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"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times challenge and controversy." Support it with two short stories.

The meaning of this quotation from Martin Luther King is fairly straightforward. In fact, you'll hear versions of it being spoken in response to sporting events and big games. It just means that you find out who a person is by how he or she responds to pressure and tough times. To put it another way, anyone can seem calm and focused when things are going well, and any lover can seem loving then too. However, put people in tough economic times. See them in accidents. See them under stress. Do all that, and you'll know who you're really dealing with.

You can see this in many short stories, from stories as different as "The Open Boat" to "The Yellow Wall-Paper."

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times challenge and controversy.

This quote is basically saying that it is you see a person's true colors when they are going through hard times.  They prove who they really are not when things are going well, but when times are difficult in their lives.

The "measure of a man" is generally about how society would judge  a man (or woman's) character. But this quote says that you can't really tell what a person's character is until you observe them in a challenging situation. I think a short story that demonstrates the characters' exceptional character is "The Gift of the Magi." Neither character is a super-hero, but both rise above the challenge of poverty to express their love for each other by sacrificing something they cherish. Can you find another story in your English 2 textbook that shows some heroic deed -- something that you wouldn't have known about that character (and often the character doesn't even know about him/herself) unless there was a conflict or a challenge in their lives? Find one and ask about it again if you need to. Good luck!

This quote is on my office door and in my office.  It is my favorite quotation.  I surrounded myself with it after experiencing a divorce. The meaning truly is that the real person is revealed in times of great challenges and conflict.