What is the importance behind this quote?

Question

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR

I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross roads without having their motives called into question.

Answer 1

BAsdically, I sohould be free to go where i wish without suspicion. Nice metaphor

Answer 2

It meant, he would like to see the world free where no one is being question about them...

Answer 3

hes just trying to say that people should be able to do what they wish without being questioned or told they're wrong.

thats what i think.

Answer 4

chickens....?????

no idea..

i m vegetarian..lol

Answer 5

The importance is the chickens stands for black people . They will be free to do whatever they want. Like right now, black people are doing what people can do. The last 4 words stand for the black people don't have to question why they can't have freedom and justice and Independence just like white people.

Answer 6

have you heard the 'chicken crosses the road' joke before?

the joke goes like this:

'why did the chicken cross the road?' (its questioning WHY the chicken crossed the road)

and then theres always a reason, right?

so what martin luther king means, is that he hopes that one day people can cross certain roads and do certain things, without being questioned about it.

because in the 'chicken joke', the chicken ALWAYS gets questioned about WHY hes crossing the road.

Answer 7

By definition, according to Webster Pocket Dictionary, chicken is a common domestic fowl;a coward- adj. fearful and timid. Probably, Martin Luther King Jr. does not refer chicken to its literal meaning and appearance as in chicken actually crossing the road. Neither, he would mean that chicken will anihilate the human race so that they will be free crossing the road without being questioned by humans.

His words  actually refer to human situation. He used  the Comparative Speech- "personification" to present his idea. A  chicken in the situation of man, with all its limitations.

Indeed, Luther had used the famous old story about a chicken crossing the road but questioned for doing it. By this, Luther is trying to stress freedom; being free as long as responsible. Responsible in the sense that human act according to his being as a human.

However, as a comment to these words of Luther, it is difficult to acheive such a vision. I doubt, it would remain as a vision. For as long as  humans have their ego, there will be conflicts, differences in views and there will always be discriminations, inequality, pride, anger and hopelessness in the world. This quotation is never different from the vision of the Utopian state of Aristotle, which until now never been seen and achieve.

But on the contrary, this vision brings every person together to hope that in anyway it could be possibly achieved. It's a fool's hope. But with such a hope, it brings order to the world.

Answer 8

This is probably not a legit MLK quote.  There's a widely spammed joke e-mail wherein famous people were attributed quotes in answer to the famous question, "Why did the chicken cross the road?"  Dr. King's answer, of course, alludes to his work toward eradicating racial prejudice.  

Other answers were attributed to Bill Clinton ("Define road."), Buddha ("To ask this question is to deny your own chicken-nature"), and Col Sanders ("I missed one?").  You can find more of this weak humor by trying the link below.