---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When our days become dreary with…"
description: "\"When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, we will know that we are living in the cre..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/martin-luther-king-jr-127_born_when-our-days-become-dreary-with-low-hov_1445491.png"
---

#  When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds and…

![“When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born.” quote by Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/martin-luther-king-jr-127_born_when-our-days-become-dreary-with-low-hov_1445491.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/martin-luther-king-jr-127_born_when-our-days-become-dreary-with-low-hov_1445491.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/martin-luther-king-jr-127_born_when-our-days-become-dreary-with-low-hov_1445491.png)

> “When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born.”

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Creative turmoil signals a civilization’s struggle toward genuine progress and cultural awakening.

**In simple terms:** Creative struggle shows a society’s growth.

Key Takeaway

Embrace challenges as signs of cultural evolution.

Themes

societal change creativity struggle

Mood

hopeful determined

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- political activism
- artistic movements
- community building
- education reform

Key Concepts

philosophy history social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What creative challenges are you facing?
- How can turmoil be directed constructively?

A Different Perspective

Not all turmoil leads to positive outcomes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Struggling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-struggling-5184555/) [Clouds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clouds/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative Turmoil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-turmoil-5184554/) [Days Dreary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/days-dreary-3404819/) [Dreary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreary/) [Genuine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genuine/) [Hovering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hovering/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Lows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lows/) [Midnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midnight/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Nights Darker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nights-darker-1597149/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand/) [Turmoil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turmoil/)

## Related quotes

> [When our days become dreary with low hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/when-our-days-become-dreary-with-low-hovering-clouds-of-despair-and/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [In days of doubt, in days of dreary musings on my country's fate, you alone are my comfort and support, oh great, powerful, righteous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-turgenev/in-days-of-doubt-in-days-of-dreary-musings-on-my-country-s-fate-you/)

[Ivan Turgenev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-turgenev/)

> [“She knows what it means. Oh, wonderfully bright at 6 a.m., yes, wonderfully clear for an hour . But the shorter the days, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/she-knows-what-it-means-oh-wonderfully-bright-at-6-a-m-yes/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [The days will always be brighter because he existed. The nights will always be darker because he's gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/the-days-will-always-be-brighter-because-he-existed-the-nights-will-2/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [“The days will always be brighter because he existed. The nights will always be darker because he's gone. And no matter what anybody says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/the-days-will-always-be-brighter-because-he-existed-the-nights-will/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [In America now there is this phenomenon called helicopter parenting, where you're hovering over your child for the whole time. Parents there view their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/in-america-now-there-is-this-phenomenon-called-helicopter-parenting/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [After sex, after coffee, after everything there is to be said -- The hovering and beautiful alphabet as we form our first words after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-maso/after-sex-after-coffee-after-everything-there-is-to-be-said-the/)

[Carole Maso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-maso/)

> [My fellow critics and I may occasionally fault a movie for departing, in detail or in spirit, from its literary source, but the grousing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/my-fellow-critics-and-i-may-occasionally-fault-a-movie-for-departing/)

[A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/)

> [Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth, but there was an excitement in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/her-face-was-sad-and-lovely-with-bright-things-in-it-bright-eyes-and/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [Through her, in microcosm, the wide earth sobbed. The starglobe sank in her; the colours faded. The death-dew rose and the wild birds in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mervyn-peake/through-her-in-microcosm-the-wide-earth-sobbed-the-starglobe-sank-in/)

[Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/)

> [Where there are problems, there are angels hovering about just waiting for us to ask them to help us transform our suffering into blessings.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pickard/where-there-are-problems-there-are-angels-hovering-about-just-waiting/)

[Nancy Pickard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pickard/)

> [You've got all these characters and yet, you're hovering over one character like a fly over a stinky diaper. Realize that you've got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-wendig/you-ve-got-all-these-characters-and-yet-you-re-hovering-over-one/)

[Chuck Wendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-wendig/)

> [I was afraid to board a streetcar because of the conductor; I was afraid to enter the Kabuki Theater for fear of the usherettes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/i-was-afraid-to-board-a-streetcar-because-of-the-conductor-i-was/)

[Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/)

> [I know that whenever a group of women are gathered together, the grandmother always makes a phantom appearance, hovering above them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/i-know-that-whenever-a-group-of-women-are-gathered-together-the/)

[Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/)

> [So I went to a club the other day, which is timely because my self esteem had been hovering right around 'normal' and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/so-i-went-to-a-club-the-other-day-which-is-timely-because-my-self/)

[Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/)

## More by Martin Luther King, Jr

> [The strong man holds in a living blend strongly marked opposites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-strong-man-holds-in-a-living-blend-strongly-marked-opposites/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. ... We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/our-nation-was-born-in-genocide-when-it-embraced-the-doctrine-that/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-remember-that-intelligence-is-not-enough-intelligence-plus/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [I’ve been to the Mountaintop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-ve-been-to-the-mountaintop/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The supreme task is to organize and unite people so that their anger becomes a transforming force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-supreme-task-is-to-organize-and-unite-people-so-that-their-anger/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-great-issue-of-life-is-to-harness-the-drum-major-instinct/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Somebody must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somebody-must-have-sense-enough-and-morality-enough-to-cut-off-the/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Darkness is only driven out with light, not more darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/darkness-is-only-driven-out-with-light-not-more-darkness/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [What seems so necessary today may not even be desirable tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/what-seems-so-necessary-today-may-not-even-be-desirable-tomorrow/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The Negro cannot win the respect of his oppressor by acquiescing; he merely increases the oppressor's arrogance and contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-negro-cannot-win-the-respect-of-his-oppressor-by-acquiescing-he/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The majority of the Negroes who took part in the year-long boycott of Montgomery's buses were poor and untutored; but they understood the essence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-majority-of-the-negroes-who-took-part-in-the-year-long-boycott-of/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Whenever you are engaged in work that serves humanity and is for the building of humanity, it has dignity and it has worth,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/whenever-you-are-engaged-in-work-that-serves-humanity-and-is-for-the/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-have-a-dream-that-one-day-even-the-state-of-mississippi-a-desert/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

[Explore all 1,210 Martin Luther King, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

## More Born quotes

> [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

> [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/)

[Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/)

[Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/)

[Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

> [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/)

[Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/)

[Browse all 11,606 Born quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Martin Luther King, Jr"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/when-our-days-become-dreary-with-low-hovering-clouds-and-our-nights/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Born"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/when-our-days-become-dreary-with-low-hovering-clouds-and-our-nights/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/martin-luther-king-jr-127_born_when-our-days-become-dreary-with-low-hov_1445491.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/martin-luther-king-jr-127_born_when-our-days-become-dreary-with-low-hov_1445491.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/martin-luther-king-jr-127_born_when-our-days-become-dreary-with-low-hov_1445491.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights…” — Martin Luther King, Jr",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Martin Luther King, Jr",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When our days become dreary with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/when-our-days-become-dreary-with-low-hovering-clouds-and-our-nights/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/when-our-days-become-dreary-with-low-hovering-clouds-and-our-nights/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
