To celebrate a life well lived, here are some great quotes from a man who inspires us still to hold fast to conviction, determination, and hope – for the world and for ourselves.
- Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.
- Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
- Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
- 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.
- Only in the darkness can you see the stars.
- Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.
- Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.
- Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
- Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.
- The time is always right to do the right thing.
- Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’
- If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.
- The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.
- It does not matter how long you live, but how well you do it.
- True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.
Reflection: A dream remains a dream so long as we hesitate to put it into action. The lives and the words that remain behind all great men inspire us not only to reflect, but also to act in harmony with our vision. Their lives remind us that we are not asked to do great things… we are asked only to do all things with great care, to honor our individual moral worth while always considering the wellbeing of those who surround us.
