About this quote

Darkness has no substance of its own; it's only the absence of light, which is why one small flame can undo it entirely. The encouragement is that a single good act, or one person refusing to quit, can shift a bleak situation far out of proportion to its size.

When to use it

• One employee speaking up honestly in a meeting, and others suddenly finding the nerve to agree.
• A single lit porch on a dark street making the whole block feel safer to walk.
• One teacher who believes in a written-off student, changing the course of that child's year.