--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He was leading those who risked their…" description: "\"“He was leading those who risked their lives over that bridge in Selma, not Janice Joplin, Columbia University, or a labor union. It wasn’t John Lennon..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/glenn-beck-872_civil-rights-movemen_he-was-leading-those-who-risked-their-li_2741427.png" --- # He was leading those who risked their lives over that… ![“He was leading those who risked their lives over that bridge in Selma, not Janice Joplin, Columbia University, or a labor union. It wasn’t John Lennon that taught people about love and peaceful resistance — that job fell on the shoulders of a Jewish carpenter.” quote by Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/glenn-beck-872_civil-rights-movemen_he-was-leading-those-who-risked-their-li_2741427.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/glenn-beck-872_civil-rights-movemen_he-was-leading-those-who-risked-their-li_2741427.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/glenn-beck-872_civil-rights-movemen_he-was-leading-those-who-risked-their-li_2741427.png) > ““He was leading those who risked their lives over that bridge in Selma, not Janice Joplin, Columbia University, or a labor union. It wasn’t John Lennon that taught people about love and peaceful resistance — that job fell on the shoulders of a Jewish carpenter.”” [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote emphasizes that historic civil‑rights leadership, not popular cultural icons, came from ordinary people like a Jewish carpenter, highlighting grassroots activism over celebrity influence. **In simple terms:** Real change comes from everyday leaders, not famous figures. Key Takeaway Recognize and support local activists. Themes civil rights leadership grassroots activism history Mood reflective inspirational serious Type historical motivational When to use this quote - community organizing - educational curricula - media coverage Key Concepts nonviolent resistance social movements collective memory Questions to Reflect On - Who are the unsung heroes in your community? - How can we amplify grassroots voices? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on famous individuals can overlook the contributions of ordinary participants. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civil rights movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/) [Labor union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor-union/) [Love and peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-and-peace/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) ## Related quotes > [After marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma as a young man, John Lewis went on to become a legendary leader for civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-ivey/after-marching-across-the-edmund-pettus-bridge-in-selma-as-a-young/) [Kay Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-ivey/) > [Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton cannot write a timeless letter to us from a Birmingham jail or walk, as John Lewis did in 1965,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/jesse-jackson-and-al-sharpton-cannot-write-a-timeless-letter-to-us/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Remember the hours after September 11th when we came together as one to answer the attack against our homeland. We drew strength when our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/remember-the-hours-after-september-11th-when-we-came-together-as-one/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [There is no glory in war, yet from the blackness of its history, there emerge vivid colours of human character and courage. Those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvia-cartwright/there-is-no-glory-in-war-yet-from-the-blackness-of-its-history-there/) [Silvia Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvia-cartwright/) > [For me, as for our entire Agency family, the 129 stars on CIA's Memorial Wall are more than just symbols. They are solemn reminders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-haspel/for-me-as-for-our-entire-agency-family-the-129-stars-on-cia-s/) [Gina Haspel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-haspel/) > [God Bless the brave men and women who risked their lives to preserve our freedom. Thank you for your service and have a Happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-bless-the-brave-men-and-women-who-risked-their-lives-to-preserve/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is our responsibility - our duty - as Members of Congress to prioritize the care of the brave men and women who risked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-tuberville/it-is-our-responsibility-our-duty-as-members-of-congress-to/) [Tommy Tuberville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-tuberville/) > [By protecting our Afghan friends from reprisals and welcoming them into our American family, we can assert that the United States is still a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-shaheen/by-protecting-our-afghan-friends-from-reprisals-and-welcoming-them/) [Jeanne Shaheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-shaheen/) > [“Bah, he still saw the same stupidity. The image of the hanged man in the farming community of Yondern flashed through his mind. Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-p-grish/bah-he-still-saw-the-same-stupidity-the-image-of-the-hanged-man-in/) T.P. Grish > [I have always thought it morally unacceptable to kill stories, not to run stories, that people have risked their lives to get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/i-have-always-thought-it-morally-unacceptable-to-kill-stories-not-to/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [My mother, my relatives, and closest friends have risked their lives in the area of law enforcement and corrections, so I never have and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/my-mother-my-relatives-and-closest-friends-have-risked-their-lives-in/) [Lecrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [Looking at America's history, ordinary people did something extraordinary. Leaders risked their lives for freedoms that we take for granted today. That's what instills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-walker/looking-at-america-s-history-ordinary-people-did-something/) [Scott Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-walker/) > [“We have risked our lives for our country - not the country we live in now, but the country we hope to have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/we-have-risked-our-lives-for-our-country-not-the-country-we-live-in/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [John Lewis is such a remarkable human being. Literally, such a beautiful human being. I remember the first time I met him. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-james/john-lewis-is-such-a-remarkable-human-being-literally-such-a/) [Stephan James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-james/) > [What I've learned about that word is context, where the world is coming from - in the era the film is set, it obviously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-james/what-i-ve-learned-about-that-word-is-context-where-the-world-is/) [Stephan James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-james/) ## More by Glenn Beck > [We can't afford any president to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/we-can-t-afford-any-president-to-fail/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [Question with boldness, hold to the truth, and speak without fear,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/question-with-boldness-hold-to-the-truth-and-speak-without-fear/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [“You can hold on to the smallest doubt and take comfort in it, stay in denial and go on with your carefree life, until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/you-can-hold-on-to-the-smallest-doubt-and-take-comfort-in-it-stay-in/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [The president should not be able to make me or you ever worried about what's going to happen in our personal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/the-president-should-not-be-able-to-make-me-or-you-ever-worried-about/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [I was one of the hardest-hitting conservatives on George W. Bush. Republicans didn't like me on George W. Bush. Republicans still don't like me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/i-was-one-of-the-hardest-hitting-conservatives-on-george-w-bush/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [ The hottest year in global \[sic\] history was 1934. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/the-hottest-year-in-global-sic-history-was-1934/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [I have no problem if you want to be a socialist. But for those people who are in the middle, you know, I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/i-have-no-problem-if-you-want-to-be-a-socialist-but-for-those-people/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [Always remember where we come from, how we got here, and Who led us into the warmth of the sunshine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/always-remember-where-we-come-from-how-we-got-here-and-who-led-us/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [Music is the language of the heart, and conservatives always screw it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/music-is-the-language-of-the-heart-and-conservatives-always-screw-it/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [I am a conservative, but I am not a zombie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/i-am-a-conservative-but-i-am-not-a-zombie/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [I am going to take something I learned over in Israel. Their Independence Day is preceded the 24 hours before with Memorial Day, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/i-am-going-to-take-something-i-learned-over-in-israel-their/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [God thank you for everything you've given us. For the time we have together. And for the miracle of Christmas. Thank you for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/god-thank-you-for-everything-you-ve-given-us-for-the-time-we-have/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [ \[Tyler Perry\] has the luxury of not doing the political stuff, which is really where I want to be as a company. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/tyler-perry-has-the-luxury-of-not-doing-the-political-stuff-which-is/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [“I wondered when exactly I had exchanged my conscience for fearful obedience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/i-wondered-when-exactly-i-had-exchanged-my-conscience-for-fearful/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [“In the Westerville, Ohio, school district, for example, a union contract provision stipulated that a coin flip would be used to determine seniority if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/in-the-westerville-ohio-school-district-for-example-a-union-contract/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) [Explore all 344 Glenn Beck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) ## More Civil rights movement quotes > [The world - and America - has been defined by people who haven't necessarily abided by the laws and the rules. Civil disobedience is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-kennedy/the-world-and-america-has-been-defined-by-people-who-haven-t/) [Rory Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-kennedy/) > [Most students graduate from high school knowing nine words about the civil rights movement: Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and "I Have a Dream."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/most-students-graduate-from-high-school-knowing-nine-words-about-the/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [“was my first indication that the policies of Mamaw’s “party of the working man”—the Democrats—weren’t all they were cracked up to be. Political scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/was-my-first-indication-that-the-policies-of-mamaw-s-party-of-the/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [The mainstream sort of presentation of the civil rights movement was not something that I directly inherited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-mainstream-sort-of-presentation-of-the-civil-rights-movement-was/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [As a southerner born after the epic events of the civil rights movement, I've always wondered how on earth people of good will could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/as-a-southerner-born-after-the-epic-events-of-the-civil-rights/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [I don't think the riots derailed the civil rights movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-don-t-think-the-riots-derailed-the-civil-rights-movement/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [You can't separate the phenomenal birth of unionism in the United States of America from the Pullman porters. This same small group of men,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-braugher/you-can-t-separate-the-phenomenal-birth-of-unionism-in-the-united/) [Andre Braugher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-braugher/) > [LISTEN: If you ever wondered what you would do if you were alive in the Civil Rights Movement, NOW IS THE TIME to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/listen-if-you-ever-wondered-what-you-would-do-if-you-were-alive-in/) [Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/) > [When people are breaking the law, they don’t get an invitation to the White House. They ought to be getting an invitation to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/when-people-are-breaking-the-law-they-don-t-get-an-invitation-to-the/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) > [I took an interest in the Civil Rights Movement. I listened to Martin Luther King. The Vietnam War was raging. When I was 18,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhanath-swami/i-took-an-interest-in-the-civil-rights-movement-i-listened-to-martin/) [Radhanath Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhanath-swami/) > [Unconditional love will have the final word in reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/unconditional-love-will-have-the-final-word-in-reality/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“A new civil rights movement cannot be organized around the relics of the earlier system of control if it is to address meaningfully the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/a-new-civil-rights-movement-cannot-be-organized-around-the-relics-of/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [I was a good liberal in some sense at that point. I wanted to end a war. I wanted to support the civil rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-was-a-good-liberal-in-some-sense-at-that-point-i-wanted-to-end-a/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [I don't think there are any pure Africans of the African Americans, but the African part of our history was pretty much taken away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-hancock/i-don-t-think-there-are-any-pure-africans-of-the-african-americans/) [Herbie Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-hancock/) > [Covering the civil-rights movement was a mind- and eye-opener for me. Houston was a segregated society, as was Texas as a whole - some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/covering-the-civil-rights-movement-was-a-mind-and-eye-opener-for-me/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) [Browse all 412 Civil rights movement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He was leading those who risked their lives over that bridge in Selma, not Janice Joplin, Columbia University, or a labor union. 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