--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing about light is that it really…" description: "\"The thing about light is that it really isn’t yours; it’s what you gather and shine back. And it gets more power from reflectiveness; if you sit still ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/anne-lamott-188_cups_the-thing-about-light-is-that-it-really_3208750.jpg" --- # The thing about light is that it really isn’t yours; it’s… ![“The thing about light is that it really isn’t yours; it’s what you gather and shine back. And it gets more power from reflectiveness; if you sit still and take it in, it fills your cup, and then you can give it off yourself.” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/anne-lamott-188_cups_the-thing-about-light-is-that-it-really_3208750.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/anne-lamott-188_cups_the-thing-about-light-is-that-it-really_3208750.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/anne-lamott-188_cups_the-thing-about-light-is-that-it-really_3208750.jpg) > “The thing about light is that it really isn’t yours; it’s what you gather and shine back. And it gets more power from reflectiveness; if you sit still and take it in, it fills your cup, and then you can give it off yourself.” [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Light symbolizes knowledge and empathy; by absorbing and reflecting it, we grow and can share that growth with others. **In simple terms:** Absorb and reflect light to grow and give. Key Takeaway Gather, reflect, share. Themes self‑growth empathy mindfulness Mood contemplative inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal meditation - counseling sessions - teaching - creative workshops Key Concepts reflection energy reciprocity Questions to Reflect On - How do you actively share what you’ve learned? - What practices help you absorb insight? A Different Perspective Reflection can be passive if not coupled with action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) ## Related quotes > [The wisdom of literature is quite antithetical to having opinions. 'Nothing is my last word about anything,' said Henry James. Furnishing opinions, even correct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-wisdom-of-literature-is-quite-antithetical-to-having-opinions/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [My wife jokes that any time I want to take a picture of her, it has nothing to do with her - it's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-morrison/my-wife-jokes-that-any-time-i-want-to-take-a-picture-of-her-it-has/) [Rachel Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-morrison/) > [Light is something that can really change your perception of space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-de-betak/light-is-something-that-can-really-change-your-perception-of-space/) Alexandre de Betak > [The written word, obviously, is very inward, and when we're reading, we're thinking. It's a sort of spiritual, meditative activity. When we're looking at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-written-word-obviously-is-very-inward-and-when-we-re-reading-we/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Oh, say! what is that thing call'd light, Which I must ne'er enjoy? What are the blessings of the sight? Oh, tell your poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/oh-say-what-is-that-thing-call-d-light-which-i-must-ne-er-enjoy-what/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [“Here I am of the air, a beautiful thing for the light to shine on. Perhaps you will remember that. I am...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/here-i-am-of-the-air-a-beautiful-thing-for-the-light-to-shine-on/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Its funny how when we are born the first thing we see is the light, and before we die that's the last thing we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-talman/its-funny-how-when-we-are-born-the-first-thing-we-see-is-the-light/) [Alex Talman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-talman/) > [The one created thing which we cannot look at is the one thing in the light of which we look at everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-one-created-thing-which-we-cannot-look-at-is-the-one-thing-in-the/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Every instrument that has been designed to be sensitive enough to detect weak light has always ended up discovering that the same thing: light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/every-instrument-that-has-been-designed-to-be-sensitive-enough-to/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [The poem is not a thing we see; it is, rather, a light by which we may see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/the-poem-is-not-a-thing-we-see-it-is-rather-a-light-by-which-we-may/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [“lights and moods and seasons was to see it a thousand different ways and to keep it shut in the dark—a thing made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/lights-and-moods-and-seasons-was-to-see-it-a-thousand-different-ways/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [The sun does not shine for a few trees, and flowers, but for the wide world's joy. The lonely pine on the mountain-top waves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/the-sun-does-not-shine-for-a-few-trees-and-flowers-but-for-the-wide/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The mix in our rooms is so touching: the clutter and the cracks in the wall belie a bleakness or brokenness in our lives;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-mix-in-our-rooms-is-so-touching-the-clutter-and-the-cracks-in-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I put hibiscus flower in every cup of tea I have. It's sweet, sexy, and cleansing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/i-put-hibiscus-flower-in-every-cup-of-tea-i-have-it-s-sweet-sexy-and/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) ## More by Anne Lamott > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's funny where we look for salvation, and where we actually find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/it-s-funny-where-we-look-for-salvation-and-where-we-actually-find-it/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. But writing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/publication-is-not-all-that-it-is-cracked-up-to-be-but-writing-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-problem-is-how-you-are-going-to-spend-this-one-odd-and-precious/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Raising a child, whether or not it is yours, is like Nautilus of the heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/raising-a-child-whether-or-not-it-is-yours-is-like-nautilus-of-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I heard a preacher say recently that hope is a revolutionary patience; let me add that so is being a writer. Hope begins in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-heard-a-preacher-say-recently-that-hope-is-a-revolutionary-patience/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-think-perfectionism-is-based-on-the-obsessive-belief-that-if-you/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [All criticism hurts me. I'm so in the wrong business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/all-criticism-hurts-me-i-m-so-in-the-wrong-business/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You will go through your life thinking there was a day in second grade that you must have missed, when the grown-ups came in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-will-go-through-your-life-thinking-there-was-a-day-in-second/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You begin to string words together like beads to tell a story. You are desperate to communicate, to edify or entertain, to preserve moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-begin-to-string-words-together-like-beads-to-tell-a-story-you-are/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You lose the known package of your nice organized self almost instantly here. Overeating is one way back, the way it is at funerals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-lose-the-known-package-of-your-nice-organized-self-almost/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Explore all 976 Anne Lamott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More Cups quotes > [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [I put hibiscus flower in every cup of tea I have. It's sweet, sexy, and cleansing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/i-put-hibiscus-flower-in-every-cup-of-tea-i-have-it-s-sweet-sexy-and/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [Nobody can have your psychedelic experience for you; you just have to screw your courage up and raise the cup to your lips or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-mckenna/nobody-can-have-your-psychedelic-experience-for-you-you-just-have-to/) [Dennis McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-mckenna/) > [Youre always going to have some individual incidents that arent going to show off the Ryder Cup in the true form and spirit that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kite/youre-always-going-to-have-some-individual-incidents-that-arent-going/) [Tom Kite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kite/) > [I wasn’t like, boo hoo, Bin Laden’s dead, but I wasn’t jumping. America’s a very nationalistic country, and in episodes like that of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scahill/i-wasn-t-like-boo-hoo-bin-laden-s-dead-but-i-wasn-t-jumping-america-s/) [Jeremy Scahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scahill/) > [As a sports fan, the Los Angeles Kings winning the Stanley Cup makes me feel very alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/five-for-fighting/as-a-sports-fan-the-los-angeles-kings-winning-the-stanley-cup-makes/) Five for Fighting > [Better the fragrant herb of wit and a little cream of affability than all the pretty cups in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-wyck-brooks/better-the-fragrant-herb-of-wit-and-a-little-cream-of-affability-than/) [Van Wyck Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-wyck-brooks/) > [The divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hernando-cortes/the-divine-drink-which-builds-up-resistance-and-fights-fatigue-a-cup/) [Hernando Cortes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hernando-cortes/) > [If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love. For a cup brimful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/if-a-sudden-jar-can-cause-me-to-speak-an-impatient-unloving-word-then/) [Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/) > [In England you probably have too many cups with the Champions League as it is now. You have the FA Cup and another cup;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianluca-vialli/in-england-you-probably-have-too-many-cups-with-the-champions-league/) [Gianluca Vialli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianluca-vialli/) > [If you're at the sink washing the cup, wash the cup. Don't worry about everything else. ... We forget to appreciate the simplest moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-roberts/if-you-re-at-the-sink-washing-the-cup-wash-the-cup-don-t-worry-about/) [Julia Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-roberts/) > [How much more of the mosque, of prayer and fasting? Better go drunk and begging round the taverns. Khayyam, drink wine, for soon this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-khayy-m/how-much-more-of-the-mosque-of-prayer-and-fasting-better-go-drunk-and/) [Omar Khayyam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-khayy-m/) > [We put suffocation warnings on all the - on every piece of plastic film manufactured in the United States or for sale with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/we-put-suffocation-warnings-on-all-the-on-every-piece-of-plastic-film/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) > [The Son of God goes forth to war,A kingly crown to gain;His blood red banner streams afar:Who follows in His train?Who best can drink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reginald-heber/the-son-of-god-goes-forth-to-war-a-kingly-crown-to-gain-his-blood-red/) [Reginald Heber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reginald-heber/) > [As for the (Ballon d'Or) criteria, I'm not really sure how it works. Sometimes it's a World Cup year, sometimes it isn't. Let them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-villa/as-for-the-ballon-d-or-criteria-i-m-not-really-sure-how-it-works/) [David Villa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-villa/) Browse all 1,509 Cups quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The thing about light is that it really isn’t yours; it’s what you gather and shine back. 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