This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love.
Every man [human being] is an heir to a legacy of dignity and worth
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the intrinsic value and dignity every human possesses as part of their heritage.
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s quote highlights the idea that every individual inherently carries a legacy of dignity and worth, suggesting that these qualities are fundamental to the human experience. It encourages recognition of each person's intrinsic value, regardless of societal status or external circumstances, and calls for respect and acknowledgment of this shared human heritage.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about human rights, one might say, 'As Martin Luther King, Jr. eloquently put it, every man is an heir to a legacy of dignity and worth, reminding us to respect each other fundamentally.'
More from Martin Luther King, Jr.
All quotes →Music is the best consolation for a despaired man
We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love.
We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
Israel... is one of the great outpost of democracy in the world
One of the greatest casualties of the war in Vietnam is the Great Society... shot down on the battlefield of Vietnam.
Similar quotes
Christian optimism is not a sugary optimism, nor is it a mere human confidence that everything will turn out all right. It is an optimism that sinks its roots into an awareness of our freedom, and the sure knowledge of the power of grace. It is an optimism that leads us to make demands on ourselves, to struggle to respond at every moment to God's call.
To me, reason is as spiritual as anything else, the beauty of reason seems to me indelible and ineffable and numinous... the spirit is after all the same word we use to describe... essence
The universe that suckled us is a monster that does not care if we live or die--it does not care if it itself grinds to a halt. It is a beast running on chance and death, careening from nowhere to nowhere. It is fixed and blind, a robot programmed to kill. We are free and seeing; we can only try to outwit it at every turn to save our lives.
A thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when at last it comes.
Astounded—and indifferent—for he was a man who, in effect, had no ‘day before’.
Charity is great, but the moment you say it is all, you run the risk of running into materialism.