--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: King's response to our crisis can be put…" description: "\"King's response to our crisis can be put in one word: revolution. A revolution in our priorities, a reevaluation of our values, a reinvigoration of our..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/cornel-west-708_change_king-s-response-to-our-crisis-can-be-put_1849951.jpg" --- # King's response to our crisis can be put in one word… ![“King's response to our crisis can be put in one word: revolution. A revolution in our priorities, a reevaluation of our values, a reinvigoration of our public life and a fundamental transformation of our way of thinking and living that promotes a transfer of power from oligarchs and plutocrats to…” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/cornel-west-708_change_king-s-response-to-our-crisis-can-be-put_1849951.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/cornel-west-708_change_king-s-response-to-our-crisis-can-be-put_1849951.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/cornel-west-708_change_king-s-response-to-our-crisis-can-be-put_1849951.jpg) > “King's response to our crisis can be put in one word: revolution. A revolution in our priorities, a reevaluation of our values, a reinvigoration of our public life and a fundamental transformation of our way of thinking and living that promotes a transfer of power from oligarchs and plutocrats to everyday people and ordinary citizens.” [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 response to crisis should be a radical shift in values, moving power from elites to ordinary citizens and reshaping society. **In simple terms:** A revolution of priorities and power is needed. Key Takeaway Advocate for systemic change toward equity. Themes political reform power redistribution social justice values revolution Mood urgent inspirational Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - grassroots organizing - public discourse - community empowerment Key Concepts democracy economic inequality collective action Questions to Reflect On - What concrete steps can citizens take to shift power? - How can values be redefined collectively? A Different Perspective Revolution may face resistance from entrenched interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Everyday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday/) [King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Priorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priorities/) [Public life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-life/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Transformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transformation/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Way of thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-thinking/) ## Related quotes > [So people are talking about revolution. What a revolution it would be to have a woman president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/so-people-are-talking-about-revolution-what-a-revolution-it-would-be/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [“Don't exist. Live. Get out, explore. Thrive. Challenge authority. Challenge yourself. Evolve. Change forever. Become who you say you always will. Keep moving. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krans/don-t-exist-live-get-out-explore-thrive-challenge-authority-challenge-2/) [Brian Krans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krans/) > [Revolution is about the need to re-evolve political, economic and social justice and power back into the hands of the people, preferably through legislation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-seale/revolution-is-about-the-need-to-re-evolve-political-economic-and/) [Bobby Seale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-seale/) > [You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/you-cannot-buy-the-revolution-you-cannot-make-the-revolution-you-can/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [If you want to know the theory and methods of revolution, you must take part in revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/if-you-want-to-know-the-theory-and-methods-of-revolution-you-must/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [“My way is the way of silent revolution; revolution to raise the human consciousness through positive vibrations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/my-way-is-the-way-of-silent-revolution-revolution-to-raise-the-human/) [Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/) > [“So it might be speculated that the British exported their dissidents and so suffered their revolution three thousand miles away from home in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-c-w-blanning/so-it-might-be-speculated-that-the-british-exported-their-dissidents/) [Timothy C.W. Blanning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-c-w-blanning/) > [There is talk about the need for a second Green Revolution. However, such a revolution is nowhere in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-s-swaminathan/there-is-talk-about-the-need-for-a-second-green-revolution-however/) [M. S. Swaminathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-s-swaminathan/) > [We have not made the Revolution, the Revolution has made us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-b-chner/we-have-not-made-the-revolution-the-revolution-has-made-us/) [Georg Buchner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-b-chner/) > [We're coming to see the revolution. And the revolution isn't always happy. It's not always pretty. But it's always satisfying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-green/we-re-coming-to-see-the-revolution-and-the-revolution-isn-t-always/) [Misha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-green/) > [No real social change has ever been brought about without a revolution - Revolution is but thought carried into action. Every effort for progress,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/no-real-social-change-has-ever-been-brought-about-without-a/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [The US is headed for ruin and revolution. The revolution will almost certainly be put down, violently. But the ruin cannot be stopped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bonner/the-us-is-headed-for-ruin-and-revolution-the-revolution-will-almost/) [Bill Bonner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bonner/) > [“Don't exist. Live. Get out, explore. Thrive. Challenge authority. Challenge yourself. Evolve. Change forever. Become who you say you always will. Keep moving. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krans/don-t-exist-live-get-out-explore-thrive-challenge-authority-challenge/) [Brian Krans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krans/) > [We have the right of revolution. Revolution does not always have to be weapons and warfare; it's also about revolutionary ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-have-the-right-of-revolution-revolution-does-not-always-have-to-be/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“Scientific Revolution has not been a revolution of knowledge. It has been above all a revolution of ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/scientific-revolution-has-not-been-a-revolution-of-knowledge-it-has/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## 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 Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "King's response to our crisis can be put in one word: revolution. 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