better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- better to light one candle than to curse the darkness
- better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness
- better to light a candle than to curse the darkness
Etymology edit
Often claimed to be an ancient Chinese proverb. Also often misattributed to Eleanor Roosevelt.
Earliest known usage is a 1907 sermon by English preacher William Lonsdale Watkinson.[1][2]
Proverb edit
better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness
- Even in the face of hopelessness and discontent, it is more worthwhile to do some good, however small, in response, than to complain about the situation.
Translations edit
in bad times it is worthwhile to do good
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References edit
- ^ Watkinson, William Lonsdale (1907) “Sermon XIV: The Invincible Strategy, (Romans: xii, 21)”, in The Supreme Conquest and Other Sermons Preached in America by W. L. Watkinson[1], F. H. Revell Company, page 218
- ^ O'Toole, Garson (2017 March 19) “Better to Light a Candle Than to Curse the Darkness”, in Quote Investigator[2], retrieved 16 September 2022