--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the reasons for not selecting…" description: "\"I think the reasons for not selecting persons like the Reverend Borders and John Wesley Dobbs were, in my book rather obvious reasons: because they wer..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/ella-baker-10989_book_i-think-the-reasons-for-not-selecting-pe_2784097.jpg" --- # I think the reasons for not selecting persons like the… ![“I think the reasons for not selecting persons like the Reverend Borders and John Wesley Dobbs were, in my book rather obvious reasons: because they were people who were basically oriented in the direction of the established method of not confronting the power structure, but trying to elicit…” quote by Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/ella-baker-10989_book_i-think-the-reasons-for-not-selecting-pe_2784097.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/ella-baker-10989_book_i-think-the-reasons-for-not-selecting-pe_2784097.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/ella-baker-10989_book_i-think-the-reasons-for-not-selecting-pe_2784097.jpg) > “I think the reasons for not selecting persons like the Reverend Borders and John Wesley Dobbs were, in my book rather obvious reasons: because they were people who were basically oriented in the direction of the established method of not confronting the power structure, but trying to elicit concessions by various and sundry means of, well, let's call it accommodating leadership.” [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) ## 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 critiques leaders who avoid confronting power structures, preferring accommodation over direct challenge. **In simple terms:** Avoiding confrontation leads to accommodating leadership. Key Takeaway Challenge power directly. Themes leadership power confrontation accommodation Mood critical thoughtful Type political activist When to use this quote - social movements - organizational change - policy advocacy Key Concepts political theory activism Questions to Reflect On - When is compromise effective? - How to balance confrontation and negotiation? A Different Perspective Accommodation can perpetuate injustice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accommodating Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accommodating-leadership-3256779/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Concessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concessions/) [Confronting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confronting/) [John wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-wesley/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method/) [Obvious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reasons People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasons-people-334052/) [Reasons Selecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasons-selecting-3332289/) [Reverend Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverend-borders-3332290/) [Reverends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverends/) [Selecting Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selecting-persons-3332291/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Various](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/various/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [ I believe, the \[Gunnar\] Myrdal study had been made, and if we hadn't had anything else to raise questions, this in itself would have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/i-believe-the-gunnar-myrdal-study-had-been-made-and-if-we-hadn-t-had/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [ 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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/in-your-short-stay-in-atlanta-i-m-sure-you-saw-that-there-was-great/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [A friend of mine pointed out to me, "Why do you separate your writing and your music?" 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John Wesley's marriage was a train wreck (Wesleyan historian, Henry Rack called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-gordon/at-the-risk-of-being-simplistic-a-railway-metaphor-comes-to-mind-john/) [Grant Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-gordon/) > [“John Wesley once said: “Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God…such alone will shake the gates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-foster/john-wesley-once-said-give-me-one-hundred-preachers-who-fear-nothing/) [Richard J. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-foster/) > [Even in the greatest afflictions, we ought to testify to God, that, in receiving them from his hand, we feel pleasure in the midst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/even-in-the-greatest-afflictions-we-ought-to-testify-to-god-that-in/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) > [John Wesley's conversation is good, but he is never at leisure. He is always obliged to go at a certain hour. This is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/john-wesley-s-conversation-is-good-but-he-is-never-at-leisure-he-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [John Wesley: Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half-dead, or half-asleep; but lift up your voice with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/john-wesley-sing-lustily-and-with-good-courage-beware-of-singing-as/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) > [“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/do-all-the-good-you-can-by-all-the-means-you-can-in-all-the-ways-you-2/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [John Wesley tells of a dream he had. In the dream, he was ushered to the gates of Hell. There he asked, "Are there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-whitefield/john-wesley-tells-of-a-dream-he-had-in-the-dream-he-was-ushered-to/) [George Whitefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-whitefield/) > [The decline of witch-belief was . . . entirely the product of religious skepticism. . . . The Catholic Church did not reform itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-t-joshi-2/the-decline-of-witch-belief-was-entirely-the-product-of-religious/) [S. T. Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-t-joshi-2/) ## More by Ella Baker > [In order to see where we are going, we not only must remember where we have been, but we must understand where we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/in-order-to-see-where-we-are-going-we-not-only-must-remember-where-we/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [The major job was getting people to understand that they had something within their power that they could use, and it could only be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/the-major-job-was-getting-people-to-understand-that-they-had/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [After the '57 initial meeting - I was up this way working, not as a staff person - there became the need for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/after-the-57-initial-meeting-i-was-up-this-way-working-not-as-a-staff/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [My theory is, strong people don't need strong leaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/my-theory-is-strong-people-don-t-need-strong-leaders/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [Oppressed people, whatever their level of formal education, have the ability to understand and interpret the world around them, to see the world for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/oppressed-people-whatever-their-level-of-formal-education-have-the/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [I went to what is known as, and was at that time, too, Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. In fact, because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/i-went-to-what-is-known-as-and-was-at-that-time-too-shaw-university/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [Strong people don't need strong leaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/strong-people-don-t-need-strong-leaders/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [His name was Michael R. Ross. I've never known what the "R" was for. He died, however, before I was 7. But he and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/his-name-was-michael-r-ross-i-ve-never-known-what-the-r-was-for-he/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [I guess the best way to describe that would be to connect with the fact that I came out of college just before the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/i-guess-the-best-way-to-describe-that-would-be-to-connect-with-the/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [I had been friendly with people who were in the Communist party and all the rest of the Left forces, which were oriented in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/i-had-been-friendly-with-people-who-were-in-the-communist-party-and/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [ 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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/i-didn-t-have-any-close-relationship-with-him-because-although/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [ \[Walter White\] was also one of the best lobbyist of the period. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/walter-white-was-also-one-of-the-best-lobbyist-of-the-period/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [I think, to be honest, sort of emanated from the initial work of somebody else instead of SCLC. 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