---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do think there must be centralized…"
description: "\"I do think there must be centralized leadership in the sense that, say, in our struggle all of the leaders coordinate their efforts, cooperate and, and..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/martin-luther-king-jr-127_coordinates_i-do-think-there-must-be-centralized-lea_1706491.png"
---

#  I do think there must be centralized leadership in the…

![“I do think there must be centralized leadership in the sense that, say, in our struggle all of the leaders coordinate their efforts, cooperate and, and at least evince a degree of unity.” quote by Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/martin-luther-king-jr-127_coordinates_i-do-think-there-must-be-centralized-lea_1706491.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/martin-luther-king-jr-127_coordinates_i-do-think-there-must-be-centralized-lea_1706491.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/martin-luther-king-jr-127_coordinates_i-do-think-there-must-be-centralized-lea_1706491.png)

> “I do think there must be centralized leadership in the sense that, say, in our struggle all of the leaders coordinate their efforts, cooperate and, and at least evince a degree of unity.”

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He argues that effective movements need central leadership to coordinate actions and maintain unity among participants.

**In simple terms:** Central leadership helps coordinate and unify movements.

Key Takeaway

Promote coordinated leadership for unity.

Themes

leadership unity coordination politics

Mood

determined hopeful

Type

political inspirational

When to use this quote

- activist groups
- political campaigns
- nonprofits

Key Concepts

organizational theory social movements

Questions to Reflect On

- What balance should be struck between central control and grassroots input?
- How does unity affect creativity in movements?

A Different Perspective

Centralized leadership can suppress diverse voices and local initiative.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Centralized Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centralized-leadership-1201870/) [Coordinate Efforts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coordinate-efforts-1201872/) [Coordinates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coordinates/) [Degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrees/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leaders Coordinate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders-coordinate-1201871/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Struggle Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle-leaders-1201873/) [Think Centralized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-centralized-1201874/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Unity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unity/)

## Related quotes

> [Syria is ready to cooperate and coordinate all efforts, whether regional or international, to combat terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walid-muallem/syria-is-ready-to-cooperate-and-coordinate-all-efforts-whether/)

[Walid Muallem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walid-muallem/)

> [I think a revolution can survive without single centralized leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-think-a-revolution-can-survive-without-single-centralized-leadership/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [I was in awe of previous black liberation struggle leaders - Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells. I wanted to be part of something bigger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/i-was-in-awe-of-previous-black-liberation-struggle-leaders-sojourner/)

[Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/)

> [Indeed, many Singaporeans hope the opposition can unite and coordinate their efforts so as to become a more relevant political force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pritam-singh/indeed-many-singaporeans-hope-the-opposition-can-unite-and-coordinate/)

[Pritam Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pritam-singh/)

> [It seems a little paradoxical to construct a configuration space with the coordinates of points which do not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-broglie/it-seems-a-little-paradoxical-to-construct-a-configuration-space-with/)

[Louis de Broglie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-broglie/)

> [Like a human being, a company has to have an internal communication mechanism, a "nervous system", to coordinate its actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-a-human-being-a-company-has-to-have-an-internal-communication/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Each ray of light moves in the coordinate system 'at rest' with the definite, constant velocity V independent of whether this ray of light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/each-ray-of-light-moves-in-the-coordinate-system-at-rest-with-the/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [My home is a little more complicated than coordinates on a map.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/my-home-is-a-little-more-complicated-than-coordinates-on-a-map/)

[Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/)

> [When you're trying to coordinate four separate shows together, it's pretty Herculean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-letscher/when-you-re-trying-to-coordinate-four-separate-shows-together-it-s/)

[Matt Letscher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-letscher/)

> [My friends drink everywhere. They even drink at the laundromat. I tried drinking at the laundromat, and I thought I was in a submarine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/my-friends-drink-everywhere-they-even-drink-at-the-laundromat-i-tried/)

[Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/)

> [A dissection of music perception and creation that starts slowly and inexorably builds to a grand finish. I loved reading that listening to music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/a-dissection-of-music-perception-and-creation-that-starts-slowly-and/)

[David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/)

> [The introduction of numbers as coordinates by reference to the particular division scheme of the open one-dimensional continuum is an act of violence whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/the-introduction-of-numbers-as-coordinates-by-reference-to-the/)

[Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/)

> [Thousands of years of ideological, philosophical and practical decisions were made. They altered the surface of the earth, the coordinates of our souls. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/thousands-of-years-of-ideological-philosophical-and-practical/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [The US has developed two coordinate governing classes: the one, called 'business,' building cities, manufacturing and distributing goods, and holding complete and autocratic power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-arnold/the-us-has-developed-two-coordinate-governing-classes-the-one-called/)

[Thurman Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-arnold/)

> [ \[States and the Federal government are\] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... The one is the domestic, the other the foreign branch… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/states-and-the-federal-government-are-coordinate-departments-of-one/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

## More by Martin Luther King, Jr

> [The strong man holds in a living blend strongly marked opposites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-strong-man-holds-in-a-living-blend-strongly-marked-opposites/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. ... We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/our-nation-was-born-in-genocide-when-it-embraced-the-doctrine-that/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-remember-that-intelligence-is-not-enough-intelligence-plus/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [I’ve been to the Mountaintop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-ve-been-to-the-mountaintop/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The supreme task is to organize and unite people so that their anger becomes a transforming force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-supreme-task-is-to-organize-and-unite-people-so-that-their-anger/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-great-issue-of-life-is-to-harness-the-drum-major-instinct/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Somebody must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somebody-must-have-sense-enough-and-morality-enough-to-cut-off-the/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Darkness is only driven out with light, not more darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/darkness-is-only-driven-out-with-light-not-more-darkness/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [What seems so necessary today may not even be desirable tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/what-seems-so-necessary-today-may-not-even-be-desirable-tomorrow/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The Negro cannot win the respect of his oppressor by acquiescing; he merely increases the oppressor's arrogance and contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-negro-cannot-win-the-respect-of-his-oppressor-by-acquiescing-he/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The majority of the Negroes who took part in the year-long boycott of Montgomery's buses were poor and untutored; but they understood the essence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-majority-of-the-negroes-who-took-part-in-the-year-long-boycott-of/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Whenever you are engaged in work that serves humanity and is for the building of humanity, it has dignity and it has worth,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/whenever-you-are-engaged-in-work-that-serves-humanity-and-is-for-the/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-have-a-dream-that-one-day-even-the-state-of-mississippi-a-desert/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

[Explore all 1,210 Martin Luther King, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

## More Coordinates quotes

> [ \[States and the Federal government are\] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... The one is the domestic, the other the foreign branch… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/states-and-the-federal-government-are-coordinate-departments-of-one/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The US has developed two coordinate governing classes: the one, called 'business,' building cities, manufacturing and distributing goods, and holding complete and autocratic power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-arnold/the-us-has-developed-two-coordinate-governing-classes-the-one-called/)

[Thurman Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-arnold/)

> [Thousands of years of ideological, philosophical and practical decisions were made. They altered the surface of the earth, the coordinates of our souls. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/thousands-of-years-of-ideological-philosophical-and-practical/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [The introduction of numbers as coordinates by reference to the particular division scheme of the open one-dimensional continuum is an act of violence whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/the-introduction-of-numbers-as-coordinates-by-reference-to-the/)

[Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/)

> [A dissection of music perception and creation that starts slowly and inexorably builds to a grand finish. I loved reading that listening to music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/a-dissection-of-music-perception-and-creation-that-starts-slowly-and/)

[David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/)

> [My friends drink everywhere. They even drink at the laundromat. I tried drinking at the laundromat, and I thought I was in a submarine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/my-friends-drink-everywhere-they-even-drink-at-the-laundromat-i-tried/)

[Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/)

> [When you're trying to coordinate four separate shows together, it's pretty Herculean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-letscher/when-you-re-trying-to-coordinate-four-separate-shows-together-it-s/)

[Matt Letscher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-letscher/)

> [My home is a little more complicated than coordinates on a map.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/my-home-is-a-little-more-complicated-than-coordinates-on-a-map/)

[Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/)

> [Each ray of light moves in the coordinate system 'at rest' with the definite, constant velocity V independent of whether this ray of light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/each-ray-of-light-moves-in-the-coordinate-system-at-rest-with-the/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Like a human being, a company has to have an internal communication mechanism, a "nervous system", to coordinate its actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-a-human-being-a-company-has-to-have-an-internal-communication/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [It seems a little paradoxical to construct a configuration space with the coordinates of points which do not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-broglie/it-seems-a-little-paradoxical-to-construct-a-configuration-space-with/)

[Louis de Broglie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-broglie/)

> [The introduction of numbers as coordinates is an act of violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/the-introduction-of-numbers-as-coordinates-is-an-act-of-violence/)

[Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/)

> [Our principles fix what our life stands for, our aims create the light our life is bathed in, and our rationality, both individual and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-nozick/our-principles-fix-what-our-life-stands-for-our-aims-create-the-light/)

[Robert Nozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-nozick/)

> [Bureaucracies have a natural tendency not to cooperate, coordinate or consolidate with each other. They won't cooperate with each other - unless they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holbrooke/bureaucracies-have-a-natural-tendency-not-to-cooperate-coordinate-or/)

[Richard Holbrooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holbrooke/)

> [Syria is ready to cooperate and coordinate all efforts, whether regional or international, to combat terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walid-muallem/syria-is-ready-to-cooperate-and-coordinate-all-efforts-whether/)

[Walid Muallem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walid-muallem/)

[Browse all 72 Coordinates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coordinates/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I do think there must be centralized leadership in the sense that, say, in our struggle all of the leaders coordinate their efforts, cooperate and, and at least evince a degree of unity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Martin Luther King, Jr"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-do-think-there-must-be-centralized-leadership-in-the-sense-that-say/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Coordinates"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-do-think-there-must-be-centralized-leadership-in-the-sense-that-say/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/martin-luther-king-jr-127_coordinates_i-do-think-there-must-be-centralized-lea_1706491.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/martin-luther-king-jr-127_coordinates_i-do-think-there-must-be-centralized-lea_1706491.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/martin-luther-king-jr-127_coordinates_i-do-think-there-must-be-centralized-lea_1706491.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I do think there must be centralized leadership in the sense that, say, in our struggle all of the leaders…” — Martin Luther King, Jr",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Martin Luther King, Jr",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I do think there must be...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-do-think-there-must-be-centralized-leadership-in-the-sense-that-say/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-do-think-there-must-be-centralized-leadership-in-the-sense-that-say/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```