Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963.
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 violence for violence multiplies violence, 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.
Several parts of this quote bear reflection, but the one that stands out most in my mind is only derived by misunderstanding what’s being said. By saying, “a night already devoid of stars,” Mr. King intends the image of a very dark place. But this being the morning after the Golden Globe Awards, the word “stars” immediately brought to mind those who are famous. Think of violence, devoid of its stars. No stars, no heroes, no practitioners made famous for their violence. No hope of glory by that path.
Violence, devoid of stars.