Hate is a powerful emotion that can lead to destruction and despair, but also to change and growth. The following are 20 of the most popular quotes about hate, from a wide range of people – authors, philosophers, religious leaders, and more. They serve as poignant reminders of the destructive power of hate, as well as the possibility for redemption and transformation.
- “Hate: It has caused a lot of problems in this world, but has not solved one yet.” – Maya Angelou
- “Fear of something is at the root of hate for others, and hate within will eventually destroy the hater.” – George Washington Carver
- “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “Those who hate you will not win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself.” – Richard Nixon
- “In time we hate that which we often fear.” – William Shakespeare
- “Racism is man’s gravest threat to man – the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason.” – Abraham Joshua Heschel
- “If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn’t part of ourselves doesn’t disturb us.” – Hermann Hesse
- “Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.” – Coretta Scott King
- “Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, because hate in your heart will consume you too.” – Will Smith
- “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
- “No one is born hating another person… People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love…” – Nelson Mandela
- “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” – Elie Wiesel
- “Hate blinds people, love makes them see.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.” – Maya Angelou
- “I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.” – James Baldwin
- “Hate is the consequence of fear; we fear something before we hate it.” – Cyril Connolly
Collectively these quotes remind us of the power and peril of hate. Acknowledging these feelings and putting them into perspective helps us to be more understanding, compassionate, and tolerant. After all, we are members of one human race. In the immortal words of Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Let that change be one driven by love instead of hate.