Luther Quotes

Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered as our prince of peace, of civil rights. We owe him something major that will keep his memory alive.

- Morgan Freeman

Dr. Martin Luther King is not a black hero. He is an American hero.

- Morgan Freeman

(When asked about his inspiration growing up) "My number one inspiration was my mother. She worked two jobs and had breakfast and dinner prepared. I essentially called my mother, The Lion. She`s fierce and she`s proud. I`d like to think some of that rubbed off on me. In the film industry, Sidney Poitier, in a broader sense, Muhammad Ali. He put his beliefs above any monetary value. That`s why his celebrity has never waned. Movies, TV, sports, come and go, but what you stand for is what people remember. Mandela, Martin Luther King, John Kennedy are people who really stood for something and were willing to die for it. You don`t see a whole lot of that any more."

- Christopher Judge

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a time to honor the greatest champion of racial equality who taught a nation - through compassion and courage - about democracy, nonviolence and racial justice.

- Mark Pryor

I was a child when the March on Washington led by Martin Luther King occurred, and I wanted to hear what was going on. I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to contribute in the best way I possibly could.

- Andre Braugher

A lot of people are waiting for Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi to come back - but they are gone. We are it. It is up to us. It is up to you.

- Marian Wright Edelman

It`s funny; Luther and I have written many songs together, but we`ve never written songs in the same room.

- Richard Marx

As a songwriter, there`s nothing better than winning Song Of The Year. But I couldn`t really celebrate, because it wasn`t right. Luther wasn`t standing next to me, to receive the award.

- Richard Marx

I marched back then - I was in a civil-rights musical, Fly Blackbird, and we met Martin Luther King.

- George Takei

I adored Elvis. When I met him for the first time he immediately put me at ease. We had to film our kissing first and neither of us heard the director say, "Cut!" For me, it was love at first kiss! We became very good friends. He was warm and kind and full of love. He had this tremendous desire to please people. We watched the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. together over lunch in his trailer. He cried. He really cared deeply. He was far more handsome in person with deep blue eyes and a Roman profile. He held jam sessions on the set and would play cars with George Barris or play football with the "boys" who traveled with him everywhere. He was truly "The King." (on Elvis Presley)

- Celeste Yarnall

We also sponsor the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday celebration every third Monday of January.

- Bobby Jackson

Each year on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.`s birth, America has the opportunity to reflect on our nation`s progress towards the realization of his dream.

- Adam Schiff

You couldn`t ask for a better player. He had a great attitude and was willing to do anything for you. Luther is just an outstanding individual.

- Gary Hill

Martin Luther King Jr. really understood the role of the churches when he said, `The church is not meant to be the master of the state.` We don`t sort of take power and grab the levers of government and impose our agenda down people`s throats.

- Jim Wallis

I think it`s a good thing for a president or political leaders to want to put their values or their faith into action. Desmond Tutu did that in South Africa. Martin Luther King Jr. did that here. This is a good thing.

- Jim Wallis

Mark Antony in his famous funeral oration in Shakespeare`s `Julius Caesar` says that he came not to praise Caesar, but to bury him. This week, at the funeral for the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, two of the speakers, Jimmy Carter and Rev. Joseph Lowery, might have opened their remarks by saying that they came not to bury Coretta Scott King, but to bash (President) Bush, which is exactly what they proceeded to do.

- Lee Harris

(Luther could have solved this for us by coming out, but I can`t hate on him too much for his silence. As I`ve said before, artists get moral allowances the rest of us don`t. Their art is their get-out-of-jail-free card.) Luther`s only politics, ... were music and love: He lived for the love of music and believed resolutely in the power of music to heal by affirming love. In that sense, Luther was an ethicist who taught any of us who would listen as much about love as did James Baldwin or Marlon Riggs or Marianne Williamson any other seer for whom Love with a capital L is the ultimate act.

- Jason King

Martin Luther King said, and it is sadly still true, that one of the most segregated times in America is the hour of worship.

- Barney Frank

Ray Charles` revolutionary approach to music was also reflected in his politics and his deep and abiding commitment to Martin Luther King and the plight of African-Americans. Ray Charles may not have been on the front lines, but he put his money where his mouth was.

- Alan Tucker

One day after laying a wreath at the tomb of Martin Luther King Jr., President Bush appoints a federal judge who has built his career around dismantling Dr. King`s legacy.

- Alexandre Coimbra

Martin Luther King Jr., recognized bias when he saw it, knew what he was talking about.

- Alfred Chan

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of my personal heroes.

- Allen Okamoto

If Rosa Parks had not refused to move to the back of the bus, you and I might never have heard of Dr. Martin Luther King.

- Amy Myers Jaffe

One of the greatest men to ever walk this land was Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr. His life exemplified unity by bringing people together for the good of all. In any small way I hope to someday bring people together like Dr. King.

- Andrew Strauss

James Earl Ray is the reason Martin Luther King Jr. is dead. A four-time loser looking for a big score killed the dreamer, and put himself in the history books.

- Angelo Amador

following the arrest of Rosa Parks, Judge Johnson ruled that African-Americans of Montgomery, Alabama, were acting within their constitutional rights when they organized a boycott of the buses and that Martin Luther King Jr. and others could march from Selma to Montgomery.

- Ann DeGroot

When I read `The Piano Lesson,` I realized it encompassed the entire African-American experience, ... August Wilson`s legacy is as important as Martin Luther King`s legacy, as important as Malcolm X`s legacy and as important as Nat Turner.

- Annmarie Robinson

I left thinking August`s lost his mind, ... When I read `The Piano Lesson,` I realized it encompassed the entire African-American experience. August Wilson`s legacy is as important as Martin Luther King`s legacy, as important as Malcolm X`s legacy and as important as Nat Turner.

- Annmarie Robinson

It`s nice how they put it together and the people that came out. I just moved here from Pittsburgh, and in Pittsburgh they don`t celebrate Martin Luther King Day. Not with a parade, anyway.

- Babe Paley

Of course we`d like to have a real holiday, but this is the first step. But remember how long it took to get a holiday for Martin Luther King?

- Barbara Lassonde

You don`t need to be Catholic to be Catholic anymore. If you dissent, you don`t get out. Martin Luther looks like a prince compared to these people because he knew when it was time to go.

- James P. McFadden

Martin Luther King challenged the conscience of my generation, and his words and his legacy continue to move generations to action today at home and around the world. His love and faith is alive in millions of Americans who volunteer each day in soup kitchens or in schools, or who refused to ignore the suffering of millions they`d never met in far-away places when a tsunami brought unthinkable destruction. His vision and his passion is alive in churches and on campuses when millions stand up against the injustice of discrimination anywhere, or the indifference that leaves too many behind.

- Senator John Kerry