Martin Luther King on Greatness
If you want to be important--
wonderful. If you want to be recognized--
wonderful. If you want to be great-- wonderful.
But recognize that he who is greatest among you
shall be your servant. That's a new
definition of greatness. And this morning, the thing I
like about it: By giving that definition of
greatness, it means that everybody can be great,
because everybody can serve. You don't have to
have a college degree to serve. You don't have to
make your subject and your verb agree to serve.
You don't have to know about Plato or Aristotle
to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's
theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to
know the second theory of thermodynamics in
physics to serve. You only need a heart full of
grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be
that servant.
— King,
Martin Luther, Jr.
The Drum
Major Instinct
Atlanta,
Ga.
4 February 1968