A compilation of John Lewis’ best quotes and memorable moments

John Lewis, who died late Friday at age 80, was the last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists, led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Lewis was best known for leading 600 protesters in the 1965 Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

Here is a compilation of Lewis’ most memorable quotes, courtesy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Associated Press, and noteworthy moments:

“As I was growing up in rural Alabama, I saw all around me the system of segregation and racial discrimination. The visible signs in the little town of Troy, the population of about 7,000, we saw the sign that said ‘colored only.’ White only. Colored waiting. .... In a little 5&10 store was a civil fountain, a clean fountain for white people to come and drink water, but in another corner of the store there was a little spigot, a rusty spigot, (that) said ‘colored drinking.' And I became resentful of the sign and all the visible evidence of segregation and racial discrimination.”

— Interview conducted for “America, They Loved You Madly,” a precursor to the 1987 documentary “Eyes on the Prize.”

“You saw these men putting on their gas masks and behind the state troopers are a group of men, part of the sheriff’s posse, on horses. They came toward us, beating us with nightsticks, trampling us with horses, and releasing their tear gas. I was hit in the head by a state trooper with a nightstick. My legs went from under me. I don’t know how I made it back across the bridge but apparently a group just literally took me back.”

— Recounting the Bloody Sunday confrontation of March 7, 1965, in Selma, Alabama, in an oral history interview conducted by the House historian, Dec. 11, 2014.

“For four years I had traveled by bus from going from rural Alabama to Montgomery, Montgomery to Birmingham, Birmingham to Nashville and I saw the segregation, the racial discrimination. I saw those signs that said white waiting, colored waiting; white men, colored men...and I wanted to do something about it. And the Freedom Rides was my opportunity to do something about it.”

— Recounting the Freedom Rides in an interview with the AJC in June 2018.

“Selma is a place where we injected something very meaningful into our democracy. We opened up the political process and made it possible for hundreds and thousands and millions of people to come in and be participants.”

— Oral history interview conducted by the House historian, Dec. 11, 2014.

“He was my friend. He was my hero. I loved him. He was like a big brother.”

— Reflecting on his relationship with King during interview on Jan. 17, 2015.

“My involvement in the sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, the march from Selma to Montgomery have been the driving force. When I was younger I spent a lot of time going to Washington. I remember the first time going there for the Freedom Rides, then going back there for the March on Washington and to meet with President Kennedy.”

— Reflecting on what led Lewis to enter politics, in an interview with the AJC in June 2018.

“Our goal was true freedom for every American. Since then, America has made a lot of progress. We are a different society than we were in 1961. And in 2008 we showed the world the true promise of America when we elected President Barack Obama.”

— Campaign speech for Obama in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sept. 6, 2012.

King “inspired me to stand up, to speak up, and speak out. And I got in the way, I got in trouble — good trouble, necessary trouble. ...You must find a way to get in the way and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. … You have a moral obligation, a mission and a mandate, when you leave here, to go out and seek justice for all. You can do it. You must do it.”

— Recounting his first meeting with King in his address to Bates College’s Class of 2016.

“We must continue to teach the way of peace, the way of love, the philosophy and the discipline of non-violence. And never, ever give up on any of our brothers and sisters. We’re one people; we’re one family.”

— In an interview with MSNBC in late May 2020 about protests that were sweeping the nation.

“My dear friends: Your vote is precious, almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union.”

— Speech in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sept. 6, 2012.

“I kept saying to myself: How many more? How many young black men will be murdered? It made me so sad. It was so painful. It made me cry.”

— In a June 2020 interview with “CBS This Morning” after watching the video of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”

— Remarks atop the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 1, 2020.

Lewis marched with King in 1963, was elected to Congress in 1986 and was awarded more than 50 honorary degrees from prestigious universities in his lifetime.

Lewis joined other cosplayers — people who dress up in costume — in full costume at San Diego Comic Con after speaking about his graphic novel "March."

Lewis recreated the outfit he wore when he marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, 50 years ago.

9. The day he met this 102-year-old delegate at the 2016 Democratic National Convention

Jerry Emmett — the then-102-year-old honorary chairwoman of Arizona’s delegation — told the AJC’s Erica Hernandez she never imagined she would get to meet Lewis.

But after he addressed Arizona delegates at the Democratic National Convention in July 2016, she finally met him.

10. The night he crowd surfed on Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show'

And the internet just about lost it, especially when Stephen Colbert shared the video on Twitter.

11. That time he won the prestigious Liberty Medal for his civil rights work

The medal was awarded to Lewis on Sept. 19, 2016, for his work in "help[ing] to extend the blessings of liberty and equality to all Americans," National Constitution Center CEO Jeffrey Rosen said.

12. When he had his dream realized with the opening of the Smithsonian’s African American museum

After Lewis spent 15 years fighting for the landmark, the new National Museum of African American History and Culture opened on Sept. 24, 2016.

It was the Smithsonian's latest addition to Washington's National Mall and another "historic crusade" for Lewis.

Lewis sat with President Barack Obama as he dedicated the museum and gave a compelling six-minute speech about the museum and its significance later that morning.

The AJC’s Tamar Hallerman previously reported that Lewis planned to give the new museum some of his mementos, including a pair of slave shackles given to him by an Alabama farmer and perhaps the pen President Lyndon Johnson gave him when he signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

13. When he won the National Book Award for his graphic novel "March: Book Three"

Lewis choked up during his speech Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016, as he accepted the National Book Award for young people's literature.

“This is unreal,” he said. “This is unbelievable. I grew up in rural Alabama, very, very poor, very few books in that home.”

14. When he visited the Black Lives Matter street mural in Washington

Lewis made an early morning stop at Washington’s 16th Street to take in a new mural authorized by Mayor Muriel Bowser in early June 2020.

A reporter for the local Fox affiliate caught his reaction to the two-block-long art piece that includes the phrase “Black Lives Matter.”

“It’s very moving. Very moving. Impressive,” Lewis said, according to Stephanie Ramirez.

15. When he surprised marchers with a visit to Selma for the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday

Lewis participated in the commemoration of the 55th anniversary of the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in March 2020.

“I’m inspired to come back to this bridge and to see so many people who are gathered here today,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published Feb. 21, 2019, for Rep. John Lewis’ 79th birthday.