As a pacifist, Lewis was influenced by Thoreau's views on civil disobedience. A believer in
nonviolence, Lewis never advocated any kind of violent action. Instead, he urged "creative
disruption" and "aggressive nonviolence" to make a bigger impact on society. Lewis thought
the movement should be driven by Thoreau's view of nonviolent civil disobedience, an idea
that militant activists such as Malcolm X, another prominent civil rights leader, did not share.
Instead, militant civil rights leaders believed that the use of force was justified to protect one's
rights and freedoms.
