Wise Words for Current Times From Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr., born January 15, 1929, died April 4, 1968, was the most visible American civil rights leader from 1955 until his assassination. He furthered civil rights through nonviolence, motivated by his Christian beliefs and the peaceful activism of Mahatma Gandhi. We suspect this wise soul incarnated to teach the world about race relations, and so much more, and are grateful for his wisdom. Below we share some of his quotes, which are good reminders for the present too.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

“Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“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.”

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.”

“You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.”

“Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”

“It is always the right time to do the right thing.”

“Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love.”

“Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”

“We must learn that to expect God to do everything while we do nothing is not faith but superstition.”

“Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service.”

“Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.”

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

“Let's build bridges, not walls.”

“This is the great new problem of mankind. We have inherited a large house, a great ‘world house’ in which we have to live together– black and white, Easterner and Westerner, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Muslim and Hindu– a family unduly separated in ideas, culture and interest, who, because we can never again live apart, must learn somehow to live with each other in peace.”

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.”

“If you can't be a sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.”

“I still believe that standing up for the truth of God is the greatest thing in the world. This is the end (purpose) of life. The end of life is not to be happy. The end of life is not to achieve pleasure and avoid pain. The end of life is to do the will of God, come what may.”

Copyright © Stephen Petullo, Scott Petullo