Leaders who can subject their particular egos to the greatness of the cause.

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Source: A Realistic Look at the Question of Progress in the Area of Race Relations (1957)

About this quote

In A Realistic Look at the Question of Progress in the Area of Race Relations (1957), King uses a focused ethical claim to examine leadership, with attention to leaders, subject, particular. The practical center is the relationship between wisdom and greatness and cause, giving readers a specific lens for judgment and action.

When to use it

  • A community organizer builds a meeting around leaders before participants choose one measurable action related to leadership.
  • A teacher pairs the passage from A Realistic Look at the Question of Progress in the Area of Race Relations (1957) with a primary-source exercise about wisdom and public responsibility.
  • A team leader uses the tension between subject and cause to discuss conduct under pressure.