Monday, May 02, 2011

darkness cannot drive out darkness

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."


"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes...Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." *


Martin Luther King, Jr



*this is the authentic quote -- thanks, melissa!

5 comments:

Melissa Crowe said...

I've been silent, waiting for my own response to arise, and I've been glad to see the thoughtful things my friends have shared, you among them.

holly kellogg said...

well, of course, that's even better, after i stole the first from you!!!

Liz Woodbury said...

yes, i like it too! i am kicking myself for not researching the first version better -- i'm usually pretty careful about things like that because of my pathological fear of looking like an idiot.

Anonymous said...

Perfect response.

--Anissa

Anonymous said...

I just have to add: I couldn't figure out why you scored through the first quotation until I spoke with Jonathan last night and he filled me in. Regardless of the source and whether it's properly cited, it's a beautiful quotation.

--Anissa