--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You are not a black hole that needs to be…" description: "\"You are not a black hole that needs to be filled; you are a light that needs to be shined.\" — Alan Cohen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/alan-cohen-1112_black_you-are-not-a-black-hole-that-needs-to-b_524906.png" --- # You are not a black hole that needs to be filled; you are… ![“You are not a black hole that needs to be filled; you are a light that needs to be shined.” quote by Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/alan-cohen-1112_black_you-are-not-a-black-hole-that-needs-to-b_524906.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/alan-cohen-1112_black_you-are-not-a-black-hole-that-needs-to-b_524906.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/alan-cohen-1112_black_you-are-not-a-black-hole-that-needs-to-b_524906.png) > “You are not a black hole that needs to be filled; you are a light that needs to be shined.” [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self-worth comes from inner light, not external validation; shine your own light. **In simple terms:** You are a light, not a void. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner purpose. Themes self-worth inner strength light validation growth Mood encouraging hopeful uplifting Type motivational spiritual When to use this quote - coaching sessions - mental health work - creative projects - team building Key Concepts personal empowerment mindset self-acceptance Questions to Reflect On - What daily practice helps you recognize your inner light? - How can you share that light with others? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on self can ignore community needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black hole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-hole/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) ## Related quotes > [“I think it was Dr. Robert Schuller who said, “Find a need and fill it.” There are plenty of needs out there. Find them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowser/i-think-it-was-dr-robert-schuller-who-said-find-a-need-and-fill-it/) Mark Bowser > [Does religion fill a much needed gap? It is often said that there is a God-shaped gap in the brain which needs to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/does-religion-fill-a-much-needed-gap-it-is-often-said-that-there-is-a/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [As long as we focus on the outside, there will always be that empty, hungry, lost place inside that needs to be filled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakti-gawain/as-long-as-we-focus-on-the-outside-there-will-always-be-that-empty/) [Shakti Gawain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakti-gawain/) > [In God there is no hunger that needs to be filled, only plenteousness that desires to give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-god-there-is-no-hunger-that-needs-to-be-filled-only-plenteousness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I shined shoes; I did windows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-dee/i-shined-shoes-i-did-windows/) [Ruby Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-dee/) > [We have to be careful in how we use this light shined on us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/we-have-to-be-careful-in-how-we-use-this-light-shined-on-us/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [Kind of like a light shined down and showed me how. How to move on that was then and this is now?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lalah-hathaway/kind-of-like-a-light-shined-down-and-showed-me-how-how-to-move-on/) [Lalah Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lalah-hathaway/) > [“I had found my place in the world, the place I fit, the place I shined.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/i-had-found-my-place-in-the-world-the-place-i-fit-the-place-i-shined/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [I was 7 and you were 9. I looked at you like the stars that shined in the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-was-7-and-you-were-9-i-looked-at-you-like-the-stars-that-shined-in/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [“Every moment I spent with you… shined. Because the weather was good, because the weather was bad and because the weather was good enough.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goblin-the-lonely-and-great-god/every-moment-i-spent-with-you-shined-because-the-weather-was-good/) Goblin: The Lonely and Great God > [“Guys who always shined their shoes were usually self-involved asswipes who figure superficiality trumps substance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/guys-who-always-shined-their-shoes-were-usually-self-involved/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [A man hasn't got a corner on virtue just because his shoes are shined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/a-man-hasn-t-got-a-corner-on-virtue-just-because-his-shoes-are-shined/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [“Like, if people shined, some would shine brighter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/like-if-people-shined-some-would-shine-brighter/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [“Her spirit flew out into the night And the sky reached down And drew her up, And she was filled with light... And she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/her-spirit-flew-out-into-the-night-and-the-sky-reached-down-and-drew/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [Following the Noble Path is like entering a dark room with a light in the hand; the darkness will all be cleared away, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/following-the-noble-path-is-like-entering-a-dark-room-with-a-light-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Alan Cohen > [When you protect yourself from pain, be sure you do not protect yourself from love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/when-you-protect-yourself-from-pain-be-sure-you-do-not-protect/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Anyone in a state of seeking can never be happy. Only those who are constantly finding are fulfilled. And finding is not something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/anyone-in-a-state-of-seeking-can-never-be-happy-only-those-who-are/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [“You cannot be other than you are. Thank God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/you-cannot-be-other-than-you-are-thank-god/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Evaluate every act by whether it brings you greater life, or deadens you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/evaluate-every-act-by-whether-it-brings-you-greater-life-or-deadens/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Put aside ambition for public recognition, and simply do what you do because it feels good inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/put-aside-ambition-for-public-recognition-and-simply-do-what-you-do/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [“When you finally give up striving, you will be left with what you have been striving for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/when-you-finally-give-up-striving-you-will-be-left-with-what-you-have/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [“newspaper ads for lost pets and earthquakes that soon follow. Other studies indicate a higher rate of last-minute cancellations for airplane flights that crash.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/newspaper-ads-for-lost-pets-and-earthquakes-that-soon-follow-other/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [“Quit using your creative power to formulate questions. You can just as easily—more easily— use it to formulate answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/quit-using-your-creative-power-to-formulate-questions-you-can-just-as/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > ['How can I be more like you?' she asked the guru. 'The best way to be more like me is to be more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/how-can-i-be-more-like-you-she-asked-the-guru-the-best-way-to-be-more/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Turmoil is a call for awakening. Every challenge, great or small, is moving you to look deeper and draw forth the highest in you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/turmoil-is-a-call-for-awakening-every-challenge-great-or-small-is/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [The difficulties of life do not keep you from greatness. They show you to its door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/the-difficulties-of-life-do-not-keep-you-from-greatness-they-show-you/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [What a doctor or healer tells you is a reflection of the beliefs and expectations you hold. Change your beliefs and you change the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/what-a-doctor-or-healer-tells-you-is-a-reflection-of-the-beliefs-and/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Quit planning your dream and start living it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/quit-planning-your-dream-and-start-living-it/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [The more you invest in your happiness, the more happiness will invest in you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/the-more-you-invest-in-your-happiness-the-more-happiness-will-invest/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [Joy is the wild card of life; it supersedes every other formula for success. If you can find a way to create joy, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/joy-is-the-wild-card-of-life-it-supersedes-every-other-formula-for/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) [Explore all 290 Alan Cohen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. Wilderson III > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) Browse all 11,655 Black quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You are not a black hole that needs to be filled; you are a light that needs to be shined.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Cohen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/you-are-not-a-black-hole-that-needs-to-be-filled-you-are-a-light-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/you-are-not-a-black-hole-that-needs-to-be-filled-you-are-a-light-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/alan-cohen-1112_black_you-are-not-a-black-hole-that-needs-to-b_524906.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/alan-cohen-1112_black_you-are-not-a-black-hole-that-needs-to-b_524906.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/alan-cohen-1112_black_you-are-not-a-black-hole-that-needs-to-b_524906.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You are not a black hole that needs to be filled; you are a light that needs to be shined.” — Alan Cohen", "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": "Alan Cohen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You are not a black hole...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/you-are-not-a-black-hole-that-needs-to-be-filled-you-are-a-light-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/you-are-not-a-black-hole-that-needs-to-be-filled-you-are-a-light-that/#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 } } ] } ```