The story
Often claimed to be an ancient Chinese proverb. Also often misattributed to Eleanor Roosevelt. Earliest known usage is a 1907 sermon by English preacher William Lonsdale Watkinson.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness
Today it means: Even in the face of hopelessness and discontent, it is more worthwhile to do some good, however small, in response, than to complain about the situation. Full definition →