Bernice King quotes: the minister takes us to church.
“All of us have to be committed to a life beyond our own aspirations.”
“Refuse to be disheartened, discouraged, distracted from your goals in life.”
“I remind people that it is about focus. You have to identify where your passion lies and stay focused in that area. The key word is to focus—to focus in the area of your passion.”
“Match every thought with a commitment; couple every prayer with an action step.”
“The more you resist something, the more aggressive it becomes.”
“Change never happens just because; there has to be a force behind that effort and people need to be involved.”
“You will encounter misguided people from time to time. That’s part of life. The challenge is to educate them when you can, but always to keep your dignity and self-respect and persevere in your personal growth and development.”
“Each of us must decide whether it is more important to be proved right or to provoke righteousness.”
“Sometimes a person has to point fingers, disclose double standards, call a spade a spade.”
“I may not agree with you, but I have to open my mind and my heart to hear you. Because I might learn something.”
“Continue to speak out against all forms of injustice to yourselves and others, and you will set a mighty example for your children and for future generations.”
“You know there’s nothing wrong with anger. It’s what you do with it. It’s whether it becomes constructive anger or destructive anger.”
“We have to be as passionate, if not more passionate, about our responsibilities as we are about our rights. I have a right to free speech, but I also have a responsibility to be humane and productive with what I speak.”
“The possibility of redemption is always available for individuals. When your mind frame is geared toward that, then you go to work trying to find solutions that don’t denigrate and minimize a person. You go in seeking to understand first and then to be understood. Differences of ideology and opinion may not change. However, it’s our job to spend time trying to connect with and understand the other person.”
“Studies show that people don’t change cognitively; they change because of experience.”
“We have to disarm. We don’t wait for the other to disarm. If you’re still armed and on the defensive going into the conversation, then it’s kind of like the law of attraction: you attract what energy you emit. There’s a lot of internal work that has to take place within an individual. What has helped me is really getting to know Bernice. When I get to know myself, I’ve had to learn how to love Bernice in spite of the things that I cannot stand about Bernice and the things that I know need to change in me. If I can get to a place where I can embrace and love myself in spite of all of that, then I have the capacity to do it with other people.”
“When I speak, I want to ensure that there is at least one person in the audience who leaves the room transformed.”
“To me, when you’re healthy on the inside, you are able to meet the outside demands so much better. I can’t change anybody but Bernice, but I certainly can create an environment to help people help themselves.”
“Nelson Mandela, a better man, not a bitter man, made our world a better place in which to live. His life and leadership exemplify the highest courage, dignity and dedication to human liberation.”
“In my view, it was no accident that Nelson Mandela was chosen by God to lead the people of South Africa. There are very few people who could be imprisoned, kept away from their family and loved ones, and exit that same prison with such a powerful spirit of love and a desire for reconciliation.”
“We live in a society where we may have differences, of course, but we learn to celebrate these differences.”
“There’s a difference between defeating people and defeating injustice, between working to right a wrong and working to wrong others because you believe you’re right. Take care with your energy. Mind your soul. We’re all journeying through.”
“Always realize that even your strongest advocate and opponent is a part of the human family; albeit they may have small shortcomings and even strength in them, they are part of that human family.”
“True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”
“My father literally fought his entire life to ensure the inclusion of all people because he understood that we were intertwined and connected together in humanity. He really set the tone for us to be a more moral nation, to take a moral high ground in everything that we do.”
“If I had to do it all over again, would I want my dad here? I would say no. Our world is in a better place because our father gave his life.”
“Without my ministry, I would just be Martin Luther King’s daughter. You know, when people call me that, it doesn’t bother me anymore. I know I am not my father. I know I am me.”
“The time has long since come for truth, transparency, and talks in every sector of society, including media, advertisement and entertainment. We can challenge each other, gain understanding, and create a more just, humane, and peaceful world.”
“In the end, I still have the same hope as my father: that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the last word.”
“Love is a force for justice and peace. It’s the best fuel for the work. If we try to fuel social change with bitterness, we’ll eventually run on empty and face the danger of transforming into the inhumanity we oppose.”
“It’s a blessing to be on earth with you. We can win together. Love, justice and peace are good for us all.”
“I’m grateful to be a woman who was born a King.”
“Be a king.”
