Drum Major Instinct - a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - [abridged]

Sep 22, 2026

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Abridged sermon transcript of “The Drum Major Instinct” delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on 4 February 1968, adapted from J. Wallace Hamilton’s 1952 homily. The text uses Mark 10 to discuss James and John’s request for prominence and reframes the underlying “drum major” impulse—desire for attention, recognition, and leadership. Rather than condemning this instinct, it redirects greatness toward service, love, moral excellence, and generosity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

The Drum Major Instinct

Biblical foundation in Mark 10

The drum major impulse and human recognition

Drum Major Instinct-‐ a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [abridged] King's "Drum Major Instinct" sermon, given on 4 February 1968, was an adaptation of the 1952 homily ‘‘Drum Major Instincts’’ by J. Wallace Hamilton, a well -‐ known, liberal, white Methodist preacher. King encouraged his congregation to seek greatness, but to do so through service and love. King concluded the sermon by imagining his own funeral, downplaying his famous achievements and emphasizing his heart to do right. This morning I would like to use as a subject from which to preach: "The Drum Major Instinct." "The Drum Major Instinct." And our text for the morning is taken from a very familiar passage in the tenth chapter as recorded by Saint Mark. Beginning with the thirty-‐fifth verse of that chapter, we read these words: "And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came unto him saying, ‘Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.’ And he said unto them, ‘What would yethat I should do for you?’ And they said unto him, ‘Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.’ But Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye know not what ye ask: Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’And they said unto him, ‘We can.’ And Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of, and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.’"And then Jesus goes on toward the end of that passage to say, "But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your servant: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all." The setting is clear. James and John are making a specific request of the master. They had dreamed, as most of the Hebrews dreamed, of a coming king of Israel who would set Jerusalem free and establish his kingdom on Mount Zion, and in righteousness rule the world. And they thought of Jesus as this kind of king. And they were thinking of that day when Jesus would reign supreme as this new king of Israel. And they were saying, "Now when you establish your kingdom, let one of us sit on the right hand and the other on the left hand of your throne." Now very quickly, we would automatically condemn James and John, and we would say they were selfish. Why would they make such a selfish request? But before we condemn them too quickly, let us look calmly and honestly at ourselves, and we will discover that we too have those same basic desires for recognition, for importance. That same desire for attention, that same desire to be first. Of course, the other disciples got mad with James and John, and you could understand why, but we must understand that we have some of the same James and John qualities. And there is deep down within all of us an instinct. It's a kind of drum major instinct—a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first. And it is something that runs the whole gamut of life. And so before we condemn them, let us see that we all have the drum major instinct. We all want tobe important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. Alfred Adler, the great psychoanalyst, contends that this is the dominant impulse. Sigmund Freud used to contend that sex was the dominant impulse, and Adler came with a new argument saying that this quest for recognition, this desire for attention, this desire for distinction is the basic impulse, the basic drive of human life, this drum major instinct. And you know, we begin early to ask life to put us first. Our first cry as a baby was a bid for attention. And all through childhood the drum major impulse or instinct is a major obsession. Children ask life to grant them first place. They are a little bundle of ego. And they have innately the

FAQs

What biblical passage does the sermon use as its starting point?

It uses Mark chapter 10, beginning at the thirty-fifth verse, including Jesus’ response to James and John’s request.

How does the sermon describe the “drum major instinct”?

It presents it as a deep human desire to be out front, to lead, and to be first—seeking recognition and importance across life.

What answer does Jesus give according to the sermon?

Jesus does not simply condemn the desire; he reorders priorities and defines greatness as being first in love, moral excellence, and generosity through service.

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by James