I Have A Dream...

Inspirational words of wisdom by Martin Luther King, Jr. - born 81 years ago today:


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.

Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.

At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.

Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.

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.

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.

We must use time creatively.

The time is always right to do what is right.


Photo: Signing of Civil Rights Amendment - Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.

Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.

Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.