Great quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

This line is from Dr. King’s book published in 1963, Strength to Love in the fourth chapter, Love in action.

Every time I read this quote, I tend to smirk and let out a little chuckle, but if you really think about what Dr. King is speaking about, it’s not funny at all. Take a look at most of the problems in our modern world; take another look at most of the problems throughout history. How many times do you encounter “sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity?” Whether it’s the suicide bomber who kills himself in order to kill people he doesn’t even know with very little discrimination or the KKK member who violently acts out in hatred against a group of people because of the pigment of their skin. Need I continue: the holocaust, nearly every war, slavery…?

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Today is Martin Luther King Day. Four days before he was assassinated, Dr King gave a speech at the Episcopal National Cathedral in Washington DC. During his speech, Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution, he gave us a great quote about leadership.

Great Orator

There is no question that Dr King was great with words. He definitely had tremendous influence and he made a lasting impact on our society. He made this world better. Mostly known as a great orator whose lines “I have a dream,” “This is our hope” and “Let freedom ring” are among the most popular and quoted lines of modern history.

Great Leader

There is also no question that Dr King was a great leader.  His philosophy of leadership is the true culmination of his life.

Quote about leadership from Dr Martin Luther King Jr:
“Ultimately a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.”

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John Howard Griffin authored a compelling, true story that grips the mind of everyone willing to hope and dream of a better world and a better America. Knowing full well the potential for evil found rooted in the biased discrimination that plagued the civil rights movement during the mid-twentieth century, Griffin embarked on a journey to learn the reality of racial discrimination from the perspective of the black man. Encountering the obvious obstacle of his white skin, Griffin darkened the pigment of his flesh with the medical guidance of a dermatologist and sufficient exposure to a sun lamp. The journey of a white man disguised as a black man is chronicled in the pages of Black Like Me, which is available here.

This book is a must read for anyone willing to confront the wrongs of this world, to believe in the potential good of the human spirit, and to believe in the “unalienable rights” of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as colorblind. I believe this is a book that everyone should read at least once.  Leaders may want to read this book once a year.

 A leader understands the different perspectives of a situation.  Great leaders have the ability to grasp the other person’s point of view.  There were (and are) many misconceptions in race relations on all sides.  It took great leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr, and John Howard Griffin to break through the misconceptions by understanding the other’s point of view.

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