What do Kunta Kinte, Darth Vader, Reading Rainbow, Darryl Strawberry and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr have in common? They were my first introduction to the history of, and cultural significance of African Americans and other Black citizens of the world. Whether extolling the adventures awaiting on the pages of that next book, demonstrating physical prowess, leading me on a journey of desperation and perseverance, speaking in a voice that commands one to sit up and listen or vocalizing words of peace and a vision of universal truths in action, these were my first experiences with Black America. And it was beautiful.
Write about your hero
If you are a Gen Xer, chances are you were tasked with the assignment, at least once in your academic career, to write about who is your hero and why. Mine was Dr. King Jr. Looking back now, it seems like the perfect jumping off point for the pantheon of personal heroes I would collect throughout my life. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr led me to Mother Teresa and in a small way to Princess Di, where love was the universal answer to hate and sorrow. The strength and power in peaceful opposition lead me to Mahatma Gandhi and a lifelong love for all things India. Anne Frank taught me to find beauty in the ugly world, that silver-lining that tends the embers of hope when life is otherwise throwing its worst at you.
These profound influences then become a natural path to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and eventually a reverence for Thich Nhat Hanh. These giants of peace, love and service helped shape my believes, faith in, and dreams for Humanity and inspired a desire to, even in a small way, follow in their immeasurable footsteps. Yet the spark will forever first have been lit by the Great Champion of Civil Rights, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and so he will forever be my first childhood hero.
After 45 years it is a little hazy to say what message of Dr. King’s I heard first, but I know that his speech, I Have a Dream, resonated truths to my young heart and mind. Being a little girl growing up in the ‘80s it was entirely possible that I could have been raised with limiting gender beliefs, however this was never something I was presented with. I was raised from my earliest memories to believe that the only barrier between myself and whoever I wanted to be when I grew up, was my own mind and effort. Thus, I suppose it seemed only obvious that the concept of being judged on the “content of one’s character” would ring as truth to my young ears. In fact, it is that line that still today encapsulates how I view the world.
How many of our world’s conflicts, horrors and darkest moments could have been avoided or at least lessened if we were brave enough to see the person in front of us rather than the cloak our fears drape them in? How far could humanity reach if, instead of thinking, one’s success somehow negates your own, we saw it as proof we too could succeed. We ought to encourage and celebrate and build upon each other’s wins. Your success does not mean I am somehow “lesser”, and it does not mean that I too cannot succeed.
Science can stand as a clear example of this concept, for if Einstein felt that the discoveries of physicists in the 1800s meant there was nothing more for him to discover, would the world over be able to retort “E=MC2” even if we can’t as quickly tell you what it means, at the mention of his name? If Einstein’s Theory of Relativity prompted every other scientist to throw in the towel, then Max Planck wouldn’t build on this and become the Father of Quantum Physics. My point being that I am a firm and ardent believer in the adage A Rising Tides Lifts all Boats. If one succeeds, we all benefit and greater are the opportunities for others to succeed. I think that is the true definition of the American Dream, being free to build upon the shoulders of giants and discover what you are yourself capable of.
So, it is the sage words in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s pivotal speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Monument,…
“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream 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.”…
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 the content of their character.
…This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”
that made me sit a little taller, listen a little closer, lean in and take counsel from a man who changed a nation without ever firing a single bullet. It is the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr that would be the launching pad for how I see my fellow man.
15 of my favorite quotes
The imagery painted with the words of this great orator stirred my soul despite being a young child the first time I heard his speech. I felt as though “of course this is how the world should be. How we should see each other.” After all, this is what I was being taught by my family. That is who I am as a person, how hard I work, and how I treat people that will determine my success, so to hear Dr. King Jr’s words affirming the same was merely confirmation of what was being taught to me and made perfect sense.
As I grew older and was able to read more on my own for pleasure, I began to learn even more of the messages Martin Luther King, Jr shared and he introduced me to other peaceful giants, like Gandhi and Thich Nhat Hanh. Still although I have since added other role models to my personal “heroes” list, the teachings of Dr. King, Jr remain high on my list of go-to quotes to motivate me, inspire me, comfort me and ultimately express more perfectly the workings of my heart and mind.
The options for MLK quotes are extensive and vary upon context but here is a list of my 15 all-time favorites:
- “Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence, when it helps us to see the enemy’s point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view, we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition.”
- “No one really knows why they are alive until they know what they’d die for.”
- “We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.”
- “Not only will we have to repent for the sins of bad people; but we also will have to repent for the appalling silence of good people.”
- “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”
- “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”
- “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend.”
- “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”
- “If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.”
- “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”
- “I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be… This is the inter-related structure of reality.”
- “There is nothing more majestic than the determined courage of individuals willing to suffer and sacrifice for their freedom and dignity.”
- “We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate.”
- “On the one hand we are called to play the good Samaritan on life’s roadside; but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life’s highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.”
- “Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”
A few memes for fun
I thought I’d play around and create some memes with a handful my favorite MLK Jr quotes. I love to print these out and put them in journals, on mirrors, even on my vision board to help me remember a message that resonates with me and where I happen to be on life’s journey at any given time. Maybe you’ll enjoy them too. Canva is a truly fantastic tool!
Do you have a favorite MLK quote I didn’t list? Or what about other childhood heroes? Comment below and let me know!
