Martin Luther King Jr.’s greatest contributions included his elevation of the international dialogue on the subject that has haunted the world almost since its earliest days: the enslavement and exploitation of the weak by the strong.
There was no Twitter then, and even if there had been, it would have been difficult to reduce to 140 or 280 characters the thoughts of a man given to quoting Jesus, Matthew, Paul and poets such as James Russell Lowell and Ovid, as well as a host of other thinkers.
Nevertheless, here are some tweetable quotations from King especially apt for the turmoil the world finds itself in today:
“We must meet hate with love. We must meet physical force with soul force. There is still a voice crying out through the vista of time, saying: ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.’ ”
“God is not interested merely in freeing black men and brown men and yellow men, but God is interested in freeing the whole human race.”
“We must act in such a way as to make possible a coming together of white people and coloured people on the basis of a real harmony of interest and understanding. We must seek an integration based on mutual respect.”
“When you rise to the level of love, of its great beauty and power, you seek only to defeat evil systems. Individuals who happen to be caught up in that system, you love. ”
“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.”
These are messages of hope and guidance that will long outlive the discord and disrespect of these days.
– Washington Post
