UPDATE 5/4/11: Here is the story of how the mashup supposedly happened…

MORE…

FAKE! Sorta. The first part seemed wrong to me. Who are the thousands?

“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, 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.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.

This quotation is floating around today. But it is a “fake” quote. Or partially fake. The first sentence is not real. The rest IS MLK. That part of the quote is originally from STRENGTH TO LOVE (1963) and goes like this:

REAL:

“Why should we love our enemies? The first reason is fairly obvious. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, 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.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.

VIEW ORIGINAL REFERENCE in STRENGTH TO LOVE (1963) from Google Books

Related Links:

– STRENGTH TO LOVE (1963) at Amazon

– More good quotes from STRENGTH TO LOVE

– Soldiers of Conscience (2007) – a thought-provoking PBS documentary I saw recently on conscientious objectors (At Amazon)

– Picture of the Day: Inside the Situation Room the Day bin Laden Died