Despite leaving this world, well before his time some 48 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr.’s prolific words of wisdom continue to inspire and change the world every day. His role as a leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement helped advance civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs.
We the people turn to MLK’s inspirational quotes and relish in his greatness by using those words to expel greatness into the world – as he would have wanted. Some words outweigh others because they speak volumes to larger groups of people. In case you’re in need of some remembering or you’re in search of profound words that evoke real change, here are quotes to do just that from the great MLK.
“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.”
When you’re comfortable, it’s relatively easy to stand your ground and raise your points for discussion. However, when you’re being challenged that’s a totally different story. When someone faces adversity and conflict, it can be difficult to stand up and announce your beliefs because there is someone else ready to shoot down your opinions. Conflict is part of life – it occurs in just about every element of living. Therefore, it’s important to stand your ground and not accept defeat.
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Throughout life we will encounter enemies that want nothing more than to shoot us down. Even though their daggers may hurt, it doesn’t amount to the pain we experience when our friends are silent. Friends are the people we choose to be our family. God places these people in our lives so that we can grow as human beings and have a deeper appreciation for humanity. When our friends don’t stand beside us, we feel betrayed and somewhat reduced as individuals. Therefore, it’s crucial that we choose people that are dedicated and genuine to be part of our life.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Think about it – when you turn on your TV and hear about the terrible things taking place in the world, you feel remorseful and pray to the Lord that he watches over those being threatened. We are human beings and we feel pain even if it’s not our own. As children of God, we subconsciously look for ways to be better people and to make our father happy. Moreover, any sadness that takes place somewhere will hurt the force of brotherhood in the world.
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
As Christians, we must believe in faith because it guides us when we’re blind and drives us when we’re confused. Faith was established on hope and the idea that there was a higher being who sacrificed it all for his children. There will be times in life when the big picture will not be visible however, more often than not the only way you’ll be able to attain the prize will be to allow yourself to have faith and believe that what’s destined to be will in fact be.
