Previous
Fred Shuttlesworth
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a well-known preacher and activist who came to prominence during the civil rights movement. Gladwell focuses on Dr. King’s effort to call attention to the Movement in Birmingham, Alabama, where the reverend hoped to challenge the racist public safety commissioner, Bull Connor. To do this, Dr. King enlisted the help of Wyatt Walker, a Baptist minister with a penchant for trickery. Dr. King asked Walker to trick Connor into doing something that could be used against him—a request that led to a clash between black schoolchildren and police that ultimately incited a backlash against racist policing around the country. Gladwell examines the civil rights movement because he argues that black activists were able to overcome racists like Bull Connor because the black community is used to being underdogs.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes in David and Goliath
The David and Goliath quotes below are all either spoken by Martin Luther King, Jr. or refer to Martin Luther King, Jr.. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6: Wyatt Walker
Quotes
In the traditional fable of the Tortoise and the Hare, told to every Western schoolchild, the Tortoise beats the Hare through sheer persistence and effort. Slow and steady wins the race. That’s an appropriate and powerful lesson—but only in a world where the Tortoise and the Hare are playing by the same rules, and where everyone’s effort is rewarded. In a world that isn’t fair—and no one would have called Birmingham in 1963 fair—the Terrapin has to place his relatives at strategic points along the racecourse. The trickster is not a trickster by nature. He is a trickster by necessity.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire David and Goliath LitChart as a printable PDF.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes in David and Goliath
The David and Goliath quotes below are all either spoken by Martin Luther King, Jr. or refer to Martin Luther King, Jr.. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6: Wyatt Walker
Quotes
In the traditional fable of the Tortoise and the Hare, told to every Western schoolchild, the Tortoise beats the Hare through sheer persistence and effort. Slow and steady wins the race. That’s an appropriate and powerful lesson—but only in a world where the Tortoise and the Hare are playing by the same rules, and where everyone’s effort is rewarded. In a world that isn’t fair—and no one would have called Birmingham in 1963 fair—the Terrapin has to place his relatives at strategic points along the racecourse. The trickster is not a trickster by nature. He is a trickster by necessity.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
