Which civil rights leader is attributed with the quote that forgiveness is a permanent attitude?

• A. Rosa Parks
• B. Martin Luther King Jr.
• C. Malcolm X
• D. Nelson Mandela

Answer: (B)

Forgiveness as a steady, enduring stance is central to Martin Luther King Jr.’s approach to social change. He taught that nonviolence and love toward opponents aren’t temporary sentiments but a permanent way of relating to others, even in struggle, because they break cycles of hatred and build lasting moral authority for justice. This perspective makes forgiveness a guiding attitude that helps transform conflict and sustain long-term progress. Rosa Parks is celebrated for her courageous act of resistance, but forgiveness isn’t the defining thread of her message. Malcolm X’s leadership spotlighted empowerment and, at times, a more militant stance, rather than a constant attitude of forgiveness. Mandela is renowned for reconciliation in post-apartheid South Africa, yet in this context the attribution most often linked to the quote is to Martin Luther King Jr., whose nonviolent philosophy centers on forgiveness as a enduring principle.