Article image

9 Quotes From Martin Luther King Jr.’s 'I Have a Dream' Speech

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech that reverberated through U.S. history. Known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, the address eloquently captured the cause of the Civil Rights Movement, and its struggle to align the reality of American life with the ideals of its founding — that “all men are created equal.”

King’s address is only rivaled in its fame by President Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” a century earlier, so it’s fitting that King’s iconic words were delivered in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. King even evoked Lincoln in the speech’s opening line: “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.” But the civil rights leader quickly went on to illustrate that emancipation from slavery was only the first step on the long path to racial equality and justice.

These 9 quotes from King’s “I Have a Dream” speech continue to inspire today, reminding us that his cause is still our own, nearly 60 years later.

Share Quote

Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.

Share Quote

There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

Share Quote

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

Share Quote

We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.

Share Quote

We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: for whites only.

Share Quote

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 down together at the table of brotherhood.

Share Quote

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. I have a dream today.

Share Quote

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

Share Quote

Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.

Share Quote

Photo credit: Bettmann via Getty Images

Author image
About the Author
Darren Orf
Darren lives in Portland, Oregon, has two cats, and writes about science, technology, nature, and history.
Play more header background
Play more icon
Daily Question
Who said, "You exist only in what you do"?

More Inspiration

happiness theme icon

April, dressed in all his trim, hath put a spirit of youth in everything.

separator icon
William Shakespeare
motivation theme icon

When you enter those places of trust, or power, dream a little before you think.

separator icon
Toni Morrison
hope theme icon

Open to whatever you experience without fighting. Let it be present just as it is. Let go of the battle.

separator icon
Jack Kornfield
love theme icon

Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle.

separator icon
Michelangelo
wisdom theme icon

If you follow the natural intentions, you get the most success out of life.

separator icon
RZA
happiness theme icon

Pretend you’re more obsessed with this moment and a little bit less with the way it ends.

separator icon
Buddy Wakefield
motivation theme icon

Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time.

separator icon
Hermann Hesse
hope theme icon

It is not enough to know your craft — you have to have feeling.

separator icon
Édouard Manet
love theme icon

Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.

separator icon
Albert Camus
wisdom theme icon

Enthusiasm is the great hill-climber.

separator icon
Elbert Hubbard
happiness theme icon

I don’t have to explain myself. My frequency is very common and is open to anybody to tune in.

separator icon
RuPaul