Bigs Quote by Ella Baker
“After the '57 initial meeting - I was up this way working, not as a staff person - there became the need for a much more definite organized office. What you'd had prior to that time were these big meetings in different places, and there was nobody to pull anything together. Everything was left to [Martin Luther] King and the group that was around him.”
About This Quote
Organizational chaos arises without clear structure; effective coordination requires dedicated leadership and systematic processes.
In simple terms: Lack of organization leads to inefficiency; a structured office solves it.
Key Takeaway
Establish clear roles and processes for better coordination.
Themes
organization
leadership
process
efficiency
teamwork
Mood
analytical
inspirational
pragmatic
Type
historical
motivational
When to use this quote
- nonprofit work
- activist movements
- project planning
- community organizing
- historical movements
Key Concepts
management
systems
collaboration
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you balance flexibility with structure?
- What systems improve collective action?
A Different Perspective
Even with strong leaders, without formal structures, efforts can become fragmented.
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![“In your short stay in Atlanta, I'm sure you saw that there was great competition between Martin's [Luther King] father and John Wesley Dobbs in terms of family status. You know, the bragging about whose child got a master's degree first and whose child, maybe, was the first Ph.D. Out of a…” quote by Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/422/ella-baker-10989_amount_in-your-short-stay-in-atlanta-i-m-sure-y_1895418.jpg)
![“I think you can find some rationales for that if we look at the background out of which he came. Martin [Luther King] had come out of a highly competitive, black, middle-class background.” quote by Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c2a/ella-baker-10989_backgrounds_i-think-you-can-find-some-rationales-for_1379504.jpg)
![“Martin [Luther King] wasn't one to buck forces too much.” quote by Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3ae/ella-baker-10989_bucks_martin-luther-king-wasn-t-one-to-buck-fo_3113701.jpg)
![“I didn't have any close relationship with him because, although [William Edward Burghardt] DuBois may not have been as egocentric - I don't know - he certainly was not the easiest person to approach. I think, certainly, those of us who were younger sort of respected that in terms of his…” quote by Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/926/ella-baker-10989_approach_i-didn-t-have-any-close-relationship-wit_697287.jpg)
![“[Walter White] was also one of the best lobbyist of the period.” quote by Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/900/ella-baker-10989_lobbyist_walter-white-was-also-one-of-the-best-lo_712092.jpg)
![“The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before going in with [Larry] Holmes. That would have made all the difference.” quote by Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d63/gerry-cooney-20863_bigs_the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-m_1534.jpg)
