Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Ga. King lived in a segregated city and he grew up facing firsthand the overwhelming effects of racial discrimination. Even though slavery had ended in the late 19th century in the United States, still institutionalized racism sustained to oppress African-Americans decades later. Blacks were still made to use separate public utilities and superior schools were kept reserved for whites; they suffered constant discrimination in housing and employment, on top of cruelty and lynching from whites, and they were incapable to entirely exercising their right to vote.
Later Martin Luther King became a Baptist minister as well as a civil rights activist. He had a great impact on issues related to race relations in the country. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous I have a dream speech given in 1963 is still inspires people worldwide. King played a substantial part in ending the legal segregation of black people and in creation of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and also the Voting Rights Act in the year 1965. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for exceptional efforts and his hard work. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn on April 4, 1968. He continues to be remembered as an intelligent, patient and charismatic person and valiant leader of the civil rights movement.
More 50 years after his inspirational “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King Jr.‘s inspiring words and remain as relevant today as they were when he was alive. Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 18, 2016, Monday with fifteen inspirational Martin Luther King quotes:
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude.”
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”
“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.”
“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”
“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.”
“Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.”
“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.”
“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”
Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama and she passed away in the year 2005, but her legacy will continue for years to come. Rosa Parks was a renowned civil rights activist, in December of 1955, on her way back from work; Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This incident is widely credited for stirring a nationwide boycott which helped in launching national efforts to end a segregated country. Rosa Parks was chosen by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as the face for his campaign.
Rosa Parks received several awards in her lifetime, including the NAACP’s highest award, the Spingarn Medal and the esteemed Martin Luther King Jr. Award. President Bill Clinton presented Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rosa Parks in 1996. Rosa Parks departed at the age of 92 in Detroit, Michigan yet, her legacy and fortitude towards equality still inspire people the world over, including her inspirational quotes.
Here are some of the most influential inspirational quotes by Rosa Parks:
“Each person must live their life as a model for others.”
“Memories of our lives, or our works and our deeds will continue in others.”
“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.”
“Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and hopefully, we shall overcome.”
“I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free… so other people would be also free.”
“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true….No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”
“At the time I was arrested I had no idea it would turn into this. It was just a day like any other day. The only thing that made it significant was that the masses of the people joined in.”
“Have you ever been hurt and the place tries to heal a bit, and you just pull the scar off of it over and over again.”
“I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people.”
“I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom.”
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