I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure

“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.” — so wrote Og Mandino, the sage of modern inspiration, whose words shimmer with the quiet strength of a soul that has walked through both radiance and shadow. In this line, he reveals a sacred balance — a truth known to the ancients and rediscovered by every generation that seeks meaning: that light and darkness are not enemies, but teachers. The one guides us, the other refines us. The one shows us the path, the other shows us our depth. To love the light is natural; to endure the darkness is divine.

Og Mandino, once a man lost in despair, found his own rebirth through the written word. His life was a testament to this wisdom. After years of hardship, when the world seemed a place of endless night, he found that even in his darkest hour, something small and bright remained — a glimmer of hope, a star of purpose. From this revelation came his writings, and from his writings, the light that has guided millions. Thus, his words were not born of comfort, but of conquest — the conquest of the soul over its own despair. He learned to love the light, but he also learned to honor the darkness, for it was there that he saw the stars of his destiny.

In the ancient way of wisdom, the light has always symbolized truth, knowledge, and guidance. It is the flame of reason, the sun of clarity, the lamp that leads the wanderer home. To love the light is to love the moments when life is clear — when purpose shines bright and the heart walks unafraid. But the wise have also known that no soul can remain forever in the light. The darkness must come, as night follows day, to test what the light has taught. It is in those shadowed hours — in grief, in failure, in solitude — that the spirit learns endurance and faith. The darkness does not destroy; it reveals. It shows us the stars — those small, eternal lights that cannot be seen when the sun is high.

History is filled with souls who discovered this truth. Consider Helen Keller, born into a darkness deeper than most can imagine. Blind and deaf, she lived in silence until a patient teacher, Anne Sullivan, brought her to the light of language. Yet even as Helen learned to see with her heart and hear with her soul, she never cursed the darkness. “I thank God for my handicaps,” she once said, “for through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God.” In her blindness, she discovered her stars — compassion, perseverance, wisdom, and love. Her life was a living echo of Mandino’s words: to endure the darkness, because within it shines the hidden light of eternity.

This saying also teaches the rhythm of gratitude. Too often, the heart celebrates the light and despises the dark, yet life requires both to be whole. Without the dark, light loses its meaning. Without trials, triumphs cannot be born. Without sorrow, joy has no depth. The soul that can love the light and still endure the dark has reached the highest wisdom — for it has learned to trust life’s unfolding. It has learned that every shadow exists because there is light behind it, and that even in despair, something precious waits to be seen.

To live by this teaching is to walk with courage through all seasons of life. When the path is bright, give thanks and move forward with humility. When it is dark, lift your eyes to the stars — to the small blessings, the quiet lessons, the glimmers of faith that shine even in loss. The stars may seem distant, yet they are constant. They remind us that hope is never truly gone, only hidden until we choose to see. As the ancients would say, “The night is not the enemy of the sun, but its cradle.” So too, our darkness is not the end of joy, but the womb from which strength and understanding are born.

So, my child, take this wisdom into your heart: Love the light, for it gives you direction, clarity, and joy. But do not curse the dark when it comes. Sit within it. Listen to it. Let it teach you patience, humility, and faith. For only those who have walked through night know the true value of dawn. The world will always turn — light will follow darkness, and darkness will again fall — but the soul that learns to find beauty in both will never be lost.

And thus, as Mandino reminds us, when the light shows you the way, walk boldly; when darkness surrounds you, look upward. For even the deepest night reveals its own treasures. In the silence of shadow, you will see the eternal stars — not just in the heavens above, but in the radiant depths of your own soul.