With Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaching, it is important to celebrate his life and legacy. King used nonviolent protests to achieve equal rights for Black people, and through that, won awards such as the Nobel Peace Prize. His leadership also opened doors for better opportunities for education and employment for Black people.
Throughout King’s life, he delivered some of the most iconic speeches and quotes of the 20th century, touching on problems going on in the world at that time, and some of those same problems are still occurring to this day. Today, we look at another one of his powerful quotes.
King’s book, Strength to Love, has some worthy quotes, including one about the true character of a man.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
This seems like a self-explanatory quote, but the meaning is deep. We know adding darkness to more darkness will not light a room. In mathematical terms, two negatives do not equal a positive.
The only way to get a positive result is to bring good vibes and good intentions to any situation. King follows up with love because that alone can change everything.
When you see sayings such as “forgive and forget” and “love your enemies,” it means to drive out the hate. It can be hard to get through life with bad feelings or hate in your heart, and creating a happier place within you can affect you and everyone around you.
For King, he wanted peace, equality and love in the world. With this quote, he hands us the formula for better days.
