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Home » What Is Your Life’s Blueprint? by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Full Transcript)

What Is Your Life’s Blueprint? by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Full Transcript)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered this speech speaking to students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia on October 26, 1967. This speech is also popularly known by the title “WHAT’S YOUR LIFE’S BLUEPRINT?”

Below is the full text (Edited version) and summary of the speech by  Dr. King.

NOTABLE QUOTE FROM THIS SPEECH:

“If you can’t fly, run.

If you can’t run, walk.

If you can’t walk, crawl,

but by all means, keep moving!” 

Listen to the MP3 Audio here:

TRANSCRIPT:

Introducing speaker:

…And help welcome our honored distinguished guest, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  

Thank you very kindly.

Principal [inaudible], Mr. Williams, Members of the faculty and members of the student body of Barratt Junior High School, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I need not pause to say how very delighted I am to be here today, and to have the opportunity of taking a very brief break in a pretty busy schedule in the city of Philadelphia, to share with you the students of Barrat Junior High School.

And I want to express my personal appreciation to the Principal and the administration for inviting me and for giving me the opportunity to see this very fine and enthusiastic group of students here at Barrat.

I guess I ought to start out with a commercial, and that is tonight we’re going to have a great night in the city of Philadelphia at the Spectrum.

I know you’ve heard of that new impressive structure called the Spectrum and I know you’ve heard of Harry Belafonte and Aretha Franklin and Nipsey Russell and Sidney Poitier and all of these other great and outstanding artists. Well, they’re going to be here tonight at the Spectrum and I hope that each of you will go home and tell your parents to be there tonight for this great freedom festival.

And I hope you will come also, for it will be a great experience and, by coming, you will be supporting the work of the civil rights movement.

Now that I’ve gotten the commercial out of the way, I’ll move on and say some things that I want to say very briefly.