Today, January sixteenth, the people of the United States of America celebrate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Here are a few quotations attributed to him, worth consideration to inspire, instruct, and motivate readers who seek to live justly and peacefully.
“Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.” —“The Purpose of Education” from Morehouse College student newspaper, The Maroon Tiger, 1947
“Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives [human beings] knowledge, which is power; religion gives [human beings] wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals.” —“A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart” sermon, August 30, 1959
“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” -—"Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963
“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.” —Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Oslo, Norway, 1964
“We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now because I've been to the mountaintop... I've looked over and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.” —“I've Been to the Mountaintop” speech, April 3, 1968