3 Great Quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Since today is Martin Luther King day, I thought it would be nice to reflect on a few of the many great quotes from Dr. King.
As we all know, Dr. King was one of the greatest contributors to the US Civil Rights movement during the late 1950s and 1960s. He helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956, which ultimately led to a Supreme Court decision that ended racial segregation on all Montgomery public buses. He formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to organize additional demonstrations and protests in an effort to end all forms of segregation. And of course, he delivered the epic “I Have a Dream” speech on the footsteps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC in August 1963. He played a pivotal role in the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin and ended racial segregation at schools, at work, and at public facilities.
Here are some of my favorite quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:
“Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
When Dr. King set out on his mission to transform American society and end racial segregation, he had no idea how it was going to play out. He wasn’t sure whether it would take months, years, or even decades before he would be able to realize his dream that his own children would “not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” He didn’t spend all of his time plotting out his steps to achieve desegregation, however. He went into action, putting his faith in the righteousness of his cause. He took one step at a time, keeping true to his ultimate vision and holding on to his faith that things would work out.
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
Dr. King believed in speaking up when he saw injustice in the world around him. It took a tremendous amount of courage for Dr. King to raise his voice about the injustice that people encountered every day due to segregation. He had to stand firm in the face of significant opposition and, in some cases, even violence. He never shrank from speaking up, and he refused to suffer in silence. And because he spoke up, he touched the hearts of millions of people and inspired them to join his movement, either in person or in spirit.
“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
With this quote, Dr. King urged all of us to make a difference in whatever way we can. Even if we can’t move millions of people to take action the way he did, we can still have an impact to things that we do control. Everyone has the power of choice and action. And all of our actions have impact to the people around us — our family, friends, neighbors, community, work colleagues. Dr. King advocated that even small actions should be performed with excellence and greatness.
I really enjoyed taking the time today to reflect on the life, deeds, and words of Dr. Martin Luther King. I am very thankful for the great impact and the legacy that Dr. King left behind — that we are all able to enjoy living in this country without the injustice of segregation.
