The spirit of Lincoln still lives; that spirit born of the teachings of the Nazarene, who promised mercy to the merciful, who lifted the lowly, strengthened the weak, ate with publicans, and made the captives free. In the light of this divine example, the doctrines of demagogues shiver in their chaff.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the enduring influence of Lincoln's compassionate spirit, rooted in the teachings of Jesus, in contrast to the empty rhetoric of demagogues.
Martin Luther King, Jr. reflects on the lasting legacy of Abraham Lincoln, suggesting that Lincoln's guiding principles of mercy and compassion, derived from the teachings of Jesus, are far more powerful and significant than the shallow doctrines propagated by demagogues. This quote highlights the importance of genuine kindness and moral leadership over empty political rhetoric, advocating for a society that embraces these values.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of compassion in leadership.
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.
So, the tendency of our childish nature is to take small things too seriously and get easily offended, whereas when we are confronted with situations which have long-term consequences, we tend to take things less seriously
They're only words. You can't be afraid of words that speak the truth, even if it's an unpleasant truth.
I don't care if someone is new to acting or experienced in acting: you always learn something from them. It's just like people in life - whether they're young or middle-aged or old, you always learn something from someone.
Get someone else to blow your horn and the sound will carry twice as far.
All that one gains by falsehood is, not to be believed when he speaks the truth.
Pure truth, like pure gold, has been found unfit for circulation because men have discovered that it is far more convenient to adulterate the truth than to refine themselves.
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