There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.

This line is widely circulated under Martin Luther King Jr.’s name in connection with his moral appeals during the U.S. civil-rights movement, but it is not reliably traceable to a specific speech, sermon, or publication by King in the major vetted corpora. The wording closely matches a well-documented passage by Unitarian minister Theodore Parker (1810–1860), later frequently quoted in social-justice contexts and sometimes misattributed to King. King did often invoke the primacy of conscience and the duty to take unpopular stands, which likely encouraged the later association of this phrasing with him.

The statement argues that ethical responsibility sometimes requires choosing a course of action that offers no protection, advantage, or public approval. “Safe,” “politic,” and “popular” represent the usual incentives that shape public behavior—self-preservation, strategic calculation, and social acceptance. The quote insists that conscience can override all three, making moral integrity a higher standard than expediency. In civil-rights rhetoric, this idea underwrites principled nonconformity: the willingness to risk reputation, career, or bodily safety to oppose injustice. Its enduring power lies in framing courage not as bravado but as obedience to an inner moral law.