Happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Yes! Dr. King deserves all the celebration and some. He was such a man of honor and integrity. He was a fighter without fists. A true OG he was. He boldly walked into so many rooms so we, blacks, could have equality. He stood on his assignment wherever he went. He was all about peace but his mission was very dangerous.
Every time he spoke up for black people, he could have been killed. Although he may have lived through his fight until he was killed, he didn’t live long enough to see just how impactful he became. His work was not done in vain. We are truly living in the rewards of his work and the work of others in the Civil Rights Movement.
Dr. King is one to be honored. Today, I want to simply encourage you through his words. These are his quotes and in them are some principles that he lived by. He words of encouragement never get old. They are still relevant today.
Quotes:
“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.” (Address at Spelman College, 1960.)
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (“Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 1963.)
“We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” (“The Purpose of Education,” 1947.)
“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.” (Strength to Love, 1963.)
“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom.” (“The Death of Evil upon the Seashore,” 1956.)
“We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.” (In My Own Words, published in 2002.)
“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” (“The Domestic Impact of the War in Vietnam, 1967.)
“Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is a participant in the being of God.” (From a handwritten letter, mid-1960s.)
“Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love…violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.” (Nobel Lecture, 1964.)
Dr King was very clever and God-fearing. He put God, love, first in all that he did. He walked with integrity and grit. He never stopped. His quotes are golden. They still breathe breath as he flys high.
Dr. King, we could never thank you enough for not leaving us empty handed. Your body may be gone but your spirit and voice truly lives forever.
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