If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.
Interpretation
One should take pride in their work, regardless of its nature or status.
This quote by Martin Luther King Jr. emphasizes the importance of excellence and dedication in every task, urging individuals to perform their duties with the same passion and commitment as renowned artists and creators. It suggests that no job is unworthy if done well and with pride, thereby contributing to a greater sense of purpose and achievement.
In practice
In a graduation speech to inspire students to take pride in any job they choose.
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.
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.
Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.
Go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is.
Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.
I have a big-picture outlook, I am willing to fall, and I understand it's ok to fall, but I am going to get back up, I may take a step back, but in the end, I am going to take a giant leap forward.
Dum Spiro, spero- As long as I breathe, I hope.
Remind your critics when they say you don't have the expertise or experience to do something that an amateur built the ark and the experts built the Titanic
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