"For the moment, I would like to take your minds back many, many centuries to a group of people whose exploits and adventures have long since been meaningfully deposited in the hallowed memories of succeeding generations." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Wisdom Education

“For the moment, I would like to take your minds back many, many centuries to a group of people whose exploits and adventures have long since been meaningfully deposited in the hallowed memories of succeeding generations.”

Share this quote

Source: Keep Moving from This Mountain (1960)

About this quote

In Keep Moving from This Mountain (1960), King uses a focused ethical claim to examine education, with attention to moment, minds, centuries. The practical center is the relationship between wisdom and succeeding and generations, giving readers a specific lens for judgment and action.

When to use it

A community organizer builds a meeting around moment before participants choose one measurable action related to education.
A teacher pairs the passage from Keep Moving from This Mountain (1960) with a primary-source exercise about wisdom and public responsibility.
A team leader uses the tension between minds and generations to discuss conduct under pressure.