Every now and then, I will stumble across a poignant quote with sage advice that cuts deeply to my inner being. A powerful quote can become so clear, as if it was only directed to me. Truth be known, the following timeless gem should resonate with each of us, as it provides the essence of why we exist.
You may be 38 years old, as I happen to be. And one day, some great opportunity stands before you and calls you to stand up for some great principle, some great issue, some great cause. And you refuse to do it because you are afraid… You refuse to do it because you want to live longer… You’re afraid that you will lose your job, or you are afraid that you will be criticized or that you will lose your popularity, or you’re afraid that somebody will stab you, or shoot at you or bomb your house; so you refuse to take the stand…Well, you may go on and live until you are 90, but you’re just as dead at 38 as you would be at 90. And the cessation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit.
– Martin Luther King Jr. (From a November 5, 1967 sermon)
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