I didn't have a father to deal with about boyfriends. I didn't have a father to show me how a man and woman relate in a family setting. Therefore, I have given over my life to mentoring young people. I'm adamant about young people who have been denied a father/daughter relationship.
When I speak, I want to ensure that there is at least one person in the audience who leaves the room transformed.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of impactful communication. It notes the desire to inspire change in at least one individual through speech.
Bernice King's quote highlights the transformative power of words and the responsibility of the speaker to affect their audience positively. It suggests that effective communication goes beyond mere information dissemination; it aims to inspire, challenge, and elevate listeners to new perspectives and actions. The ultimate goal is to ensure that someone walks away from the interaction with a renewed sense of purpose or understanding.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a motivational speaking event to emphasize the goal of inspiring others.
More from Bernice King
All quotes βWe cannot afford to regard as normal the presence of injustice, inhumanity, and violence, including their verbal and cyber manifestations.
Seek out your brothers and sisters of other cultures and join together in building alliances to put an end to all forms of racial discrimination, bigotry, and prejudice. There are people of good will of all races, religions, and nations who will join you in common quest for the betterment of society.
My mother was the strong wife, partner, and co-worker Martin Luther King, Jr. needed to be an effective leader, and he said so on many occasions.
One person cannot be blamed for years of problems as it relates to race in America. This is something that has been with us since the founding of this nation. I mean, we were founded with slaves.
If each of us works toward making a sincere effort when we wake up each morning with a renewed commitment and dedication to embracing nonviolence as a lifestyle, this world will become a better place, bringing us ever closer to the Beloved Community of which my father so often spoke.
Similar quotes
Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.
Your reactions, whether positive or negative, are creative of future circumstances. In your imagination, you can hear words congratulating you on getting a wonderful new job. That imaginal act now goes forward and you will encounter this pleasant experience in the future.
Throughout my life, my prayers have actively sustained me - held me up, carried me through.
Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
I hoped for something else. It's a simple dream, but it speaks to us so powerfully because it is our dream - one that exists at the very center of the American experience. One that says if you're willing to work hard and take responsibility, then you'll have the chance to reach for something else; for something better.
I'm here to spread a message of hope. Follow your heart. Don't follow what you've been told you're supposed to do.