"better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Often claimed to be an ancient Chinese proverb. Also often misattributed to Eleanor Roosevelt.\nEarliest known usage is a 1907 sermon by English preacher William Lonsdale Watkinson.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": "better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness"
      },
      "expansion": "better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English proverbs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "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."
      ],
      "id": "en-better_to_light_a_single_candle_than_to_curse_the_darkness-en-proverb-CBmPMlnp",
      "links": [
        [
          "in the face of",
          "in the face of"
        ],
        [
          "hopelessness",
          "hopelessness"
        ],
        [
          "discontent",
          "discontent"
        ],
        [
          "worthwhile",
          "worthwhile"
        ],
        [
          "complain",
          "complain"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "better to light one candle than to curse the darkness"
        },
        {
          "word": "better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness"
        },
        {
          "word": "better to light a candle than to curse the darkness"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "in bad times it is worthwhile to do good",
          "word": "與其詛咒黑暗，不如點燃一根蠟燭"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "in bad times it is worthwhile to do good",
          "word": "与其诅咒黑暗"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "yǔqí zǔzhòu hēi'àn, bùrú diǎnrán yī gēn làzhú",
          "sense": "in bad times it is worthwhile to do good",
          "word": "不如点燃一根蜡烛"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "in bad times it is worthwhile to do good",
          "word": "marjakin on poimittava maasta"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "in bad times it is worthwhile to do good",
          "word": "em vez de amaldiçoar a escuridão, é melhor acender uma vela"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "in bad times it is worthwhile to do good",
          "word": "es mejor encender una sola vela que maldecir a la penumbra"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "in bad times it is worthwhile to do good",
          "word": "karanlığa söveceğine bir mum yak"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Often claimed to be an ancient Chinese proverb. Also often misattributed to Eleanor Roosevelt.\nEarliest known usage is a 1907 sermon by English preacher William Lonsdale Watkinson.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": "better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness"
      },
      "expansion": "better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English proverbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "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."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "in the face of",
          "in the face of"
        ],
        [
          "hopelessness",
          "hopelessness"
        ],
        [
          "discontent",
          "discontent"
        ],
        [
          "worthwhile",
          "worthwhile"
        ],
        [
          "complain",
          "complain"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "better to light one candle than to curse the darkness"
    },
    {
      "word": "better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness"
    },
    {
      "word": "better to light a candle than to curse the darkness"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "in bad times it is worthwhile to do good",
      "word": "與其詛咒黑暗，不如點燃一根蠟燭"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "in bad times it is worthwhile to do good",
      "word": "与其诅咒黑暗"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "yǔqí zǔzhòu hēi'àn, bùrú diǎnrán yī gēn làzhú",
      "sense": "in bad times it is worthwhile to do good",
      "word": "不如点燃一根蜡烛"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "in bad times it is worthwhile to do good",
      "word": "marjakin on poimittava maasta"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "in bad times it is worthwhile to do good",
      "word": "em vez de amaldiçoar a escuridão, é melhor acender uma vela"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "in bad times it is worthwhile to do good",
      "word": "es mejor encender una sola vela que maldecir a la penumbra"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "in bad times it is worthwhile to do good",
      "word": "karanlığa söveceğine bir mum yak"
    }
  ],
  "word": "better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness"
}