Martin Luther King’s Jr.’s birthday is today and I thought I’d inspire us all with some of his words of wisdom about hope, faith, life, and excellence:
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive
out hate; only love can do that.”
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
“No person has the right to rain on your dreams.”
“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom.”
“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be
undertaken with painstaking excellence.”
“We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.”
“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college
degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve…You
only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
“We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness
like a mighty stream.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”
“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a
Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote
poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will
pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”
“Whatever your life’s work is, do it well.”
And whatever our goals and dreams are, our words matter. Our writing can make a difference — let’s believe in their power and write on.
Martin’s life is itself an inspiration. He was one of the wonders that the world had the good fortune of beholding.
Dear Marvelous One,
How true your words are! And how wonderful for us all that Martin’s words live on and can inspire us all to be our best, most authentic selves and to live in harmony. What precious aspirations!
Write on, Karin ________________________________________
😊