Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2018: the most inspiring MLK quotes to always remember

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. day - a paid public holiday in America used to honour the former leader of the Civil Rights Movement.

First announced as a holiday in 1983, the then-president Ronald Reagan officiated that every third Monday in January would be used to honour the former leader after millions of people all across the States petitioned for it.

Thirty years since his death, his legacy is still very much alive and he's still regarded as one of the most important figures in history throughout the world. Born on January 15, 1929, today would have been his 89th birthday.

Below, we remember some of his most poignant quotes that are as inspiring today as they were then:

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - from Strength to Love, 1963

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." - from Strength to Love, 1963

“The time is always right to do what is right.” - from Oberlin College Commencement speech, 1965

“Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.” - from speech before a group of students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia, October 26, 1967

"Only in the darkness can you see the stars." - I've Been to the Mountaintop speech, 1968

"No one really knows why they are alive until they know what they'd die for." - Origin unknown

“Never succumb to the temptation of becoming bitter” - "The Most Durable Power," excerpt from Sermon at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church on 6 November, 1956

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - I Have a Dream, 1963

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”- Letter from Birmingham City Jail, 1963

"If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." - Origin unknown, 1967