You refuse to do anything that will defeat an individual, because you have agape in your soul.

Share this quote

Source: Loving Your Enemies (1957)

About this quote

In Loving Your Enemies (1957), King uses a focused ethical claim to examine spirituality, with attention to refuse, anything, defeat. The practical center is the relationship between self awareness and individual and agape, giving readers a specific lens for judgment and action.

When to use it

  • A community organizer builds a meeting around refuse before participants choose one measurable action related to spirituality.
  • A teacher pairs the passage from Loving Your Enemies (1957) with a primary-source exercise about self awareness and public responsibility.
  • A team leader uses the tension between anything and agape to discuss conduct under pressure.