We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear. That old law about "an eye for an eye" leaves everybody blind... The time is always right to do the right thing. Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.
Interpretation
Courage allows us to confront our fears and work towards justice and peace in our lives.
This quote emphasizes the importance of courage in overcoming fear while advocating for justice and righteousness. It suggests that acting with courage and doing the right thing are crucial in achieving peace, rather than resorting to retaliation or violence, which only perpetuates blindness and suffering. King illustrates that peace should be seen as an integral part of the journey towards achieving a just society.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech advocating for social justice to inspire courage in activism.
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.
I don't have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I'm as good as anybody, but no better.
I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.
As every scuba diver knows, panic is your worst enemy: when it hits, your mind starts to thrash and you are likely to do something really stupid and self-destructive.
It takes courage to die for a cause, but also to live for one.
As I got to know the people of the Civil Rights Movement, I realized... _x000D_ I am the hopeful black woman who was denied her right to vote. _x000D_ I am the caring white supporter killed on the front lines of freedom. _x000D_ I am the unarmed black kid who maybe needed a hand, but instead was given a bullet. I am the two fallen police officers murdered in the line of duty. 'Selma' has awakened my humanity.
The Dark Lord has Nine. But we have One, mightier than they: the White Rider. He has passed through the fire and the abyss, and they shall fear him. We will go where he leads.
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