Beautiful Ideas Beautifully Expressed
From 1957 to 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled over six million miles, spoke more than 2,500 times, and wrote five books and numerous articles. He battled injustice wherever he could. He led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, and directed the peaceful march of 250,000 people in Washington, D.C., where he delivered his iconic “l Have a Dream” speech. He was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and, at the age of 35, he became the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Decades after his assassination, King’s words continue to resonate with audiences worldwide. The messages themselves were and are vitally important, but King employed poetry to make his delivery even more potent and memorable. In short, King’s messages serve as excellent examples of beautiful ideas that were beautifully expressed.
Below is a list of the 10 most tweeted phrases by King. These are text book examples of how to create sticky messages using poetic devices, such as:
- the repetition of words,
- the repetition of sounds (rhyme, assonance, alliteration),
- the use of imagery
- metaphor, and
- parallelism (connecting or contrasting ideas through the use of similar grammatic constructions).
Though short, some of King’s best-known phrases employ multiple literary devices. See if you can spot them. And, consider how poetry, deftly used, could help your own messaging resonate with your audiences.
“The time is always right to do what is right.”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.”
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”