better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness
English
editAlternative 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
editOften 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
editbetter 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
editin 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