鈥淚 submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.鈥� 鈥揕etter from Birmingham Jail
The above passage was influenced by Henry David Thoreau鈥檚 essay 鈥淐ivil Disobedience,鈥� in which he argues that one should break unjust laws immediately, and be willing to accept the consequences. King noted in his autobiography that reading Thoreau鈥檚 essay as a college student introduced him to the idea of nonviolent resistance.
