About this quote

In Facing the Challenge of a New Age (1957), King uses a direct appeal to responsibility to examine wisdom, with attention to right, press, applause. The practical center is the relationship between life and press and applause, giving readers a specific lens for judgment and action.

When to use it

• A community organizer builds a meeting around right before participants choose one measurable action related to wisdom.
• A teacher pairs the passage from Facing the Challenge of a New Age (1957) with a primary-source exercise about life and public responsibility.
• A team leader uses the tension between press and applause to discuss conduct under pressure.