The Words of Martin Luther King Jr. selected by #Coretta Scott King

If you’re looking for a great book to throw in your purse (or even in your pocket) this little book of selected MLK quotes and speeches is an amazing momentary source of good vibes. The book truly does fit in my purse, so I keep it in there until I need the room (lol). It contains a few speeches and quotes on 7 topics, here’s a quote from each:

• The Community of Man

  • It is still one of the tragedies of human history that the ‘children of darkness’ are frequently more determined and zealous than the ‘children of light’

• Racism

  • A doctrine of black supremacy is s evil as a doctrine of white supremacy.

• Civil Rights

  • Morals cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. The law cannot make my employer love me, but it can keep him from refusing to hire me because of the color of my skin.

• Justice and Freedom

  • Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

• Faith and Religion

  • Shattered dreams are the hallmark of our mortal life.

• Nonviolence

  • Admittedly, nonviolence in the truest sense is not a strategy that one uses because it is expedient at the moment; nonviolence is ultimately a way of life that men live by because of the sheer morality of its claim. But even granting this, the willingness to use nonviolence as a technique is a step forward. For he who goes this far is more likely to adopt nonviolence later as a way of life.

• Peace

  • Hatred and bitterness can never cure the disease of fear; only love can do that. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

I sometimes read a few pages on the train, or simply read one and think about it as long as I can. It’s also super sweet to think these are Coretta’s favorite quotes from her husband. I’m going to try to incorporate these quotes into my tweets, other posts here and on my social media to spread the vibe fore black history year 😉

What books have you picked up lately? Drop a recommendation in the comments 🙂