Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

To commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968), I have chosen the following few (and there are many) of his notable quotes:

"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".

"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it".

"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".

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that".
"A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus".

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom".

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

If only humans worldwide would heed these words! In his memory, let's together have a dream, perhaps some day it will be realized!

Hani Badawi

January 16, 2012