Celebrating MLK

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Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.’s Wisdom

Thinking is Hard Work
“Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.”

—Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

Speak Out
“Curtailment of free speech is rationalized on grounds that a more compelling American tradition forbids criticism of the government when the nation is at war...Nothing can be more destructive of our fundamental democratic traditions than the vicious effort to silence dissenters.”

—Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
(Thanks to alert WORDster Barbara Reed)

The Final Word
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

—Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968),
Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, Dec. 10, 1964

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

—Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

Stand Up
“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.”

—Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

Silence
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.”

—Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

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

—Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

“A day on, not a day off.” --The King Center

Related:
• NPR: Bethel College in Newton, Kan., finds MLK speech that hasn’t been heard in 50 years.
• The King Center
• Seattle Times Tribute
• Racism still lives. Two (old) columns by Ted Pease

Editor’s Note: I have a dream.
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