Reflections on MLK Jr. Day

Today ... Martin Luther King Jr. Day ... a day off work ... a time to reflect on the past ... and the day the rest of my Christmas decorations came down.

MLK Jr. photo via: Seattle Times

Martin Luther King Jr. was an incredible man.  As I've watched various news coverage and read some of his speeches today, I was reminded of a few of my favorite MLK quotes:

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

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

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars… Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: – ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’