In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King cites T. S. Eliot’s observation about doing “the right deed for the wrong reason.” How does Eliot’s observation apply to actions that King describes in his letter?

At the end of this paragraph on page 19, Dr. King quotes T. S. Eliot: “…there is no greater treason than to do the right deed for the wrong reason.” History is littered with kings and despots doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. These "right things" are twisted into justifications for self-validating reasons. King wanted to express how people in power like policemen/politicians were using non-violent means to preserve immoral ends (segregation).