way equated to a "death of the spirit." He then declared,

A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.

King thus believed that sometimes people have to face dangerous situations in order to instigate change. He believed that living a safe life which silently accepted injustice causes a person to die an internal death, though the physical body may survive. King believed that it is important to sometimes face physical danger and threats in order to preserve one's character and sense of purpose.

The actual quote by the late Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., is as follows:

"A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true."

The origins of the oft-cited quote included in the student's question is uncertain, as it was attributed to King by somebody else.  Be that as it may, King's March 8, 1965, speech in Selma, Alabama, in which he made the above statement, stands as a touching expansion upon 18th century English philosopher Sir Edmund Burke's famous observation that "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." King's point, as with Burke, was that evil or injustice left unopposed will invariably prevail over justice, with unfortunate consequences for the whole of society. Those who recognize that a wrong is being committed and who fail to act may not be culpable with the triumph of evil, but neither are they innocent of the bad that results. King, as his religious education and training suggest, believed in the existence of a soul, and man's soul would not survive the failure to act in the face of injustice. Speaking in the context of the centuries-old struggle for civil rights, King's words constituted yet another clarion call for all people to stand up for what they know is right.

Martin Luther King, Jr. is best known for his work in the civil rights of African-Americans. He is probably the best known figure in the fight for social change in this country. He was also a minister, and considered this his true calling. He preached the gospel, but he also lived it. He was passionate about the plight against the black community during the 50's and 60's.

When he made this statement he was talking about how, for way too long, people of all colors kept silent to the injustices being done. He knew that most people were scared of being killed if they spoke up and tried to do something. Most of the authority figures in the south were corrupt and would physically harm people who tried to fight against the things being done. Dr. King was trying to get more people involved in the movement. He knew that if we as a society keep silent and do absolutely nothing about unfair treatment these people were experiencing, that a part of our soul would die. He knew that the only way to make a difference is to do something. Yes, it was scary, yes some people's lives were in danger and yes some people even died, but they did something. These people paved the way for the liberties that we can now appreciate. We have a long way still to go, but we have to stop being silent and rise up and do something. Dr. King was all about peaceful resolutions, and we need to get back to what Dr. King taught all of us.

Martin Luther King, Jr. is, of course, best known as a man who worked to end injustice in the United States.  The quote that you have given here shows how important he it is to fight against things that are unjust.  King is saying that we are not truly alive unless we speak out for justice.  If there are things that matter, things like injustice, we have to speak out rather than being silent.  Otherwise, we are sort of giving up our humanity and, thus, ending our lives not in a physical sense but in a figurative sense.

Researchers suggest that this quote, while often repeated by politicians, is probably not authentic. Rather, it is a sort of paraphrase of multiple quotes that urged taking positive action against oppression. One of these quotes was in reference to civil rights protests in Selma, Alabama, where King urged people to stand up for their political rights even though it might mean their deaths. Other, similar quotes from King's sermons and public speeches have been documented. Whether or not the quote is fully authentic, it certainly gives voice to a belief that was central to the nonviolent direct action at the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. People who engaged in this kind of protest did so with the knowledge that they confronted a segregation regime whose protectors were willing to use (and in fact often did use) violence against people who challenged it. King faced repeated assassination attempts, including house bombings, long before he was murdered in Memphis in 1968. Many other civil rights activists, rank and file and leaders, also faced violence and even death. Without the belief that some things were worth dying for, nobody would have been willing to participate in the direct action that made the movement successful. So this quote, while perhaps not entirely accurate, is completely consistent with King's philosophy and that of the Civil Rights Movement as a whole.