21 Of The Most Profound Malcolm X Quotes

Published May 17, 2016
Updated November 9, 2023

The 1950s and 1960s tested the will of many who lived through them. As Cold War fears expanded the United States’ presence overseas, millions at home demanded the expansion of basic civil rights to all Americans. One of the key figures behind the domestic agitation was Malcolm X.

In his brief life (he was killed at age 39), Malcolm X — née Malcolm Little — spearheaded a civil rights movement that challenged mainstream movements championed by Martin Luther King Jr., mainly in terms of his “by any means necessary” approach to effecting systemic change.

Combining black nationalism and the Muslim faith, X’s work and words expanded the possibilities of resistance — and laid the groundwork for the Black Power movement. Gain a little insight into the man with the twenty-one insightful Malcolm X quotes below:

For more, watch these Malcolm X speeches on race, police brutality and the role of the media:


Next, learn about these lesser-known black leaders and discover these surprising facts about Martin Luther King.

author
John Kuroski
author
Based in Brooklyn, New York, John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of expertise include modern American history and the ancient Near East. In an editing career spanning 17 years, he previously served as managing editor of Elmore Magazine in New York City for seven years.
editor
Savannah Cox
editor
Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.
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Kuroski, John. "21 Of The Most Profound Malcolm X Quotes." AllThatsInteresting.com, May 17, 2016, https://allthatsinteresting.com/malcolm-x-quotes. Accessed August 17, 2025.