Bio & Quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. Wikipedia

Born: January 15,1929, Atlanta

Died: April 4, 1968, St. Joseph's Hospital

Children: Martin Luther King III, Yolanda King, Bernice King, Dexter Scott King

Education: Boston University (1954 – 1955), …

Parents: Alberta Williams King, Martin Luther King, Sr.

Today the nation honors the life of Martin Luther King Jr., the reverend and activist who led the American civil rights movement. As King studied nonviolence as practiced by Gandhi and imagined by Henry David Thoreau, now his own life and work are the subject of study. Here are some famous quotes from Dr. KING, who was assassinated in 1968 at age 39.

"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals".

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

" 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".

"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."

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

"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. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent". 

"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". 

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends".

"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".