“One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement
“If we’re being told to do stupid or cruel things, then it is morally correct to disobey.”
Quoted in the documentary Art in a Word by Vera Baghiroli, qoob tv (22 July 2008).
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Martin Firrell66
British artist and activist 1963Related quotes
“Intelligent men are cruel. Stupid men are monstrously cruel.”
Jack London book The Star Rover
The Star Rover
Variant: Intelligent men are cruel. Stupid men are monstrously cruel
Peter de Noronha (1897–1970) Indian businessman
The Pageant of Life (1964), On Planning for a Better World
“What are we allowed to do when we’re looking for things we’re required to do?”
Dave Eggers (1970) memoirist, novelist, short story writer, editor, publisher
You Shall Know Our Velocity! (2002)
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement
1960s, Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963)
Source: Letter from the Birmingham Jail
Context: One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all."
John Cleese (1939) actor from England
A "tweet" by John Cleese on his @JohnCleese [verified] Twitter account, 4 Apr 2017
“We’re too stupid to decide on EU (that includes me)”
Richard Dawkins (1941) English ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author
“The Turk is cruel, but he is perfectly stupid, and is no match for the sagacious Albanian.”
Isa Boletini (1864–1916) Kosovo Albanian guerilla leader
New York Times (September 12th, 1912) http://www.thealbanians.com/historical_press/issa_boletini.htm.
“That’s the best thing about being dead. It’s like being stupid. It’s only painful for others.”
Ricky Gervais (1961) English comedian, actor, director, producer, musician, writer, and former radio presenter
“Other things being equal, it is better to be smart than to be stupid.”
Carl Sagan book Cosmos
Source: Cosmos (1980), p. 284