The Influence of Thoreau on Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. I have heard it said that the pen is mightier than the sword, but can mere written words change the course of history? Henry David Thoreau did nothing to directly change the course of history, but his words did influence others who did change the course of history; two notable names that the words of Thoreau influenced are Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.. Thoreau was also a great influence on other writers of the time, and was a principal figure in the Transcendental Movement. Born David Henry Thoreau and coming from a rather poor fam