There are enough MLK quotes to easily make a top 100 list. But, here are my current top 10 with my brief comments:
10. A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. (That helps me.)
9. Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. (Reminds me of that Raiders of the Lost Ark scene.)
8. Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness. (Easier said than done, but important to do.)
7. A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live. (Reminds me of that Ninoy quote about Filipinos being worth dying for.)
6. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood. (This is what I love about Bethel.)
5. An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. (Powerful!)
4. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. (Read that one again, slowly.)
3. I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. (Simple, but profound.)
2. In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. (I never want to be a silent friend.)
1. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. (Character!)