Lightning makes no sound until it strikes.

Taken at face value, the line suggests that dramatic forces can be present and building long before they become publicly audible or undeniable. As a metaphor, it can be read as a warning about complacency: social tensions, moral crises, or personal resolve may remain quiet until a decisive moment of impact reveals their power. It also implies that consequences—not intentions or latent energy—are what register in the world. Attributed to Martin Luther King Jr., it would fit themes common to his rhetoric about delayed recognition of injustice and the sudden visibility of change, but without a verified source its connection to his thought should be treated cautiously.