--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think of Martin Luther King phrase a…" description: "\"I think of Martin Luther King phrase a lot when I'm deciding public issues. He said: \"Here I stand: I can do no other.\" It is basically an affirmation ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/bruce-babbitt-14803_affirmation_i-think-of-martin-luther-king-phrase-a-l_2966019.jpg" --- # I think of Martin Luther King phrase a lot when I'm… ![“I think of Martin Luther King phrase a lot when I'm deciding public issues. He said: "Here I stand: I can do no other." It is basically an affirmation of my ultimate responsibility to obey my conscience in my acts as a public official.” quote by Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/bruce-babbitt-14803_affirmation_i-think-of-martin-luther-king-phrase-a-l_2966019.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/bruce-babbitt-14803_affirmation_i-think-of-martin-luther-king-phrase-a-l_2966019.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/bruce-babbitt-14803_affirmation_i-think-of-martin-luther-king-phrase-a-l_2966019.jpg) > “I think of Martin Luther King phrase a lot when I'm deciding public issues. He said: "Here I stand: I can do no other." It is basically an affirmation of my ultimate responsibility to obey my conscience in my acts as a public official.” [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Citing Martin Luther King, the speaker affirms the duty to follow conscience in public office, stressing moral responsibility. **In simple terms:** Follow conscience in public duty. Key Takeaway Uphold moral responsibility. Themes public service conscience leadership Mood thoughtful serious Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - legislative work - community engagement - activism Key Concepts Ethics civic duty Questions to Reflect On - How do you resolve ethical dilemmas in office? - What role does conscience play in leadership? A Different Perspective Political pressures can conflict with conscience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affirmation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affirmation/) [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Being tolerant does not mean that I share another ones belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another ones right to believe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-that-i-share-another-ones-belief-but-it/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [Everybody who is created comes into the world with a sense of right and wrong. That is the law written in the hearts. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/everybody-who-is-created-comes-into-the-world-with-a-sense-of-right/) [John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [Conscience is the root of all true courage; if a man would be brave let him obey his conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-freeman-clarke/conscience-is-the-root-of-all-true-courage-if-a-man-would-be-brave/) [James Freeman Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-freeman-clarke/) > [“One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/one-has-not-only-a-legal-but-a-moral-responsibility-to-obey-just-laws-2/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [In any civilized society, it is every citizen's responsibility to obey just laws. But at the same time, it is every citizen's responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/in-any-civilized-society-it-is-every-citizen-s-responsibility-to-obey/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“God hostage to an unanswered question, something we don’t understand, like a healing that doesn’t come, and will not obey until he answers. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/god-hostage-to-an-unanswered-question-something-we-don-t-understand/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [My responsibility is to obey, to surrender my heart and to yield myself to the will of God. It is in the process of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/my-responsibility-is-to-obey-to-surrender-my-heart-and-to-yield/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [Conscience in the soul is the root of all true courage. If a man would be brave, let him learn to obey his conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-freeman-clarke/conscience-in-the-soul-is-the-root-of-all-true-courage-if-a-man-would/) [James Freeman Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-freeman-clarke/) > [One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/one-has-not-only-a-legal-but-a-moral-responsibility-to-obey-just-laws/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Being tolerant does not mean that I share another one's belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another one's right to believe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-that-i-share-another-one-s-belief-but-it/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [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 > [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/) ## More by Bruce Babbitt > [We do not put enough emphasis on early childhood years. We neglect children in this society; as a society we're guilty of child neglect.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/we-do-not-put-enough-emphasis-on-early-childhood-years-we-neglect/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [The notion that big business and big labor and big government can sit down around a table somewhere and work out the direction of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/the-notion-that-big-business-and-big-labor-and-big-government-can-sit/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [Look, I think by the time my case was over and other ones, everybody on both sides of the aisle in Congress said we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/look-i-think-by-the-time-my-case-was-over-and-other-ones-everybody-on/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [What we've proven is that you can protect the environment, use it wisely and grow the economy and that there is no conflict between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/what-we-ve-proven-is-that-you-can-protect-the-environment-use-it/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [I have no question that the Roman Catholic Church teaches that abortion in virtually all circumstances is wrong. I think the church's position at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/i-have-no-question-that-the-roman-catholic-church-teaches-that/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [I'm going to go out and get everybody together and say I think we ought to protect this for generations to come. Now, let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/i-m-going-to-go-out-and-get-everybody-together-and-say-i-think-we/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [Obviously I wouldn't have said that three or four years ago in the midst of it. But I really believe that. It's been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/obviously-i-wouldn-t-have-said-that-three-or-four-years-ago-in-the/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [I'm a product of a Notre Dame education; those professors taught me a lot about how you separate the city of God from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/i-m-a-product-of-a-notre-dame-education-those-professors-taught-me-a/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [What I finally did in 1995 was I said, I'm going to get out of this town and I'm going to go out West.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/what-i-finally-did-in-1995-was-i-said-i-m-going-to-get-out-of-this/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [Look, this job has always been a crucible of conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/look-this-job-has-always-been-a-crucible-of-conflict/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [The Northwest is in better shape than it was eight years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/the-northwest-is-in-better-shape-than-it-was-eight-years-ago/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [On areas like abortion where there is major disagreement among the mainstream religious groups in the Judeo-Christian tradition, I believe that requires a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/on-areas-like-abortion-where-there-is-major-disagreement-among-the/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [We have an obligation to live in harmony with creation, with our capital... with God's creation. And we need to administer and work that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/we-have-an-obligation-to-live-in-harmony-with-creation-with-our/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [We have to preserve it and use it sustainably. And the short-term use of resources at the destruction of the long-term heritage of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/we-have-to-preserve-it-and-use-it-sustainably-and-the-short-term-use/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [Well, I actually wrote her a letter a couple of days ago congratulating her. The tone I tried to convey in the letter is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/well-i-actually-wrote-her-a-letter-a-couple-of-days-ago/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) [Explore all 45 Bruce Babbitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) ## More Affirmation quotes > [One of the most powerful concepts, one which is a sure cure for lack of confidence, is the thought that God is with you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/one-of-the-most-powerful-concepts-one-which-is-a-sure-cure-for-lack/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [Art, if it is successful in the task of questioning reality, if it is good painting and not merely a performance of dexterity, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swift/art-if-it-is-successful-in-the-task-of-questioning-reality-if-it-is/) [Patrick Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swift/) > [There's a certain feeling of giving, a certain feeling of generosity in love songs. When you sing a song of love, you're actually giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/there-s-a-certain-feeling-of-giving-a-certain-feeling-of-generosity/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [Communism... is the genuine resolution of the antagonism between man and nature and between man and man; it is the true resolution of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/communism-is-the-genuine-resolution-of-the-antagonism-between-man-and/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The future teachers I try to recruit are those show have refused to let themselves be neutered in this way, either in their private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/the-future-teachers-i-try-to-recruit-are-those-show-have-refused-to/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [Affirmations need to be used if they are to become incorporated into the fabric of your being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/affirmations-need-to-be-used-if-they-are-to-become-incorporated-into/) [Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/) > [That the sun will not rise tomorrow is no less intelligible a proposition, and implies no more contradiction, than the affirmation, that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/that-the-sun-will-not-rise-tomorrow-is-no-less-intelligible-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [“Affirmation without discipline is like enthusiasm without direction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-mininni/affirmation-without-discipline-is-like-enthusiasm-without-direction/) [Lisa Mininni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-mininni/) > [Whenever I'm in need of inspiration and mantras, I go straight to simple affirmations. 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I give magical service for magical pay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-scovel-shinn/i-have-a-magical-work-in-a-magical-way-i-give-magical-service-for/) [Florence Scovel Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-scovel-shinn/) > [“On one side it seems there is faith in a Creator-God - and at the same time, the rejection of his creation; and on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-schmemann/on-one-side-it-seems-there-is-faith-in-a-creator-god-and-at-the-same/) [Alexander Schmemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-schmemann/) > [For you deal here above all with human life, and human life is sacred; no one may dare make an attempt upon it. 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