point of self criticism."
"Doors are opening now that were not open in the past, and the great challenge facing minority groups is to be ready t…"
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at ti…"
"The third way open to oppressed people in their quest for freedom is the way of nonviolent resistance. Like the synth…"