--- description: The quote comes from a 1967 speech MLK made at Stanford University title: Rand Paul Kicks Off 2016 Campaign With Martin Luther King Jr. Quote image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95aebbdb5c5d5d36/698787043c163991cc452997/rand-paul2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [politics](/tag/politics/) ## politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Is the Surprising MLK Speech That Rand Paul Likes to Quote  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Apr 7, 2015 5:47 PM CUT  U.S. Senator Rand Paul formally announces his candidacy for president during an event in Louisville, KY on April 7, 2015. U.S. Senator Rand Paul formally announces his candidacy for president during an event in Louisville, KY on April 7, 2015.Aaron P. Bernstein—Reuters  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Apr 7, 2015 5:47 PM CUT Kentucky Senator Rand Paul made use of one of his favorite quotations Tuesday, in the speech that [launched his candidacy](http://time.com/3773964/transcript-read-full-text-of-sen-rand-pauls-campaign-launch/ "undefined") for President: “Martin Luther King spoke of two Americas,” he said. “He described them as ‘two starkly different American experiences that exist side by side.'” It’s a quote that Paul has come back to time and again. In [an op-ed he wrote for TIME](http://time.com/3671819/sen-rand-paul-eric-garner-and-michael-brown-and-the-uneasy-coexistence-of-two-americas/ "undefined") in January, he wrote that the problems with the criminal-justice system brought that MLK remark to mind. [At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February](http://www.c-span.org/video/?324558-12/senator-rand-paul-rky-remarks-cpac-2015 "undefined"), he broadened the use of the quote, in the same way he did Tuesday, to incorporate a wider opportunity gap he attributes to the effects of liberal policies. And, though a politician quoting Martin Luther King Jr. is hardly controversial, it’s in some ways surprising that this particular speech is the one to which Paul is drawn. The quotation comes from an April 14, 1967 speech delivered by the civil-rights leader at Stanford University. The speech, dubbed “The Other America,” addressed the emerging, new phase of the civil-rights movement, when great legislative gains had been made toward equality on paper, but the much more difficult goal of true equality was still to be achieved. It would be even harder to eliminate economic and educational injustice through governmental channels than it was to overcome segregation, he said, but just as important. The solution, King declared, was twofold. On one hand, Americans would have to recognize the cause of justice on a personal level. On the other hand, they would have to recognize that although “morality cannot be legislated, behavior can be regulated.” Requiring Americans to practice equality would instill habits that would eventually combat racism on a deeper level, he believed. Fair housing laws, for example, would be a start. One of his other ideas for a legislative solution to poverty, however, was a little more extreme: --- > “” --- A guaranteed annual income would seem extremely unlikely to appeal to Paul, who launched his presidential campaign with a promise of a smaller, less intrusive government. But it’s not impossible that he might consider such a radical move. Just last year, when Switzerland introduced the idea of a similar program, some [U.S.](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/will-guaranteed-income-ever-come-america/ "undefined") [conservatives](http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/08/why-arent-reformicons-pushing-a-guaranteed-basic-income/375600/ "undefined") said they saw it as one way to streamline otherwise-bulky programs to combat poverty. Who’s to say whether “[the most interesting man in American politics](http://time.com/magazine/us/3512654/october-27th-2014-vol-184-no-16-u-s/ "undefined")” might agree? ### Rand Paul's Unusual Fashion Sense  Politicians love to roll up the sleeves on their button-down shirts while out campaigning, but Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is one of the few to head straight for the short-sleeve shirt when on the stump. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Paul is also comfortable with a short-sleeve shirt and khakis, a more casual look also favored by his father, at right. Charles Dharapak—AP  While out campaigning, Paul also sometimes goes for a more Western look, pairing blue jeans with cowboy boots. Charles Ommanney—Getty Images  He's also been known to use jeans to make a more classic political combo of button-down shirt and power tie seem less formal. Richard Ellis—Getty Images  At other times, he'll make his outfit less formal by skipping the tie... James Crisp—AP  …or wearing a tie with a bold, fun pattern... Scott Olson—Getty Images  …or by going with a more daring color of shirt... Sonia Moskowitz—Getty Images  …or wearing a sweater on top... Stephen Lance Dennee—AP  …or just wearing a turtleneck. Tom Williams—CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images  At times, Paul has been extremely casual. Hunter Wilson—AP  But at other times, he dressed in the standard Washington fare. Mark Wilson—Getty Images  And he's been known to favor a formal winter coat too. Win McNamee—Getty Images  But even when he does dress up, Paul often finds a way to make the look his own, such as with a pair of sunglasses. Bill Clark—CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images  Sunglasses may also just be a favored accessory because he is an eye doctor. Melina Mara—Washington Post/Getty Images  But whatever he's wearing, Paul finds a way to make it his own. 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