"My personal assessment is that Dr. King is the greatest American we have ever produced. I can argue for Lincoln, I can argue for FDR, but for my money, King is the greatest American we have ever produced. His only weapon was love. He transforms a nation, transforms the world with one weapon and that of course being again the weapon of love. So that for me, King is the quintessential example of everything that I could ever want to be in my lifetime"

This quote by Tavis Smiley speaks with the greatness of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his effect on the world. Smiley acknowledges that there are other excellent Americans such as Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt, however for him, King is the greatest. He highlights that King's only weapon was love, and that he had the ability to change a nation and the world with it. Smiley sees King as the ultimate example of what he wants to be in his life time, and his appreciation for King is clear. This quote speaks to the power of love and how it can be utilized to produce favorable modification on the planet. It likewise works as a pointer of the tradition of Dr. King and the value of continuing his work.