10 Valuable Life Lessons from Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream and was driven by it.

He was a hero who lived and sacrificed the same for a cause he believed strongly in.

Several decades after his passing, his legacy inspires the world to dream.

He is an inspiration because:

• he believed in peace even when faced with violence
• of his resiliency and courage
• of his self-control, wisdom, and persistence

We can learn many powerful lessons from the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Powerful Life Lessons from Martin Luther King Jr.

1. Dare To Dream

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, and he declared his dream to the world.

He believed in his dream and passionately worked on it to bring it to reality, even though he did not live long enough to witness the full realization of it.

He showed the world to dream big when he declared:

“I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.” – MLK

Even though the dream was not realized in his lifetime, it was realized in ours.

No matter where you are on the journey, believe in your dreams.

Your dreams are valid, no matter how big they are.

Believe in yourself, believe in your dreams, and work hard to make those dreams come true.

You can do it, so go for it!

2. Love People

Martin Luther King Jr. believed in the power of love.

He taught people around him to love.

Love wins always.

He believed that hating people is stooping low and no one should ever fall prey to hate.

“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.” – MLK

When you return hate for hate, no one wins.

3. Persevere

They incarcerated him on different occasions, which never deterred him from fighting for human rights.

He showed that the fact that you are going through a difficult time does not signal a great time to quit.

Never quit. Just keep moving forward.

“If you can’t fly then run if you can’t run then walk if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” – MLK

4. Invest In Yourself

He believed in empowering the human mind through education.

He described ignorance as a dangerous thing.

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” – MLK

While he encouraged education, he also believed the lack of education is not an excuse not to serve.

5. Serve People

If anyone ever exemplified a life of service, Martin Luther King Jr. did.

He believes serving others is the epitome of greatness:

“Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” – MLK

6. Forgive

Be quick to forgive.

Never allow hatred to develop in your heart for anyone.

Preventing hatred starts by learning to forgive quickly.

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.” – MLK

7. Stand Up For Justice

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – MLK.

His stance for justice was obvious.

He discouraged keeping quiet in the face of injustice and standing up for what is right.

8. Have Faith

Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of great faith who delighted in doing God’s will.

“I just want to do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land! I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land.”- MLK

Throughout his life, his faith in God was obvious in his thoughts, actions, and speech

9. Step out of Your Comfort Zone

“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.” – MLK

Successfully pursuing the dream in your heart may involve stepping out of your comfort zone.

10. All Things Are Possible

MLK inspired greatness in people.

He showed us that the human spirit has so much power to accomplish whatever we set our hearts to do.

For him, “impossible” was not an acceptable word.

He dreamed of a future where segregation would be history and everyone would be treated equally regardless of skin color.

He was not only a genuine leader; he was a great leader.

He did not search for consensus but molded consensus.

Martin Luther King Jr. changed the course of the human race.

Which valuable life lessons from Martin Luther King Jr. did you learn?

In the comment section below, tell us which life lesson from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. resonated most with you.

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