MLK day 2011

This year is the 25th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday and will be celebrated across the United States with many different notable events and ceremonies. This US Federal holiday is celebrated on the third Monday of January each year, which is around the time of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, January 15th.

King was an avid spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which eventually successfully protested any racial discrimination in both federal and state law. He was assassinated in 1968 and soon after that the campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor soon began. The holiday finally came into law in 1983 by Ronald Reagan and it was the very first holiday was observed on January 20th, 1986. However, it wasn’t until the year 2000 that MLK Day was officially observed in all 50 states.

King was a magnificent speaker and writer, he knew the power of words, and many of his speeches contained powerful quotes that he is now famous for. These MLK quotes are as relevant today as they were when King first spoke them and they still to this day continue to challenge and inspire individuals and society. There are literally hundreds of compelling Martin Luther King quotes, all of which are thought provoking and inspiring, and below are a few samples that seem to be especially fitting for 2011. Many more can be found here.

* “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
* “Let no man pull you low enough to hate him.”
* “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
* “All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.”
* “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
* “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”
* “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.”
* “Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”
* “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”