It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness

Meaning

Literal meaning.

Origin

A version of this saying was used by John Kennedy, in his accpetance speech to the Democratic Convention, in Los Angeles in 1960:

"We are not here to curse the darkness; we are here to light a candle."

Who coined the phrase is unknown.

Darkness has long been a metaphor for ignorance or evil. The Bible contains hundreds of references to darkness, referring either to the period of ignorance before the realization of faith (i.e. prior to 'seeing the light'), death, or to the Devil (The Prince of Darkness). For example, in Romans 13:

13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

See also: the List of Proverbs.