Just imagine if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had Twitter or other social networking applications at his disposal; his message would have been even more world-changing. He was known as one of the best orators of his day and one of the top in the history of the country. The exponential impact of his sound bites and oratory skills would have been extremely powerful with a tool like Twitter.
I believe we take for granted the fact that our message, story, voice and thoughts can literally be globally shared at our leisure and by the push of a button. Every year in the United States we set aside a day to honor the life of a civil rights leader, pastor and social justice martyr. MLK positively impacted the U.S. and the world in so many ways, I think it’s great the U.S. has an official holiday in his honor.
A few years ago my wife and I were in Atlanta and, in honor of MLK Day, we visited the Atlanta Memorial and the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church that Dr. King pastored. This year I thought it would be great to share some of Dr. King’s memorable quotes that could have easily been tweets. Not only are they tweetable (at 140 characters or less), they are all short enough to be retweetable (122 characters or less). Quotes can have such power, as a matter of fact, I used a number of Dr. King’s quotes to illustrate some power points in my book.
25 Retweetable #MLK Quotes
1. Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or darkness of destructive selfishness. #MLK
2. A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. #MLK
3. To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. #MLK
4. Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. #MLK
5. I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. #MLK
6. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. #MLK
7. The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict. #MLK
8. We are not makers of history. We are made by history. #MLK
9. We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now. #MLK
10. We must face the sad fact that Sunday morning when we stand 2 sing, we stand in the most segregated hour in America. #MLK
11. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. #MLK
12. We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. #MLK
13. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?” #MLK
14. The measure of a man isn’t whr he stands in moments of comfort, but whr he stands @ times of challenge & controversy. #MLK
15. If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live. #MLK
16. Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. #MLK
17. We must use time creatively—and forever realize that the time is always hope to do great things. #MLK
18. The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. #MLK
19. The time is always right to do what is right. #MLK
20. I have a dream my 4 little children will 1 day liv in a nation whr they will not B judged by the color of their skin. #MLK
21. Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see. #MLK
22. Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. #MLK
23. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. #MLK
24. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. #MLK
25. When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative. #MLK
There are so many more tremendous quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. These are just 25 retweetable quotes that have stood out to me over the years. Please share your favorites from the above list or any other #MLK quotes that you like. If you can share them in 120 characters or less, please do so. This will allow them to be retweetable.
Happy #MLK Holiday! Please take a few moments on #MLK Holiday to share some quotes, watch a speech, serve in the community, attend the parade, talk to your family about his impact over dinner, communicate to your team that you value the holiday and what Dr. King stood for. … Do something!
