--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We [Americans] know Martin Luther King…" description: "\"We [Americans] know Martin Luther King Jr. as a statue. We know him as a holiday. We know him as a speech. We don't know him as a man. Most people don'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b10/ava-duvernay-4018_communication_we-americans-know-martin-luther-king-jr_2685491.jpg" --- # We \[Americans\] know Martin Luther King Jr. as a statue. We… ![“We [Americans] know Martin Luther King Jr. as a statue. We know him as a holiday. We know him as a speech. We don't know him as a man. Most people don't even know the whole speech, just "I have a dream." They don't know what his speaking voice was like, how he looked at his wife, or that he had…” quote by Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b10/ava-duvernay-4018_communication_we-americans-know-martin-luther-king-jr_2685491.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b10/ava-duvernay-4018_communication_we-americans-know-martin-luther-king-jr_2685491.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b10/ava-duvernay-4018_communication_we-americans-know-martin-luther-king-jr_2685491.jpg) > “We \[Americans\] know Martin Luther King Jr. as a statue. We know him as a holiday. We know him as a speech. We don't know him as a man. Most people don't even know the whole speech, just "I have a dream." They don't know what his speaking voice was like, how he looked at his wife, or that he had four kids.” [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how MLK is reduced to symbols, obscuring his humanity and personal life. **In simple terms:** People remember icons, not the full person. Key Takeaway Remember historical figures as whole humans, not just symbols. Themes history humanization memory Mood thoughtful critical Type historical educational When to use this quote - education - public discourse - memorials Key Concepts public memory personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - How can we honor both the achievements and humanity of leaders? - What personal stories of MLK could teach us today? A Different Perspective Simplifying complex lives can erase important lessons. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiday/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [I knew there was something I had to do yesterday. I couldn't remember what it is. I can't figure it out. I know it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-beals/i-knew-there-was-something-i-had-to-do-yesterday-i-couldn-t-remember/) [Jennifer Beals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-beals/) > [I also had a stuttering problem. In a Mexican home they don't give you speech therapy; they don't even know what speech therapy is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-esparza/i-also-had-a-stuttering-problem-in-a-mexican-home-they-don-t-give-you/) [Felipe Esparza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-esparza/) > [I think I'm able to reach a lot of folks, despite the fact that the conventional news media sometimes says, "You know, this speech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-think-i-m-able-to-reach-a-lot-of-folks-despite-the-fact-that-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ People have to allow themselves to be used by God and Martin \[Luther King, Jr.\] committed himself totally to God's will and purpose and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coretta-scott-king/people-have-to-allow-themselves-to-be-used-by-god-and-martin-luther/) [Coretta Scott King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coretta-scott-king/) > [ Nonviolence with Dr. \[Martin Luther \]King is only a method. That's not his objective. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/nonviolence-with-dr-martin-luther-king-is-only-a-method-that-s-not/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Martin Luther King Jr., recognized bias when he saw it, knew what he was talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schwartz/martin-luther-king-jr-recognized-bias-when-he-saw-it-knew-what-he-was/) [Jack Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schwartz/) > [“It is appropriate that we celebrate Martin Luther King, a man who struggled so valiantly to restore humanity to the oppressed and the oppressor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/it-is-appropriate-that-we-celebrate-martin-luther-king-a-man-who/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [“Martin Luther King Jr. believed that the highest point of Jesus’s life was the moment when he forgave his executioners,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/martin-luther-king-jr-believed-that-the-highest-point-of-jesus-s-life/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [I have a lot of respect for Martin Luther King. I think he was one of the greatest orators that the country ever produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hampton/i-have-a-lot-of-respect-for-martin-luther-king-i-think-he-was-one-of/) [Fred Hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hampton/) > [I need to hear something about how he's going to bring people together in the spirit, hopefully, of Martin Luther King Jr., and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-need-to-hear-something-about-how-he-s-going-to-bring-people/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I think Martin Luther King would always keep track of collective insurgencies among poor and working people. He was concerned about the treatment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-think-martin-luther-king-would-always-keep-track-of-collective/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Martin Luther King was not a Marxist or a communist, but his radical love leads him to put poor and working people at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/martin-luther-king-was-not-a-marxist-or-a-communist-but-his-radical/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“...when President Clinton, on the anniversary of his election, spoke in the church in Tennessee where Martin Luther King, Jr., had delivered his last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-himmelfarb/when-president-clinton-on-the-anniversary-of-his-election-spoke-in/) [Gertrude Himmelfarb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-himmelfarb/) > [Anybody who takes Martin Luther King seriously has got to go beyond the standard understanding of who he was, has to connect those dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/anybody-who-takes-martin-luther-king-seriously-has-got-to-go-beyond/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Everyone has the potential to be great, because everyone has the potential to serve." Martin Luther King”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-hofmann/everyone-has-the-potential-to-be-great-because-everyone-has-the/) Margaret Hofmann ## More by Ava DuVernay > [We're living based on laws and ideas that we, as a society, embraced back in the days of slavery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/we-re-living-based-on-laws-and-ideas-that-we-as-a-society-embraced/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [All the traditional models for doing things are collapsing; from music to publishing to film, and it's a wide open door for people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/all-the-traditional-models-for-doing-things-are-collapsing-from-music/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [Don't wait for permission to do something creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/don-t-wait-for-permission-to-do-something-creative/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [Netflix represents, as well as all the streaming services, something that I've been talking about being so important to inclusive voices around films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/netflix-represents-as-well-as-all-the-streaming-services-something/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [I didn't go to film school. 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Traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/i-think-it-s-a-wonderful-time-to-be-a-black-woman-who-makes-films-it/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [I think for female filmmakers a big issue is making their second and third films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/i-think-for-female-filmmakers-a-big-issue-is-making-their-second-and/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [I make films about black women and it doesn't mean that you can't see them as a black man, doesn't mean that he can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/i-make-films-about-black-women-and-it-doesn-t-mean-that-you-can-t-see/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [The documentaries were something that I could do for a small amount of money, and then I felt like as long as I found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/the-documentaries-were-something-that-i-could-do-for-a-small-amount/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [ \[ Hollywood\] is a patriarchy, headed by men and built for men. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/hollywood-is-a-patriarchy-headed-by-men-and-built-for-men/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [I know that sounds a little bit corny, but I've found some solace in that. 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