Much like this art piece Joel Sydenham created, you can interpret the quote in many different ways. For Joel, this quote creates an instant association between love, nurturing, and a sense of responsibility and duty towards something.

He believes the truest form of love is to help something flourish, not just admiration or infatuation, but a genuine investment in the wellbeing and progress of someone or something.

In this portrait, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is depicted alongside some of his famous quotes written on placards by artist Joel Sydenham.

Joel created a black and white image of Dr. King (using black oil based pencil and regular graphite pencils) as a reference to the time he existed. He used red and blue ink to complete the background, leaving the placards white to represent colors on the USA flag. He also worked to depict his expression as hopeful, as he was a beacon of hope to so many people around the world.

Joel first discovered Dr. Martin Luther King at 9 years old after reading a simplified version of his biography. His vision of people from different ethnic backgrounds living together in harmony was one that deeply resonated with him as a child of a European father and African mother. "I believe his focus on love and forgiveness are values that will be eternally relevant for humanity. He taught me that rising above violence, choosing love above fear, and forgiveness above resentment were the most courageous things an individual could do in the face of any form of adversity."