And I want to say tonight—I want to say tonight that I too am happy that I didn't sneeze. Because if I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1960, when students all over the South started sitting-in at lunch counters. And I knew that as they were sitting in, they were really standing up for the best in the American dream, and taking the whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1961, when we decided to take a ride for freedom and ended segregation in inter-state travel. I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs up, they are going somewhere, because a man can't ride your back unless it is bent. If I had sneezed—If I had sneezed I wouldn't have been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, aroused the conscience of this nation, and brought into being the Civil Rights Bill. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have had a chance later that year, in August, to try to tell America about a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been down in Selma, Alabama, to see the great Movement there. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been in Memphis to see a community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I'm so happy that I didn't sneeze. And they were telling me—Now, it doesn't matter, now. It really doesn't matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, there were six of us. The pilot said over the public address system, "We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be wrong with on the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we've had the plane protected and guarded all night." And then I got into Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! And so I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord! 今晚我想告訴你們，我也很高興我那時候沒有打噴嚏。我那時候要是打了噴嚏，我就無法活到1960 年，看到南方到處都有學生在餐廳裡靜坐抗議。我知道他們靜坐，是為了捍衛最美好的美國夢，他們要把整個美國帶回偉大的民主源泉，那 是我們那些發表《獨立宣言》和《憲法》的開國祖先們所深深挖掘出的民主源泉。 如果我那時候打了噴嚏，我就無法活到1961 年，和大家一起爭取乘坐國內交通工具的自由權，廢除種族隔離。 如果我那時候打了噴嚏，我就無法活到1962 年，看到喬治亞州阿爾巴尼市的黑人，為自己的權利挺身而出。一旦人為自己的權利挺身而出，這就是一種進步，因為只要自己肯站起來，就沒有人可以騎到我們的頭上。 如果我那時候打了噴嚏，我就無法活到1963 年，看到阿拉巴馬州伯明罕市的黑人喚醒這個國家的良心，後來並促成了《民權法案》的通過。 如果我那時候打了噴嚏，我也無法在那一年的八月，向美國說出一直藏在我心裡頭的那個夢想。 如果我那時候打了噴嚏，我就無法去阿拉巴馬州的賽爾馬，親眼目睹在那裡發生的偉大民權運動。 如果我那時候打了噴嚏，我也就不能來到孟菲斯市，目睹那些正遭受苦難的兄弟姊妹們所發動的集體抗爭活動。 我很高興我那時候並沒有打噴嚏。他們後來跟我說，現在沒事了，現在要怎麼樣打噴嚏都可以了 今天早上，我從亞特蘭大飛過來，在我們上飛機時，一行共六個人。駕駛員透過廣播系統說：「很抱歉飛機延誤，因為馬丁•路德•金恩博士就在我們的飛機上，我們必須確認檢查過所有的行李，確認飛機上一切正常，並且要將所有的東西都做過詳細的檢查。我們昨晚徹夜都在對這架飛機進行保護和監視。」 不久，我抵達了孟菲斯市。有些人開始談到我受到了恐嚇，也有人說恐嚇已經排除了。我們一些有病的白人兄弟們，會對我做出什麼事呢？ 我不知道這個時候會發生什麼事，我們未來還有艱苦的日子要奮鬥，但對我來說，我現在會怎麼樣已經都不重要了，因為我已經踏上山頂了！ 所以，我都無所謂了。 我和任何人一樣，也希望長命百歲，這是人之常情，但我現在並不關心這個問題了，現在我只想行上帝的意旨，而祂已經讓我踏上山頂了！我仔細地張望，然後我看到了應許之地。我也許無法和你們一起走到那裡，但今晚我希望你們能夠明白，我們這個民族將會到達應許之地。 今晚，我非常的高興。我什麼事都不擔心，也不畏懼任何人！ 我眼裡已經看到上帝即將到來的聖光。 | 
