--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think Martin Luther King would always…" description: "\"I think Martin Luther King would always keep track of collective insurgencies among poor and working people. He was concerned about the treatment of Je..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/cornel-west-708_accountability_i-think-martin-luther-king-would-always_187811.jpg" --- # I think Martin Luther King would always keep track of… ![“I think Martin Luther King would always keep track of collective insurgencies among poor and working people. He was concerned about the treatment of Jews in the Soviet Union, for example. He would have closely followed the Arab Spring. And certainly he would be very critical of the massive…” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/cornel-west-708_accountability_i-think-martin-luther-king-would-always_187811.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/cornel-west-708_accountability_i-think-martin-luther-king-would-always_187811.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/cornel-west-708_accountability_i-think-martin-luther-king-would-always_187811.jpg) > “I think Martin Luther King would always keep track of collective insurgencies among poor and working people. He was concerned about the treatment of Jews in the Soviet Union, for example. He would have closely followed the Arab Spring. And certainly he would be very critical of the massive surveillance state that has emerged in America in the last five to 10 years. He would have approved of the movements trying to gain some accountability in U.S. foreign policy, such as drones being (used) on innocent people. I think he would march against drones.” [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker imagines Martin Luther King Jr. would oppose modern surveillance and drone warfare, aligning with his historic advocacy for the oppressed and anti‑imperialism. **In simple terms:** King would likely oppose surveillance and drone attacks on civilians. Key Takeaway Stand against surveillance and militarized violence. Themes social justice civil rights surveillance military ethics foreign policy Mood concerned determined Type political ethical When to use this quote - activist movements - policy reform - public protests - humanitarian campaigns Key Concepts nonviolent resistance state power human rights ethical technology Questions to Reflect On - How can societies protect privacy while ensuring safety? - What role should citizens play in opposing drone warfare? A Different Perspective Balancing security with civil liberties is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accountability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accountability/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Arab spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arab-spring/) [Drones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drones/) [Foreign policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-policy/) [Innocent people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocent-people/) [Insurgency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insurgency/) [Jew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jew/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Soviet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet/) [Soviet union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet-union/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [Surveillance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveillance/) [Surveillance state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveillance-state/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treatment/) [Unions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unions/) [Working people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-people/) ## Related quotes > [I think it's a lovely idea, but it will not pass the Congress. I live in a world of realities. The policy of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-eshoo/i-think-it-s-a-lovely-idea-but-it-will-not-pass-the-congress-i-live/) [Anna Eshoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-eshoo/) > [“I'm alive," he said to the boy, as they ate a bunch of dates one night, with no fires and no moon. "When I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-m-alive-he-said-to-the-boy-as-they-ate-a-bunch-of-dates-one-night/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what your rights are, or who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-think-you-have-to-march-right-in-and-demand-your-rights/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ I think \['March'\] is not just for the Black Lives Matter movement. It's for everyone. We all have to understand what happened then, so… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/i-think-march-is-not-just-for-the-black-lives-matter-movement-it-s/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [I trust you not to pull any April Fool's Day pranks because I trust you'll still think it's March.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-trust-you-not-to-pull-any-april-fool-s-day-pranks-because-i-trust/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ I think this \['March'\]is essential reading to understand the Black Lives Matter movement. I think it's also essential reading for the Black Lives Matter… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/i-think-this-march-is-essential-reading-to-understand-the-black-lives/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [“When I’m eating, that’s all I think about. If I’m on the march, I just concentrate on marching. If I have to fight, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-i-m-eating-that-s-all-i-think-about-if-i-m-on-the-march-i-just/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I'm alive. When I'm eating that's all I think about. If I'm on the march, I just concentrate on marching. If I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-m-alive-when-i-m-eating-that-s-all-i-think-about-if-i-m-on-the/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [In a democracy, the citizens are supposed to have all the power, and the government is supposed to be the means by which the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/in-a-democracy-the-citizens-are-supposed-to-have-all-the-power-and/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [“The idea that we should dismantle the core protections of our political system to erect a ubiquitous surveillance state for the sake of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-idea-that-we-should-dismantle-the-core-protections-of-our/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [The National Surveillance State doesn't want anyone to be able to communicate without the authorities being able to monitor that communication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/the-national-surveillance-state-doesn-t-want-anyone-to-be-able-to/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I did not come to this country for the terror from paramilitary," declared Voytek, hoarsely. "I did not come to this country for motherfucker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-did-not-come-to-this-country-for-the-terror-from-paramilitary/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [We didn't have to use technology to build a surveillance state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/we-didn-t-have-to-use-technology-to-build-a-surveillance-state/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [China's leaders seek to subordinate the rights of the individual to the will of the Communist Party. They exert government control over companies and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ratcliffe/china-s-leaders-seek-to-subordinate-the-rights-of-the-individual-to/) [John Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ratcliffe/) > [We all deserve credit for this new surveillance state that we live in because we the people voted for the Patriot Act. Democrats and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/we-all-deserve-credit-for-this-new-surveillance-state-that-we-live-in/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) ## More by Cornel West > [There has certainly been ugly, right-wing hatred targeting Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/there-has-certainly-been-ugly-right-wing-hatred-targeting-barack-obama/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I feel as if I have been blessed to undergo a transformation from 'gangster' to 'redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-feel-as-if-i-have-been-blessed-to-undergo-a-transformation-from/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Like King, we need to put on our cemetery clothes and be coffin-ready for the next great democratic battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/like-king-we-need-to-put-on-our-cemetery-clothes-and-be-coffin-ready/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ “You can't really move forward until you look back. \[From Remaking America panel discussion at George Washington University\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-t-really-move-forward-until-you-look-back-from-remaking/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [When we think of globalization we are thinking in part of structures and institutions that have been developed over time and that have allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-we-think-of-globalization-we-are-thinking-in-part-of-structures/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The challenge artists face today is whether to be an underground, unheard genius, or to dilute their art for the marketplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-challenge-artists-face-today-is-whether-to-be-an-underground/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I don't draw any distinctions between forms of bigotry or forms of ideology that lose sight of the humanity of people. I can't stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-don-t-draw-any-distinctions-between-forms-of-bigotry-or-forms-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that we feel as if we have no alternative but him...I refuse to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-in-such-a-way-that-we-feel-as/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Larry Summers, I think, he had a long history of arrogance and relative ignorance about poor people's culture and working people's culture and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/larry-summers-i-think-he-had-a-long-history-of-arrogance-and-relative/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-someone-is-the-gift-of-inspiration/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [You can see it in terms of the obsession on Wall Street with not just profits but greed, more profit, more profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-see-it-in-terms-of-the-obsession-on-wall-street-with-not-just/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Anybody who takes Martin Luther King seriously has got to go beyond the standard understanding of who he was, has to connect those dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/anybody-who-takes-martin-luther-king-seriously-has-got-to-go-beyond/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) [Explore all 400 Cornel West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More Accountability quotes > [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [In the battle for police reform, accountability and justice, Americans don't have to re-invent the wheel. We just have to revoke the thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-johnson/in-the-battle-for-police-reform-accountability-and-justice-americans/) [Jason Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-johnson/) > [Transparency pertains to impartial behavior, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Inculcate transparency in attitude and experience a life free of controversy and blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/transparency-pertains-to-impartial-behavior-implies-openness/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [Democracy is not being well served as we're accustomed to. There is less information, there's less investigation, there's less analysis, there's less accountability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-greenspon/democracy-is-not-being-well-served-as-we-re-accustomed-to-there-is/) Edward Greenspon > [I come from a world where accountability and accomplishments matter, and where titles and rhetoric take a back seat to results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/i-come-from-a-world-where-accountability-and-accomplishments-matter/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [It means a lot. It means I'm accountable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/champ-bailey/it-means-a-lot-it-means-i-m-accountable/) [Champ Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/champ-bailey/) > [Our particular principles of religion are a subject of accountability to our god alone. I enquire after no man's and trouble none with mine;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/our-particular-principles-of-religion-are-a-subject-of-accountability/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [This strongly asserted but ill-defined license to kill without accountability is not an entitlement which the United States or other states can have without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-alston/this-strongly-asserted-but-ill-defined-license-to-kill-without/) Philip Alston > [Responsible Development shares many practices with XP but the roots are different. Responsible Development's values are honesty, transparency, accountability and responsibility. 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