I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice who constantly says 'I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action' who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for someone else's freedom who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a 'more convenient season.'

Summary

In this quote, Martin Luther King Jr. asserts that the greatest obstacle to the African American community's progress toward freedom is not the openly racist individuals or organizations, but rather the white moderates who prioritize maintaining order over pursuing justice. King argues that these individuals prefer a superficial peace, characterized by the absence of tension, over a genuine peace that includes fairness and equality. He criticizes their tendency to express agreement with the goal of racial equality but reject the direct actions necessary to achieve it. Moreover, King highlights their condescending belief that they can dictate the timeline for others' liberation, relying on a distorted perception of time and suggesting that the oppressed should wait for a "more convenient season" for change.

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