About this quote

In Rediscovering Lost Values (1954), King uses a collective appeal to examine ethics, with attention to first, principle, value. The practical center is the relationship between honesty and moral and foundations, giving readers a specific lens for judgment and action.

When to use it

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