What will we do?” Certainly I wouldn’t advocate retaliatory violence.

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Source: Facing the Challenge of a New Age (1957)

About this quote

In Facing the Challenge of a New Age (1957), King uses a collective appeal to examine wisdom, with attention to certainly, wouldn, advocate. The practical center is the relationship between life and retaliatory and violence, giving readers a specific lens for judgment and action.

When to use it

  • A community organizer builds a meeting around certainly 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 wouldn and violence to discuss conduct under pressure.