上周三（4月4日）是馬丁·路德·金（Martin Luther King）遇害日。50年前的那天，他作為一名浸信會牧師，也是民權運動領袖之一，正挑戰美國對黑人的種族壓迫。他是一個激情四溢、出口成章的出色演說家，他的勇氣和智慧幫助人們抵抗體制性殘酷的歧視。他自始至終傳達的信息是愛，而不是恨，這正是他要宣傳的自己對於在對抗與挑戰中使用非暴力手段的理解。他不幸於1968年4月4日在在田納西州孟菲斯市被詹姆斯·厄爾·雷伊（James Earl Ray）刺殺。
《我有一個夢想》（I have a dream）是馬丁·路德·金於1963年8月28日在華盛頓林肯紀念堂發表的著名演講，內容主要關於黑人民族平等。對美國甚至世界影響很大，並且被我國編入中學教程。其實，不僅僅只有這個演講，作為傑出的演講家，馬丁·路德·金的留下許多名言警句。尤其是他在帶領和推動艱難的黑人平權事業中，他的基督信仰對其的激勵發揮了重要的作用。而在這樣數年的艱難平權運動中，他對於基督信仰的默想沉澱了許多深入的默想，同時對於個人的人生、人類的發展都也留下了很多深刻的認識。
以下是馬丁·路德·金的12句名言，以供讀者悅享。
1.我曾決定畢生致力於愛。恨是不可承受之重。
I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
2.不要讓他人拉低你的人格到仇恨他的地步。
Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.
3.也許在人生在某個時間段，在許多情況下難免會發生一些不愉快：有人會很討厭你，有人會狠心虐待你，有人會誹謗你，有人到處散布謠言，而此時正是你反擊和戰勝那人好機會：你也許可以通過推薦工作崗位來幫助他，也可以幫助他在生活中做些改變。這正是你以德報怨和有所作為的好時機，這就是愛的意義。
There will come a time, in many instances, when the person who hates you most, the person who has misused you most, the person who has gossiped about you most, the person who has spread false rumors about you most, there will come a time when you will have an opportunity to defeat that person. It might be in terms of a recommendation for a job; it might be in terms of helping that person to make some move in life. That's the time you must do it. That is the meaning of love.
4. 今晚我想告訴你們的是，僅僅談論愛是不夠的，愛是基督信仰的核心之一。還有一點叫做公義。公義實際上是用愛來衡量計算，公義是把違反了愛的那些糾正過來的愛。
I want to tell you this evening that it is not enough for us to talk about love, love is one of the pivotal points of the Christian faith. There is another side called justice. And justice is really love in calculation. Justice is love correcting that which revolts against love.
5.人類的進步從來不會從天而降地自然產生，朝著公義的目標邁進的每一步無不是由每個有奉獻精神和豪情壯志的個體以流血犧牲、蒙受苦難和奮力搏鬥中爭取來的。
Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.
6. 自由從來就不會來自壓迫者的施捨，只能由被壓迫者主動爭取。
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
7.膽怯的人會問安全嗎？自私的人會問關乎政治嗎？虛榮的人會問流行嗎？有良心的會問是否恰當？隨著時間推移，總要有一個人必須採取既不安全，又不屬政治，而且還不受歡迎的立場，正因為它是正確的，總要有人必須得接受它。
Cowardice asks the question – is it safe? Expediency asks the question – is it politic? Vanity asks the question – is it popular? But conscience asks the question – is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.
8.任何一個宗教只要是宣稱只關心人的靈魂，而從不關注貧民窟且在經濟上壓制他們、在社會狀況上削弱他們，這就是一種在精神上的垂死掙扎、該死的、等待埋葬的宗教。
Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of men and is not concerned about the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them and the social conditions that cripple them is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial.
9.我與任何人無異，誰不希望長命百歲？可長壽自有命定，對此我現在一無掛慮，我只想遵行神的旨意去做。(這是他最後一次布道，也是他被害前一天晚上）
Like anybody, I would like to have a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will . [In his last sermon, the night before he was killed.]
10.當我拿起十字架時，我認識到它的意義所在。十字架就是你要承受的東西，最終你也會為它而死。
When I took up the cross I recognised its meaning. The cross is something that you bear, and ultimately, that you die on.
11. 上帝能賜予你力量去忍受克服無法改變的事物…為什麼還焦慮？不論發生什麼事情，上帝無所不能。
God is able to give you the power to endure that which cannot be changed... Why be anxious? Come what may, God is able.
12. 十字架可能意味著你的名望消失，通往白宮的仕途受阻，基金會的資助財路已斷，這只不過讓你把先前預算減少一點而無傷大雅，但當務之急就是扛起你的十字架，背起它！
The cross may mean the death of your popularity. It may mean the death of your bridge to the White House. It may mean the death of a foundation grant. It may cut your budget down a little, but take up your cross and just bear it.