“[James] Baldwin was a celebrity. A TV show like Kenneth Clark could put him aside of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. He was, at least, one of the three most important spokesmen of the movement and of the black community.” ImportantShowsThreeBlackCommunityMovementTvsKingsTv ShowsLutherBlack CommunityKenneth Author:Raoul Peck
“One thing that I'd just remind young people of is that when John Lewis, who's a member of Congress today, defied George Wallace and led the march from Selma to Montgomery, he was 23 years old. Martin Luther King was the old man in the bunch, and he was 35, so young people need to know that they've always been an important part of our society, have always been at the forefront of pushing for a more just America, and we can't be successful without the impatience, the vigor that young people bring to the fight for social justice.” PeopleKnowsMenNeedsYearsImportantTodayAmericaYoungFightingSocialJusticeSuccessfulOne ThingKingsMembersSocial JusticeCongressBunchBeing SuccessfulOur SocietyPushingMarchOld ManLutherImpatienceVigorMontgomeryGeorge Wallace Author:Keith Ellison
“Every community has a Martin Luther King Boulevard. It's the cornerstone we all know. It's not just a street or boulevard, but a place where Walmart stands together with your community to make every day better.” KnowsTogetherCommunityStreetsKingsLutherCornerstonesBoulevardWalmart Author:Tavis Smiley
“I think that I'll always remember the bust of Dr. [Martin Luther] King. I thought having an American here who represented rhat civic spirit that got me into this [president] office was useful.” ThinkingRememberSpiritPresidentKingsOfficeDrsLutherCivicsDr Martin Luther King Author:Barack Obama
“I believe what Martin Luther King Jr. believed. You remember what the title of the March on Washington was? "Jobs and Freedom." What King understood is that you have to deal with the economic issues as well as the political issues and the civil rights issues.” BelieveWellsJobsRememberPoliticalI BelieveDealsIssuesRightsEconomicKingsUnderstoodCivil RightsTitlesMarchLutherPolitical IssuesEconomic IssuesMarch On Washington Author:Bernie Sanders
“Your kids have been taught that there is a more equivalence between Martin Luther King and today's Muslims - a moral equivalent between today's aggrieved gays and lessons and Muslims. They're all victims of an evil and ill-formed United States of America.” Has BeensStatesKidsTodayAmericaEvilUnitedMoralUnited StatesTaughtKingsLessonsGayVictimIllUnited States Of AmericaLuther Author:Rush Limbaugh
“Martin Luther King was a voice to the voiceless, and he did that tirelessly, and his faith was the engine to that. But he was just a human being, at the end of the day.” HumansEndsVoiceHuman BeingsKingsThe End Of The DayEnginesLutherVoiceless Author:David Oyelowo
“Being a progressive himself, Franklin Roosevelt was talking about the fact that we should provide jobs for everyone who wants one. People do have a right to live in decent housing. They do have a right to education. FDR was preaching this gospel in the '30s, and Dr. Martin Luther King did the same thing in the 1960s with the Poor People's March on Washington. Folks in this country have these rights and it's the job of this country to answer this call.” PeopleWantShouldCountryFactsJobsAnswersPoorTalkingRightsKingsFolksDecentMarchProgressivePreachingDrsPoor PeopleHousingLuther1960sFranklinDr Martin Luther KingMarch On Washington Author:Nina Turner
“When John Kennedy was assassinated I was twenty-three, a stockbroker on Wall Street and married, and I never ever thought that politics would be anything that I would be a part of. But I realized that I had to get involved. Then, when Martin Luther King was assassinated and the Vietnam War was raging, I felt that my world was falling apart. I had these two beautiful children - three and one - and I just said, "I have to make it better."” WorldChildrenSaidTwoWarWould BeBeautifulFallThreeFeltStreetsWallKingsInvolvedMarriedTwentiesRageI RealizedVietnamFalling ApartLutherGet InvolvedVietnam WarStockbrokersJohn Kennedy Author:Barbara Boxer
“The thing that would probably surprise most people was that Dr. Martin Luther King was a very reluctant leader. He felt very shocked at times that he had been chosen for this path, but he also understood that he was chosen for this path. He had several moments of acute doubt as to if he was up for the task - when people were injured in the protests he took it very personally, let alone when they were killed.” PeopleIfsMomentsFeltLeaderPathDoubtKingsUnderstoodTasksSurpriseChosenProtestDrsShockedLutherInjuredReluctantDr Martin Luther King Author:David Oyelowo
“Dr. Martin Luther King was never a man to say 'I've got this' as the leader of the movement. He wasn't always sure that his decisions were correct, because he knew every decision he made was putting lives at risk, including his and his family's lives.” MenMadeDecisionLeaderRiskMovementKingsIncludingDrsLutherDr Martin Luther King Author:David Oyelowo
“Sometimes, Barack Obama is Martin Luther King, sometimes, he a black militant from the Sixties, then he's a Baptist minister. He can be so different. There's not yet an Obama voice.” DifferentSometimesBlackVoiceKingsBarackMinistersSixtyLutherBaptistsMilitant Author:Shelby Steele
“There never has been a desire on the part of the government that the struggle of Black people in America should be linked to the struggle of our people in every part of the earth. Every leader that was international in scope and in reach became the target of the government - Paul Robeson, Marcus Garvey, W.E.B. DuBois, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Kwame Ture and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Any Black leader who would try to connect us to our brothers and sisters in Africa and Asia were seen as a threat and became a target.” PeopleShouldTryingHas BeensGovernmentEarthAmericaDesireBlackLeaderStruggleBrotherKingsThreatInternationalTargetBlack PeopleHonorableAsiaBrothers And SistersLinkedScopeLutherMuhammadElijahElijah MuhammadHonorable Elijah MuhammadDubois Author:Louis Farrakhan
“People can do bad things with free speech as well as good. You have to defend the Ku Klux Klan as well as Martin Luther King. It's like that. If you're going to defend the principle, then you have to defend people who use the principle badly.” PeopleIfsWellsUseCan DoPrinciplesKingsSpeechBad ThingsFree SpeechLutherKu Klux Klan Author:Salman Rushdie
“The only politician anybody ever believed was Kennedy, anyway. Kennedy, Martin Luther King - civil rights always turns out in bloody war. Where's his dream now? When is a change going to come - as Sam Cooke said - for blacks in America? Anyone who does tell the truth gets a bullet in the head, y'know what I mean?” KnowsMeanDoeSaidWarDreamAmericaTurnsRightsKingsPoliticianCivil RightsTelling The TruthBloodyBulletsLutherSam Cooke Author:Shane MacGowan
“Martin Luther King was bumped off unjustly, Adam Clayton Powell was bumped off unjustly, they took my title unjustly, they killed Megers Ever unjustly, all the integrators who love white folks, was unjustly kicked out of Washington, they've been deprived of education and poverty throughout the country.” CountryWhitePovertyKingsFolksTitlesAdamDeprivedLuther Author:Muhammad Ali
“I'm more of an oldies guy. I'll say this - Michael Jackson, best entertainer of all time. Luther Vandross, best male singer of all time. Whitney Houston, best female singer of all time...and when Teddy Pendergrass says turn off the lights, turn 'em off. That's what I got for you.” LightGuyTurnsFemaleMalesSingersAll TimeEmsLutherEntertainersTurn OffHoustonTeddyWhitneyOldiesFemale SingersBest Female Author:Russell Wilson
“I think of Martin Luther King phrase a lot when I'm deciding public issues. He said: "Here I stand: I can do no other." It is basically an affirmation of my ultimate responsibility to obey my conscience in my acts as a public official.” ThinkingResponsibilityConscienceUltimateAffirmationLuther Author:Bruce Babbitt
“Incompatibilists will tell you that a work of art has no meaning unless the artists could have chosen to create a different one, but actual artists often say things like "the book chose me" - that is, the work had to be. Some philosophers would call it "volitional necessity", and a similar case that's discussed is the case of Luther saying "here I stand, I can do no other".” ArtBookDifferentArtistPhilosopherChosenLuther Author:Nomy Arpaly
“My daddy, Rev. A. D. King, my granddaddy, Martin Luther King, Senior - we are a family of faith, hope and love.” KingsAnd LoveSeniorDaddyLutherHope And LoveFaith HopeFaith Hope And LoveGranddaddy Author:Alveda King
“I was watching lectures by Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Dr. Sebi and Umar Johnson. It's super mind opening when you listen to those words and think about how much they still resonate today. Think about how true those words are, and how much they predicted the future. That was what was really mind-boggling to me.” ThinkingMindTodayLuther Author:Joey Badass
“We still are America though. We're still a country that is a country of social mobility. We're still a country of immigrants. We're still a country with common ancestors. And reviving the civics of America and the idea that we're going to be united, at least not right now, but in some common future, and talking in that hopeful way that Martin Luther King did, that Abraham Lincoln did, seems to me that's the way.” CountryCommonHopefulAncestorLuther Author:David Brooks
“We wouldn't be as far along as a country if we didn't take on some of Martin Luther King's ways that he instilled in us.” IfsWayCountryKingsLuther Author:Rodney King
“People look at me like I should have been like Malcolm X or Martin Luther King or Rosa Parks. I should have seen life like that and stay out of trouble, and don't do this and don't do that. But it's hard to live up to some people's expectations.” PeopleShouldLooksHas BeensHardTroubleKingsExpectationsShould HaveParksLook At MeLutherShould Have BeenRosa Author:Rodney King
“In terms of music, each novel is different but I usually find my way into an era through the music. In this novel the New People, I listened to a lot of 90s hip-hop, which was just so genius. Also, all the musical references in the book from the Peoples Temple one and only album to Luther Vandross.” PeopleBookDifferentTermNovelGeniusMusicalMy WayLuther Author:Danzy Senna
“I was with Miles Davisfor a couple of years as his bass player, and it was a beautiful experience. After two years I said to him, "Listen, man, I want to leave your band." He goes, "Why?" I said, "Because I want to develop not just as a bass player, but I want to get more into composition, into producing, and I'm working with Aretha Franklin and Luther Vandross and all these guys, and I want to really see how much I can grow and develop." He actually gave me his blessing.” MenBeautifulGuyPlayerCoupleBlessingCompositionLutherFranklin Author:Marcus Miller
“Luther Vandross and I met in Roberta Flack's band. He was singing background, I was playing bass, and Roberta was beautiful. She's like the mom to all these young musicians in New York. At that time that I met Luther, I was a musician snob. For me, the singers were just the people out in the front to keep the audience entertained. While the musicians did the real work.” PeopleRealBeautifulAudienceMomMusicianSingingLutherSnob Author:Marcus Miller
“Luther Vandross was a musician who sang. So after a while he was also the number one background singer in New York, so he would sing for Bette Midler, he sang on "Fame," he sang for David Bowie, he sang for - whoever needed backgrounds, he would arrange the parts and hook your record up. He also sang on commercials. McDonald's, Budweiser.” FameMusicianHookLuther Author:Marcus Miller
“Luther Vandross was doing fine, but he said, "Man, I want to do my own project." So he got us all to do a demo, and that demo was "Never Too Much." It took him a year and a half to get signed, because he didn't have a gimmick. The record companies were looking for his gimmick. They said, "What's your gimmick?" He said, "I sing. That's my gimmick." Anyway, he finally got signed and the record was released, and the rest was history.” MenLuther Author:Marcus Miller
“I have written 5 books that address major figures in our culture: books on Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Tupac Shakur, Marvin Gaye and Bill Cosby. But even in the books that take up major figures, I hope to provoke conversation, insight and understanding about these personalities by providing new, fresh and vital information and analysis about them.” BookCultureUnderstandingPersonalityInsightProvokingLutherMarvin Author:Michael Eric Dyson
“I was working in the gap where Martin Luther King, Jr. quoted communism and Warhol appropriated the protest image and named it riot, which is precisely what King didn't want his cause to be associated with. But that was the very thing that made it sexy to the art world. So I played between the two associations.” WorldArtSexyCommunismProtestLutherRiotWarhol Author:Kelley Walker
“That was exciting to be able to comment on civil rights. I mean, the civil rights movement that young people don't know about today, but Martin Luther King was considered by the establishment press in the early years of the sit-in movement as a dangerous man, and he was the equivalent at that time as Malcolm X. And he was told to stop his demonstrations; they were against the law and all of that. Now that he's sainted and sanctified we've forgotten.” PeopleMenMeanTodayDangerousExcitingForgottenCivil RightsCommentLutherCivil Rights Movement Author:Jules Feiffer
“Martin Luther King really was a safety valve for white people. Any time it appeared that the black community was on the verge of really doing what we ought to do based on having been attacked, they put Martin Luther King on television. He was always saying, "We must use nonviolence. We must overcome hate with love." White people loved that. That's why they gave him a Nobel Prize. But when Martin Luther King started condemning the Vietnam War, that's when white people turned against him.” PeopleWarHateBlackCommunityOvercomingSafetyPrizeNonviolenceLutherVietnam WarNobel Prize Author:Ernie Chambers
“There's no reason to tweet when you are in the midst of a great moment; they are few and far between. So pay attention to it, as you probably won't see it again. You can always tweet later, if you're lucky enough to be part of history and you think 140 characters can do credit to someone like Martin Luther King or to the speech he made that day.” ThinkingReasonEnoughMomentsCharacterAttentionLuckyPay AttentionLutherTweetGreat Moments140 Character Author:Lewis Black
“I was involved in the civil rights movement way back in the late '50s and through the '60s and '70s. I was doing a civil rights musical here in Los Angeles and we sang at one of the rallies where Dr. Martin Luther King spoke, and I remember the thrill I felt when we were introduced to him. To have him shake your hand was an absolutely unforgettable experience. Even before I could vote, I was involved in the political arena.” RememberPoliticalVoteMusicalCivil RightsLos AngelesLutherCivil Rights MovementUnforgettable Author:George Takei
“I've got no problem with religion if you're going to use it for the good, like Gandhi or Martin Luther King. But that's rarely the case when it comes to politics. It's usually used as a con.” ProblemNo ProblemLuther Author:Janeane Garofalo
“The greatest difference between now and 1964, when I began teaching, is that public policy has pretty much eradicated the dream of Martin Luther King.” DreamDifferencesTeachingPolicyKingsLutherPublic Policy Author:Jonathan Kozol
“When I was teaching in the 1960s in Boston, there was a great deal of hope in the air. Martin Luther King Jr. was alive, Malcolm X was alive; great, great leaders were emerging from the southern freedom movement.” DealsLeaderAliveAirTeachingMovementKingsSouthernBostonLuther1960sGreat LeaderEmerging Author:Jonathan Kozol
“The White man pays Reverend Martin Luther King so that Martin Luther King can keep the Negro defenseless.” MenWhitePayKingsWhite ManLutherDefenselessReverends Author:Malcolm X
“Here is everything which can lay hold of the eye, ear and imagination - everything which can charm and bewitch the simple and ignorant. I wonder how Luther ever broke the spell.” EyeImaginationSimpleWonderEarsLaysIgnorantBrokeCharmCatholicismSpellsLuther Book:The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784 Source: The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784
“My sense of religion is Einstein's sense of relativity. I don't believe in God. I believe that energy never dies. So the possibility exists that you might be breathing in some other form of Moses or Buddha or Muhammad or Bobby Kennedy or Roosevelt or Martin Luther King or Jesus.” BelieveMightFormDiesJesusEnergyI BelievePossibilityKingsDon't BelieveBreathingBelieve In GodLutherMosesMuhammadRelativityBobby Kennedy Author:Mandy Patinkin
“What I've always said is that I'm opposed to institutional racism, and I would've, had I've been alive at the time, I think, had the courage to march with Martin Luther King to overturn institutional racism, and I see no place in our society for institutional racism.” ThinkingSaidCourageAliveKingsRacismOur SocietyRacistMarchLutherInstitutional Racism Author:Rand Paul
“I grew up in the sixties watching B.B. King and Tito Puente and Miles Davis and Coltrane, everybody, Marvin Gaye, Jimi. And at the same time, with my left eye I was watching Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Mother Teresa.” EyeMotherLeftGrewKingsGrew UpMilesSixtyLutherTeresaMarvinColtraneChavezLeft EyeTito Author:Carlos Santana
“Each year on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth, America has the opportunity to reflect on our nation's progress towards the realization of his dream.” YearsDreamAmericaOpportunityNationsProgressBirthKingsRealizationLutherAnniversary Author:Adam Schiff
“The Protestant Reformation had a lot to do with the printing press, where Martin Luther's theses were reproduced about 250,000 times. And so you had widespread dissemination of ideas that hadn't circulated in the mainstream before.” IdeasPressesMainstreamLutherReformationPrintingProtestantsThesisPrinting PressDisseminationProtestant Reformation Author:Nate Silver
“I have been inspired by Martin Luther King and how he inspired a movement. I have learned that a cause must be organic; if it is to have an impact it must belong to those who join the movement and not those who lead it.” IfsHas BeensCausesMovementKingsImpactInspiredI Have LearnedLuther Author:Simon Sinek
“In 1974, when I started working with the material that became Horses, a lot of our great voices had died. We'd lost Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin, and people like Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X.” PeopleLostVoiceMaterialsKingsHorseDiedLutherHendrixGreat Voice Author:Patti Smith
“From time to time, you have seminal personalities who really change the way the world sees itself - people like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela. Warren Buffett is that kind of person in the business world.” PeopleWorldWayKindPersonsPersonalityKingsLutherNelsonBusiness WorldBuffett Author:Guy Spier
“I was raised in Arizona, and I went to public school, and the extent of my knowledge of the civil-rights movement was the story of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. I wonder how much my generation knows.” KnowsStoriesSchoolWonderRightsGenerationsMovementKingsRaisedCivil RightsParksLutherPublic SchoolCivil Rights MovementMy GenerationArizonaRosa Author:Emma Stone
“The leaders who we admire who have been able to bring great change in the past - Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela - they're all inspirational religious leaders and smart tacticians. It would be nice to find the Muslim Gandhi, wouldn't it?” Has BeensWould BeAblePastReligiousLeaderNiceKingsSmartAdmireBeing NiceLutherNelsonGreat ChangeReligious Leaders Author:Dennis C. Blair