Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy

Some of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s most influential snippets

I am of mixed descent, and my mother, who was of African descent, was a big fan of the man, the legendary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In my college years, I was fortunate enough to portray a character in a play entitled Southern Cross that exemplified many of his ideals, which led me to also fall in love with his words. The way he changed history with love on his lips, in his heart, and in his actions is the reason we are still in awe of him today. Rarely in history has such a man made so great an impact, but so great was his shadow that it stretches on, touching a million more hearts and minds in its wake. The following are a few of my favorite snippets from his speeches in no particular order.

1. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
2. “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.”
3. “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.”
4. “We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”
5. “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
6. “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”
7. “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.”
8. “Hate is just as injurious to the hater as it is to the hated. Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Many of our inner conflicts are rooted in hate. This is why psychiatrists say, ‘Love or perish.’ Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
9. “You can kill the dreamer, but you can’t kill the dream.”
10. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”

I hope you meditate on his words this day and seek their meaning for yourself. No matter your race or affiliations, I feel there is still so much more to be learned from him. He was a keystone when the community so desperately needed him and in the wake of the ripples he left, he lives on a modern-day hero. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day.