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Darkness cannot drive out darkness, Hate cannot drive out hate: An inspiring quote about kindness, love and human connection by Martin Luther King. The central theme of this quote – darkness cannot drive out darkness is in the meaning we associate with emotions such as hatred, negativity, anger and bitterness. On the opposite side, we talk about lighter emotions such as love, kindness, and compassion. Whatever we invest in, we get it in return. If it is love or kindness we can get that. If we invest in darkness, we will get only that in return.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that

– Martin Luther King

Who said darkness cannot drive out darkness?

This is a beautiful quote by Martin Luther King who goes on to say – darkness cannot drive out darkness, similarly, hate cannot drive out hate only love can do that. A faint light can drive out a world engulfed in darkness! The same applies to a positive approach to a negative scenario. We were recently talking about a kind quote from Maya Angelou – if you don’t like something, change it. It is in our perception and attitude that we can embrace a different meaning to our circumstances.

It is never easy to be forever optimistic and not feel hurt about circumstances. The most common response is to hurt someone for hurting you. But imagine – what will that do? Will that drive out the darkness in that person about you? You can’t be sure that love does that either, but it sure stands a better chance!

Darkness cannot drive out darkness meaning

Normally darkness is associated with pain, hatred and a few other emotions which are usually labelled negative. But the truth is – these emotions unsettle us for a reason. And maybe darkness has a place too. But if we take a step back and think strategically – it has to be about the results we want. Darkness cannot drive out darkness – we cannot find a solution to our problem from weak people or minds. We have to find strength and inspiration. A blind man cannot lead another blind man to a solution. You ought to look for something stronger to rely on your life’s progress.

The meaning of darkness cannot drive out darkness can be explained in the following points:

• Fighting darkness needs light
• Darkness and hate are similar, they both can’t be eliminated by either
• We need to find strength in the power of positivity and compassion.
• We ought to create change through peaceful means and kindness
• The message is a call for unity and understanding in the face of adversity.

Hate cannot drive out hate only love can do that meaning

Extending the same logic as darkness cannot drive out darkness meaning – hate can’t drive out hate, only love can do that. Love is a beautiful emotion that gives more returns than investment. It spreads to everyone we meet and brings out an emotion of kindness and generosity in them. An act of kindness can make people think and respond. Instead of responding transactionally, kindness has a way of evoking a human response.

Quotes on Darkness

Here are a few quotes on darkness to help us think about finding a way out when we feel that we’re stuck in a dark place.

• Hope is being able to see that there’s light despite of all the darkness – Desmond Tutu
• We can easily forgive a child that’s afraid of the dark, the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light – Plato
• I know somehow that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars – Martin Luther King
• We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars – Oscar Wilde
• The shadow is the greatest teacher of how to come to light – Ram Dass
• The dark does not destroy the light, it defines you. It is our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows – Brene Brown
• Light and shadow are opposite sides to the same coin, we can illuminate our paths or darken our way, it is a matter of choice – Maya Angelou
• Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise – Victor Hugo

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23924.Martin_Luther_King_Jr_