Quotes about light
page 13

“If there were a map of the solar system, but instead of stars it showed people and their degrees of separation, my star would be the one you had to travel the most light-years from to get to his. You would die getting to him.”

Miranda July (1974) American performance artist, musician and writer

Source: No One Belongs Here More Than You

People, Travel, Star

“In the morning light, I remembered how much I loved the sound of wind through the trees. I laid back and closed my eyes, and I was comforted by the sound of a million tiny leaves dancing on a summer morning.”

Patrick Carman book The Tenth City

Source: The Tenth City

Love, Tree, Dance, Summer

“The whole world is divided for me into two parts: one is she, and there is all happiness, hope, light; the other is where she is not, and there is dejection and darkness…”

Leo Tolstoy book War and Peace

Source: War and Peace

Happiness, World, Hope, Parting

“Deep in their roots all flowers keep the light.”

Theodore Roethke (1908–1963) American poet

Flowers, Deep, Beauty, Peaceful

“Prometheus, thief of light, giver of light, bound by the gods, must have been a book.”

Mark Z. Danielewski book House of Leaves

Source: House of Leaves

God, Books

“The obliterated place is equal parts destruction and creation. The obliterated place is pitch black and bright light. It is water and parched earth. It is mud and it is manna. The real work of deep grief is making a home there.”

Cheryl Strayed book Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

Source: Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

Home, Water, Parting

“No matter how dim the light filtering through the trees is, you can still try your best to grasp it. -Kaien Cross”

Matsuri Hino Japanese manga artist

Source: Vampire Knight, Vol. 16

Tree

“Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark.”

Kate DiCamillo book The Tale of Despereaux

Source: The Tale of Despereaux

World

“Out of this same light, out of the central mind,
We make a dwelling in the evening air,
In which being there together is enough.”

Wallace Stevens (1879–1955) American poet

"Final Soliloquy of the Interior Paramour"
Collected Poems (1954)
Variant: We make a dwelling in the evening air,
In which being there together is enough.
Context: We say God and the imagination are one...
How high that highest candle lights the dark.
Out of this same light, out of the central mind,
We make a dwelling in the evening air,
In which being there together is enough.

“There is something in the human spirit that will survive and prevail, there is a tiny and brilliant light burning in the heart of man that will not go out no matter how dark the world becomes.”

Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) Russian writer

World, Heart

“A real building is one on which the eye can light and stay lit.”

Ezra Pound (1885–1972) American Imagist poet and critic

“Bright was the light of my last martini on my moral horizon”

Norman Mailer book Harlot's Ghost

Source: Harlot's Ghost

“I was completely astonished by the beauty of nature. Our eyes see just a small fraction of the light in the world. It is a trick to make a colored world, which does not exist outside of human beings.”

Albert Hofmann (1906–2008) Swiss chemist

World, Beauty, Color, Nature

“In the presence of total Darkness, the mind finds it absolutely necessary to create light.”

Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, known for his works of science fiction …

Source: Nightfall One

“The wrongs done to trees, wrongs of every sort, are done in the darkness of ignorance and unbelief, for when the light comes, the heart of the people is always right.”

John Muir (1838–1914) Scottish-born American naturalist and author

about 1900, page 429
John of the Mountains, 1938

People, Tree, Heart

“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”

Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931) African-American journalist, newspaper editor, suffragist, sociologist, early leader in the civil rights mo…

Truth, Way

“we must bring
our own light
to the
darkness.”

Charles Bukowski (1920–1994) American writer

“The desert sharpened the sweet ache of his longing, amplified it, gave shape to it in sere geology and clean slant of light.”

Jon Krakauer book Into the Wild

Source: Into the Wild

“There was a sliver of moon and a splash of stars, and the light outlined her face and glistened on the tears that ran like mercury down her cheeks.”

Jonathan Maberry book Rot & Ruin

Source: Rot & Ruin

Star, Tear

“Banned! My eyes light up, I think I see stars. Anything that has been banned by anyone must be something I’d like.”

Elizabeth Wurtzel (1967–2020) American author and journalist

Source: More, Now, Again: A Memoir of Addiction

Star, Thinking

“Above the cloud with its shadow is the star with its light.”

Pythagoras (-585–-495 BC) ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher

Star

“And if we know how to light a fire, why do we carry tinder around with us?"

Because you're humans," the little one explained serenly. "You're stupid.”

Silvana De Mari book The Last Dragon

Source: The Last Dragon

Stupidity

“Do they sense it, these dead writers, when their books are read? Does a pinprick of light appear in their darkness? Is their soul stirred by the feather touch of another mind reading theirs? I do hope so.”

Diane Setterfield book The Thirteenth Tale

Source: The Thirteenth Tale

Books, Hope, Soul, Sense

“What good did it do to light the world on fire if she had to watch the glow alone?”

Kristin Hannah (1960) American writer

Source: Firefly Lane

World

“The light of morning decomposes everything.”

Haruki Murakami book A Wild Sheep Chase

Source: A Wild Sheep Chase

“The sun had become a light yellow yolk and was walking with red legs across the sky.”

Zora Neale Hurston book Seraph on the Suwanee

Source: Seraph on the Suwanee

Sun

“Melancholy is sadness that has taken on lightness.”

Italo Calvino (1923–1985) Italian journalist and writer of short stories and novels

Sadness

“Education is the movement from darkness to light.”

Allan Bloom (1930–1992) American philosopher, classicist, and academician

Education

“People who are too fastidious towards the finite never reach actuality, but linger in abstraction, and their light dies away.”

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831) German philosopher

People

“No one lights a lamp in order to hide it behind the door: the purpose of light is to create more light, to open people's eyes, to reveal the marvels around.”

Paulo Coelho (1947) Brazilian lyricist and novelist

People

“He who replies to words of doubt
doth put the light of knowledge out.”

William Blake Auguries of Innocence

Source: Auguries of Innocence

Knowledge

“We cannot go backward. We cannot erase time and events. But we can go forward, hand in hand, hope in our hearts and love lighting our way.”

Sharon Shinn (1957) American science fiction writer

Source: Jenna Starborn

Love, Hope, Way, Time

“Like it or not, we either add to the darkness of indifference and out-and-out evil which surrounds us or we light a candle to see by.”

Madeleine L'Engle (1918–2007) American writer

Evil, Indifference

“True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked.”

Erich Segal (1937–2010) American writer

Love, Wise, Cute, Romantic

“… and the night was comfortably warm as the soft filtered light continued to push the darkness into the shadows as they held each other and kissed and pushed each others darkness into the corner, believing in each others light, each others dream.”

Hubert Selby Jr. Requiem for a Dream

Source: Requiem for a Dream

Dreams, Kiss, Night

“It will bring you light even among the darkest shadows of this world and others”

Cassandra Clare book City of Bones

Source: City of Bones

World

“Maybe my mother's right. Maybe there is more to Bryce Loski than I know.
Maybe it's time to meet him in the proper light.”

Wendelin Van Draanen Flipped

Source: Flipped

Time

“I believe in movement. I believe in that lighthearted balloon, the world. I believe in midnight and the hour of noon. But what else do I believe in? Sometimes everything. Sometimes nothing. It fluctuates like light flitting over a pond.”

Patti Smith M Train

Source: M Train

World

“Scientists have discovered that the small brave act of cooperating with another person, of choosing trust over cynicism, generosity over selfishness, makes the brain light up with quiet joy.”

Natalie Angier (1958) American writer

Joy, Personality, Selfishness

“We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it.”

Billy Joel (1949) American singer-songwriter and pianist

We Didn't Start the Fire.
Song lyrics, Storm Front (1989)

World, Fight

“The cup of tea on arrival at a country house is a thing which, as a rule, I particularly enjoy. I like the crackling logs, the shaded lights, the scent of buttered toast, the general atmosphere of leisured cosiness.”

P.G. Wodehouse book The Code of the Woosters

Source: The Code of the Woosters

Tea, Housing, Country

“The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.”

Walt Whitman (1819–1892) American poet, essayist and journalist

Art

“There is joy in self-forgetfulness. So I try to make the light in others' eyes my sun, the music in others' ears my symphony, the smile on others' lips my happiness.”

Helen Keller (1880–1968) American author and political activist

Happiness, Smile, Music, Sun

“I spent uncounted hours sitting at the bow looking at the water and the sky, studying each wave, different from the last, seeing how it caught the light, the air, the wind; watching patterns, the sweep of it all, and letting it take me.
The sea.”

Gary Paulsen (1939) American writer and musher

Source: Caught by the Sea

Study, Water, Sea

“However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.”

Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999) American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and editor

Interviewed by Eric Nordern, Playboy (September 1968); later published in Stanley Kubrick: Interviews (2001) http://books.google.com/books?id=iOU9bIlnPHIC&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=however+vast+darkness+supply+light&source=web&ots=WSx0cc_E1n&sig=OMT0-SOVCFtSN8a1WosgIR1PMWA <br class="br">Context: The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent; but if we can come to terms with this indifference and accept the challenges of life within the boundaries of death — however mutable man may be able to make them — our existence as a species can have genuine meaning and fulfillment. However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.

“Rather he consoled himself with the fact that, in the real world, when he looked closely into the darkness he might find the presence of a light, damaged and bruised, but a little light all the same.”

Colum McCann book Let the Great World Spin

Source: Let the Great World Spin

World

“In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others.”

Brennan Manning (1934–2013) writer, American Roman Catholic priest and United States Marine

Source: Abba's Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging

Fear, Communication, Past

“The light within the darkness- you've lost sight of it.”

Shiro Amano (1976) Japanese manga artist

Source: Kingdom Hearts, Vol. 1

“Just because you are seeing divine light, experiencing waves of bliss, or conversing with Gods and Goddesses is no reason to not know your zip code.”

Ram Dass book Be Here Now

Source: Be Here Now

God

“Two forces rule the universe: light and gravity.”

Simone Weil (1909–1943) French philosopher, Christian mystic, and social activist

Universe

“All you can ever achieve is a sense of your soul. You gain little glimpses of its light, colors, and contours. You feel the inspiration of its possibilities and the wonder of its mysteries.”

John O'Donohue (1956–2008) Irish writer, priest and philosopher

Source: Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

Color, Feeling, Soul, Sense

“It is not given to us to know what difference we can make, and perhaps we can make no difference at all. But that is no reason not to make the attempt," said Saliman quietly. "The Light shines more brightly in the darkness.”

Alison Croggon book The Crow

Source: The Crow

“It's hard to believe how much light you cand find in the darkness, when you have someone who loves you.”

Cassandra Clare (1973) American author

Source: Pale Kings and Princes

Love

“No, I call. Come back.
I'm here, he says.
But I can't see. It's too bright.
You can't hold back the light, Gemma. I'm here. Trust me.”

Libba Bray book The Sweet Far Thing

Source: The Sweet Far Thing

“The pendulum swings between Light and Darkness”

Brandon Mull (1974) American fiction writer

“For a week, almost without speaking,
they went ahead like sleepwalkers through a universe of grief, lighted only by the tenuous
reflection of luminous insects, and their lungs were overwhelmed by a suffocating smell of blood.”

Gabriel García Márquez book One Hundred Years of Solitude

Source: One Hundred Years of Solitude

Universe

“Whether in the intellectual pursuits of science or in the mystical pursuits of the spirit, the light beckons ahead, and the purpose surging in our nature responds.”

Arthur Stanley Eddington (1882–1944) British astrophysicist

Source: The Nature of the Physical World

Nature, Science

“We burn so hard, but we shed so little light; it makes us crazy and sad.”

Clive Barker book Galilee

Source: Galilee

Sadness

“But not all dark places need light, I have to remember that.”

Jeanette Winterson book Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

Source: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1985)

“The black moment is the moment when the real message of transformation is going to come. At the darkest moment comes the light.”

Joseph Campbell The Power of Myth

Source: The Power of Myth (book), Ch. 2 : The Journey Inward
Context: One thing that comes out in myths is that at the bottom of the abyss comes the voice of salvation. The black moment is the moment when the real message of transformation is going to come. At the darkest moment comes the light.

“The dark does not weep for itself because there is no light. Rather, it accepts that it is the dark.”

Libba Bray Going Bovine

Source: Going Bovine

“Heathenism is a state of mind. You can take it that I'm referring to one who does not see his world. He has no mental light. He destroys almost unwittingly.”

David Bowie (1947–2016) British musician, actor, record producer and arranger

Livewire interview (2002)
Context: Heathenism is a state of mind. You can take it that I'm referring to one who does not see his world. He has no mental light. He destroys almost unwittingly. He cannot feel any Gods' presence in his life. He is the 21st century man. However, there's no theme or concept behind Heathen, just a number of songs but somehow there is a thread that runs through it that is quite as strong as any of my thematic type albums.

World

“and as streams of light fan out behind the darkened sun like the wings of a butterfly, i realize that i never saw true beauty until now.”

Wendy Mass (1967) American children's writer

Beauty, Sun

“There’s a reason we are drawn to the light. A reason why we fear darkness. It’s important to be terrified and unnerved about certain things. That way we will choose another path. The path that leads us to truth and love.”

Ted Dekker (1962) American writer

Love, Truth, Fear, Way