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12 Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. That Relate to Disability Awareness

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The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the greatest civil rights leaders. What made him such an exceptional leader was his ability to make the civil rights movement a universal acceptance of values. He didn’t speak solely about African-American rights, but for all human rights. He had a vision of justice and equal rights that included all human beings.

Here are 12 quotes from Dr. King that are relevant to tolerance, love, human rights and disability awareness.

1. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

2. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

3. “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”

4. “It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people.”

5. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

6. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

7. “We’ve learned to fly the air as birds. We’ve learned to swim the seas as fish, yet we haven’t learned to walk the Earth as brothers and sisters.”

8. “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”

9. “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.”

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

11. “Without love, there is no reason to know anyone, for love will in the end connect us to our neighbors, our children and our hearts.”

12. “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.” 

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Lead photo by Thinkstock Images

Originally published: January 15, 2017
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