Saturday, January 14, 2012

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day -- January 16


I have to marvel that it has been 44 years since I heard the news that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.had been assassinated. I met him once, briefly. It is the rare individual who changes the heart of a nation, but Dr. King did that.

Here are a few quotes. You can read others. If you do, you will discover what an extraordinary person he was.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

― Martin Luther King Jr., I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

“I have decided to stick to love...Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.

“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.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

“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.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King was a preacher and the son of a preacher. As you watch the efforts of those to remove religion from our nation's life, remember that.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you Alan for reminding me how great this man was. A man of reason who held his brothers together in the face of adversity and oppression without alienating his white bretheren. With his non violent approach to the 'coloured' situation in the USA he did indeed move montains. I would put Martin L King on the same footing as Gandhi, people who shaped the world...where are their like today? We need a new King and Gandhi in this world.

Alan Caruba said...

Thanks, John. Methinks the world is always in need of King's and Gandhi's.

Anonymous said...

Amazing how so many of today's black "leaders" invoke King's name while stating that the color of a man's skin makes a difference...