10 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes We Should Always Remember
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy is formally celebrated every January, but he’s someone we should be honoring and remembering year-round. It’s hard not to think about how the civil rights activist, who was assassinated in 1968, would’ve responded to all the injustices the world still faces.
He would demand justice for Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. He would march alongside Black Lives Matter and elevate those whose voices go unheard. He would give speeches—powerful, beautiful, necessary ones—urging people to keep pushing for change.
Thankfully, we have the speeches he gave when he was alive to keep us going. These are quotes we should keep in our minds and hearts always—not just in January, not just on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The fight for justice and equality isn’t a social media “moment” to jump on, then forget about it. It’s every day. Let King’s words, below, remind you of that.
“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.”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“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.”
“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”
“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
“I have decided to stick to love…hate is too great a burden to bear.”
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’”
“It all boils down to the fact that we must never allow ourselves to become satisfied with unattained goals. We must always maintain a kind of divine discontent.”
“Don’t give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be the first in love. I want you to be the first in moral excellence. I want you to be the first in generosity.”
