Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

1929 - 1968

I still have a dream. It is deeply rooted in the American dream. 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.”

Psychological freedom, a firm sense of self-esteem, is the most powerful weapon against the long night of physical slavery.

The Negro will only be truly free when he reaches down to the inner depths of his own being and signs with the pen and ink of assertive selfhood his own emancipation proclamation.

Free at last; free at last; thank God Almighty we are free at last.

If a man hasn’t discovered something that he would die for, he isn’t fit to live.

The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

We must use time creatively – and forever realize that the time is always hope to do great things.

Life’s most urgent question is: what are you doing for others.

Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy.

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

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.

We refuse to believe that there is insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.

Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, that the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by their character.

Recommended Readings:
Strength to Love, 1963
King: A Biography, 1978

Recommended Resources:
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project at Stanford University