About this quote

In Rediscovering Lost Values (1954), King uses a focused ethical claim to examine wisdom, with attention to things, right, wrong. The practical center is the relationship between life and doing and contrary, giving readers a specific lens for judgment and action.

When to use it

• A community organizer builds a meeting around things before participants choose one measurable action related to wisdom.
• A teacher pairs the passage from Rediscovering Lost Values (1954) with a primary-source exercise about life and public responsibility.
• A team leader uses the tension between right and contrary to discuss conduct under pressure.