Books That Inspired Dr. King

 

I absolutely love this photo of Dr. King....

I have looked at this picture as closely as I possibly can, because I am curious to know "What does a King read?

So, I did a little research and I discovered several sites that listed books that inspired Dr. King. Here are some of the titles:  

Civil Disobedience by David Thoreau,  
The Bible, 
Republic by Plato (Books I, II, V, VI, VIII, and X), 
Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle (Books I, II, III, IV and V),
Politics by Aristotle (Books I and III),
The City of God by Augustine
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli,  
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes,  
Treatises on Civil Government by John Locke,  
The Social Contract by Jean Jacques Rousseau,  
Critique of Practical Reason by Immanuel Kant 
 Principles of Morals and Legislation by Jeremy Bentha,
 Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill

What an impressive book list that's definitely fit for A King!

The list contains mostly history and philosophy books. I must admit that I have only read two of the books on the list: Civil Disobedience and The Bible. However, when I asked my students about this list, many had read or were familiar with many of these books. (I teach some well-read students.)

Dr. King studied sociology, ethics, and philosophy, and it appears that he applied what he learned to lead one of the greatest movements of all times.

I am a firm believer that we must be thoughtful about everything that we do, because I believe that we are always, sometimes unbeknownst to us, being prepared for next.

Happy Monday, and Read, Read, Read, and Read!