Martin Luther King Jr born in 1929, Martin grew up in the South, where there were “whites only” signs just about everywhere. It wasn’t fair, and it made him mad. But guess what? He didn’t fight with fists. He fought with words, with kindness, and with a big, beautiful dream for a better world.
Ninety-four years after his birth on Jan. 15, 1929, and nearly 60 years after his historic “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s stirring words and writings remain as relevant and inspiring today as they were when he lived. The quotations engraved at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, listed below, were thoughtfully selected to show many facets of King’s thinking over the years. The quotes include excerpts from his Letter from Birmingham Jail, to his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.
“Quotations”
“I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.”
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
“I have decided to stick to love…Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
“Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
“But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”
“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
“Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.”
“No one really knows why they are alive until they know what they’d die for.”
“We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience.”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.”
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.”
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
“There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”
“There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”
“Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”
“I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.”
“We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
“No person has the right to rain on your dreams.”
“One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”
“Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”
“the time is always right to do the right thing”
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?”
“There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.”
“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”
“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”
“The choice is not between violence and nonviolence but between nonviolence and nonexistence.”
“Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.”
“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
“True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.”
“Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend.”
Martin Luther King Jr.: A Dream Weaver Who Changed the World
Imagine a world where you couldn’t sit on a bus just because of your skin color. That’s how it was for many Black folks in America when he was a boy. He saw the unfairness and knew something had to change.
One day, a brave woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white man. This sparked a huge protest, and Martin became the leader. People called him “the Dream Weaver” because he could paint amazing pictures of a world where everyone, white or Black, rich or poor, could ride the same bus, drink from the same fountain, and go to the same school.
He wasn’t perfect. He stumbled and made mistakes, just like all of us. But he never gave up on his dream. He marched, he sang, he gave speeches that echoed like thunder, and he showed everyone the power of love and nonviolence. He even won a fancy prize called a Nobel Peace Prize for all the good he was doing.
Sadly, some people didn’t like Martin’s dream. They hated that he wanted everyone to be treated equally. One terrible day, they took his life away. But guess what? His dream didn’t die with him. It flew, like a butterfly on the wind, to millions of hearts around the world.
Today, thanks to Martin Luther King Jr., the world is a little closer to his dream. Buses don’t have “whites only” signs anymore, and schools are open to everyone. But there’s still a long way to go. So let’s all remember Martin, the Dream Weaver, and keep fighting for his dream of a world where we all sing the same song of equality, hand in hand, just like brothers and sisters.
Remember:
- Martin wasn’t a superhero, but he did something super important.
- He fought with kindness, not fists.
- His dream of a better world is still alive.
- We can all be dream weavers too, by standing up for what’s right, even when it’s hard.
So next time you see a picture of Martin Luther King Jr., don’t just see a famous face. See a friend, a teacher, a dream weaver who reminds us that even the smallest acts of kindness can change the world. And that’s something worth fighting for, don’t you think?
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FAQs:
1. What was Martin Luther King Jr.’s most famous speech?
Without a doubt, King’s most famous speech is “I Have a Dream,” delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. The speech, with its powerful imagery and call for racial equality, remains one of the most important and iconic moments in American history.
2. What was Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy of nonviolence?
King was deeply influenced by the nonviolent resistance teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. He believed that peaceful protests and civil disobedience were the most effective ways to achieve social change without resorting to violence. He famously stated, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
3. What were some of Martin Luther King Jr.’s accomplishments?
- Led the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement.
- Co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a prominent civil rights organization.
- Played a crucial role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, landmark legislation that outlawed racial discrimination.
- Inspired millions of people around the world to fight for justice and equality.
- Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his nonviolent efforts towards racial equality.
4. How did Martin Luther King Jr. die?
King was tragically assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. His death sent shockwaves through the nation and the world, but his message of hope and equality continues to resonate today.
5. What is Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy?
King’s legacy is multifaceted and enduring. He is remembered as:
- A visionary leader who challenged racial injustice and segregation.
- A powerful orator who inspired millions with his words and message of hope.
- A champion of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience.
- A symbol of equality and justice for all.
