JANUARY 15 – Today, all Americans have a chance to pause and reflect on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The American federal holiday honoring King, observed each year on the third Monday of January, was signed into law in 1983.
King’s main legacy was the advancement of civil rights by using non-violent tactics, is most known for his iconic “I have a dream” speech. His words live on today, resonating with millions of Americans and people around the world.
Here are five of King’s most meaningful quotes:
1. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
This quote came from a sermon Dr. King gave on loving your enemies at Dexter Baptist Church on November 17, 1957.
2. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Dr. King wrote this in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]” on April 16, 1963.
3. “The time is always right to do what is right.”
Dr. King told this to Oberlin College students during his “The Future of Integration” speech on October 22, 1964.
4. “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.”
This came from his 1963 book, Strength to Love.
5. “Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.”
On April 23, 1963, Dr. King closed out his famous “I Have a Dream” speech with this quote at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Here is the full text:
“When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!””
