Monday, January 19, 2009

"I have a dream..."

Yes, today is Martin Luther King Day-- observed. (King was born on Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta.) In honor of this extremely poignant observance of the occasion, I've compiled a list of Dr. King's best-known and/or greatest quotes*.
1.) "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."
2.) "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
3.) "History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people."
4.) "Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men."
5.) "The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace, and brotherhood."
6.) "The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict."
7.) "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character-- that is the goal of true education."
8.) "One who breaks an unjust law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law."
9.) "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
10.) "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."
*Actually, I found a ton of King quotes that I could've used here. I'll probably include some bonuses in posts later on this week. Of course, King's dream will be partially realized tomorrow when Barack Obama becomes our 44th president. (yay!) I say "partially" because I think it's sad that the fact that Barack is black is even an issue. We should instead focus on the fact that he's awesome and will try his dangdest (You can take the girl out of Texas,...) to do what's right for our once-again-great country. When that happens, the dream will be fully actualized.

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