Martin Luther King’s Acceptance Speech, on the occasion of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, 10 December 1964

“I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a
militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction… I believe that even amid
today’s mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. I
believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations,
can be lifted from this dust of shame and reign supreme amongst the children of men. I
have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their
bodies, education, and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their
spirits.”