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Better to light one candle than curse the darkness.

Anonymous saying; earliest known in W. L. Watkinson, 1907

PhilosophyProverbs

The story behind the card

The saying is often called Chinese or credited to Confucius, but its earliest known version is English. In a sermon published in 1907, the Methodist preacher William L. Watkinson warned that angry speeches against evil come easier than good works: it is better to light the candle than to curse the darkness. That year the sermon was reprinted in China's Millions, a missionary magazine, perhaps explaining the Chinese label. The Christophers, a Catholic movement, took it as their motto, and in 1962 Adlai Stevenson used it to praise Eleanor Roosevelt.

Türkçe oku
Karanlığa lanet etmektense bir mum yakmak yeğdir.
Anonim söz; bilinen ilk kaynak W. L. Watkinson, 1907

Söz çoğu zaman Çin atasözü diye anılır ya da Konfüçyüs'e mal edilir; ama bilinen en eski biçimi İngilizcedir. Metodist vaiz William L. Watkinson, 1907'de yayımlanan bir vaazında kötülüğe karşı öfkeli nutuklar atmanın iyilik yapmaktan çok daha kolay olduğunu söyler: Karanlığa lanet etmektense mumu yakmak daha iyidir. Vaaz aynı yıl, Çin'de çalışan misyonerlerin dergisi China's Millions'da yeniden basıldı; sözün sonradan Çin'e bağlanması bununla açıklanabilir. Katolik Christophers hareketi sözü kendine şiar edindi; 1962'de Adlai Stevenson da Eleanor Roosevelt'i bu sözle andı.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: The Christophers
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