I remember walking around Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard next to the Terrou Bi hotel in my native city of Dakar, Senegal, a continent away from where one of the most influential Black leaders in history lived and died. As a young African girl living across the ocean from the U.S. back then, and despite the distance, Dr. King’s name was already imprinted in mine and millions of other’ stories. That’s how much of an impact this extraordinary man had on the entire world…
Every year as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, we’re reminded that if it were not for his work and mission, we wouldn’t be where we are today. All of us. Not just Black men and women, but for all of us people. Because every time progress, equality and justice is accomplished for even one person, it’s done for all of us. We may not always see or recognize how it affects our lives, but it’s on days like these that we have the opportunity to sit back and ponder how far we’ve come. And how far we still have to go…
From his powerful story to being celebrated in the movie “Selma” decades later, Dr. King continues to teach us some of the most important life and legacy lessons. Which is why I’ve taken a reflective pause today to gather 12 of my personal favorite quotes from Dr. King to inspire us to keep reaching higher, wherever we amy be in the world or in our lives:
“Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve…You only need a hart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” From “The Drum Major Instinct“, 1968.
“The time is always right to do what is right”.
“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.”
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”‘
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
” I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
“Intelligence plus character – that is the true goal of education.”
“No person has the right to rain on your dreams.”
In closing, check out this great video to learn even more about the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:
Happy MLK Day!
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
