---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Few minds are sunlike, sources of light…"
description: "\"Few minds are sunlike, sources of light in themselves and to others: many more are moons that shine with a borrowed radiance. One may easily distinguis..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b3/augustus-william-hare-7245_borrowed_few-minds-are-sunlike-sources-of-light-i_552525.jpg"
---

#  Few minds are sunlike, sources of light in themselves and…

![“Few minds are sunlike, sources of light in themselves and to others: many more are moons that shine with a borrowed radiance. One may easily distinguish the two: the former are always full; the latter only now and then, when their suns are shining full upon them.” quote by Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b3/augustus-william-hare-7245_borrowed_few-minds-are-sunlike-sources-of-light-i_552525.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b3/augustus-william-hare-7245_borrowed_few-minds-are-sunlike-sources-of-light-i_552525.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b3/augustus-william-hare-7245_borrowed_few-minds-are-sunlike-sources-of-light-i_552525.jpg)

> “Few minds are sunlike, sources of light in themselves and to others: many more are moons that shine with a borrowed radiance. One may easily distinguish the two: the former are always full; the latter only now and then, when their suns are shining full upon them.”

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

## About This Quote

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

Some people generate their own light; others only reflect light when illuminated by others.

**In simple terms:** Some are self‑sufficient; others depend on external inspiration.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate inner wisdom and inspire others.

Themes

self‑reliance inspiration leadership wisdom

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- education
- team dynamics
- creative collaboration

Key Concepts

autonomy reflection mentorship

Questions to Reflect On

- What can you do to become a source of light?
- How do you support those who are moon‑like?

A Different Perspective

Reliance on others can limit originality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Radiance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radiance/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/)

## Related quotes

> [“Alone we are fine; but when we're two, we are eternal. The moons have aligned our separate lives; here become one and you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissy-anderson/alone-we-are-fine-but-when-we-re-two-we-are-eternal-the-moons-have/)

[Chrissy Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissy-anderson/)

> [“Once there were two moons in the sky, but one wandered too close to the sun and cracked from the heat. A thousand thousand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/once-there-were-two-moons-in-the-sky-but-one-wandered-too-close-to/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

> [The moon is a satellite that was constructed. It was built and anchored outside Earth's atmosphere as a mediating and monitoring device, a supercomputer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-marciniak/the-moon-is-a-satellite-that-was-constructed-it-was-built-and/)

[Barbara Marciniak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-marciniak/)

> [Don't judge a man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-creech/don-t-judge-a-man-until-you-have-walked-two-moons-in-his-moccasins/)

[Sharon Creech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-creech/)

> [“The next time the Four Blood Moons begin to appear will be in April of 2014. NASA has projected that the Tetrad will begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/the-next-time-the-four-blood-moons-begin-to-appear-will-be-in-april/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [I've always been consumed by things that are out of this world, like space and moons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-mua/i-ve-always-been-consumed-by-things-that-are-out-of-this-world-like/)

[Manny MUA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-mua/)

> [My lord, they say five moons were seen to-night-- Four fixed, and the fifth did whirl about The other four in wondrous motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/my-lord-they-say-five-moons-were-seen-to-night-four-fixed-and-the/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I think that some of the earliest ideas in the modern period were actually from astronomy. You look at Galileo: He goes up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/i-think-that-some-of-the-earliest-ideas-in-the-modern-period-were/)

[Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/)

> [I love old moons. There is something humanized about them; they are dulled a little, and rich in color. One can stare all night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bosworth-greene/i-love-old-moons-there-is-something-humanized-about-them-they-are/)

[Anne Bosworth Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bosworth-greene/)

> [Let me tell you something about full moons: kids don't care about full moons. They'll play in a full moon, no worries at all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/let-me-tell-you-something-about-full-moons-kids-don-t-care-about-full/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [“With dark raven paper and twinkling white ink, I wrote my heart in the night’s sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/with-dark-raven-paper-and-twinkling-white-ink-i-wrote-my-heart-in-the/)

[Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/)

> [“I can walk through lava.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andri-e-elia/i-can-walk-through-lava/)

[Andri E. Elia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andri-e-elia/)

> [“BESIDES THE CONVERSATION of women, it is dreams that keep the world in orbit. But dreams also form a diadem of moons, therefore the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/besides-the-conversation-of-women-it-is-dreams-that-keep-the-world-in/)

[José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/)

> [Saturn is accompanied by a very large and diverse collection of moons. They range in size from a few kilometers across to as big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-porco/saturn-is-accompanied-by-a-very-large-and-diverse-collection-of-moons/)

[Carolyn Porco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-porco/)

> [In Mars, we've been given a wonderful set of moons... where we can send continuous numbers of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/in-mars-we-ve-been-given-a-wonderful-set-of-moons-where-we-can-send/)

[Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/)

## More by Augustus William Hare

> [Do, and have done. The former is far the easiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/do-and-have-done-the-former-is-far-the-easiest/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [Temporary madness may be necessary in some cases, to cleanse and renovate the mind; just as a fit of illness is to carry off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/temporary-madness-may-be-necessary-in-some-cases-to-cleanse-and/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [Christianity has carried civilization along with it, whithersoever it has gone; and, as if to show that the latter does not depend on physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/christianity-has-carried-civilization-along-with-it-whithersoever-it/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [The feeling is often the deeper truth, the opinion the more superficial one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/the-feeling-is-often-the-deeper-truth-the-opinion-the-more/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [It is said that Windham, when he came to the end of a speech, often found himself so perplexed by his own subtlety that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/it-is-said-that-windham-when-he-came-to-the-end-of-a-speech-often/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [It is well for us that we are born babies in intellect. Could we understand half what mothers say and do to their infants,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/it-is-well-for-us-that-we-are-born-babies-in-intellect-could-we/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [Some persons take reproof good-humoredly enough, unless you are so unlucky as to hit a sore place. Then they wince and writhe, and start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/some-persons-take-reproof-good-humoredly-enough-unless-you-are-so/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [When the moon, after covering herself with darkness as in sorrow, at last throws off the garments of her widowhood, she does not at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/when-the-moon-after-covering-herself-with-darkness-as-in-sorrow-at/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [There is a glare about worldly success which is very apt to dazzle men's eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/there-is-a-glare-about-worldly-success-which-is-very-apt-to-dazzle/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [Philosophy cannot raise the commonalty up to her level: so, if she is to become popular, she must sink to theirs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/philosophy-cannot-raise-the-commonalty-up-to-her-level-so-if-she-is/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [The body too has its rights; and it will have them: they cannot be trampled on without peril. The body ought to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/the-body-too-has-its-rights-and-it-will-have-them-they-cannot-be/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [Nature is mighty. Art is mighty. Artifice is weak. For nature is the work of a mightier power than man. Art is the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/nature-is-mighty-art-is-mighty-artifice-is-weak-for-nature-is-the/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [They who disbelieve in virtue because man has never been found perfect, might as reasonably deny the sun because it is not always noon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/they-who-disbelieve-in-virtue-because-man-has-never-been-found/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [We look to our last sickness for repentance, unmindful that it is during a recovery men repent, not during a sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/we-look-to-our-last-sickness-for-repentance-unmindful-that-it-is/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [The mind is like a trunk: if well-packed, it holds almost every thing; if ill-packed, next to nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/the-mind-is-like-a-trunk-if-well-packed-it-holds-almost-every-thing/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

[Explore all 93 Augustus William Hare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

## More Borrowed quotes

> [I love awards, especially if I get them. It's up to the courage of the filmmakers to make art in cinema, not just business.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gazzara/i-love-awards-especially-if-i-get-them-it-s-up-to-the-courage-of-the/)

[Ben Gazzara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gazzara/)

> [The creation of George Smiley, the retired spy recalled to hunt for just such a high-ranking mole in 'Tinker, Tailor,' was extremely personal. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-creation-of-george-smiley-the-retired-spy-recalled-to-hunt-for/)

[John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/)

> [The combination of such characters, some, as the sacral ones, altogether peculiar among Reptiles, others borrowed, as it were, from groups now distinct from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-owen/the-combination-of-such-characters-some-as-the-sacral-ones-altogether/)

[Richard Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-owen/)

> [I'm no innovator. If anything I'm a stealer, or borrower. I've stolen or borrowed from more people than you can shake a stick at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-bryant/i-m-no-innovator-if-anything-i-m-a-stealer-or-borrower-i-ve-stolen-or/)

[Bear Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-bryant/)

> [Any sizeable Portuguese town looks like a superstitious bride's finery - something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/any-sizeable-portuguese-town-looks-like-a-superstitious-bride-s/)

[Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/)

> [“I came to this world with nothing, and I leave with nothing but love, everything else is just borrowed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-streets/i-came-to-this-world-with-nothing-and-i-leave-with-nothing-but-love/)

The Streets

> [Investors, of course, can, by their own behavior make stock ownership highly risky. And many do. Active trading, attempts to "time" market movements, inadequate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/investors-of-course-can-by-their-own-behavior-make-stock-ownership/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [I'm so sick of mermaid dresses, trains, borrowed bling-bling, and a pose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-leon-talley/i-m-so-sick-of-mermaid-dresses-trains-borrowed-bling-bling-and-a-pose/)

[Andre Leon Talley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-leon-talley/)

> [There is a word Kristos in the Greek dictionary, and this word is supposed to be borrowed from the Sanskrit word "Krishna," and Christ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-bhaktivedanta-swami-prabhupada/there-is-a-word-kristos-in-the-greek-dictionary-and-this-word-is/)

[A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-bhaktivedanta-swami-prabhupada/)

> [In 1981, I borrowed 2,000 pounds - a lot of money back then - paid 50 quid for a seat, packed my own sandwich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/in-1981-i-borrowed-2-000-pounds-a-lot-of-money-back-then-paid-50-quid/)

[Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/)

> [I think when Tom Ford was there I borrowed a Gucci tux one time, and they were very nice and he was very kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/i-think-when-tom-ford-was-there-i-borrowed-a-gucci-tux-one-time-and/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [There is a big problem. The problem is the country borrowed too much. We went on a borrowing binge, there was a housing boom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/there-is-a-big-problem-the-problem-is-the-country-borrowed-too-much/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [I toyed with making portraits based on people's discarded shopping lists found on the street, or old diaries bought on eBay, or other forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-blackall/i-toyed-with-making-portraits-based-on-people-s-discarded-shopping/)

[Sophie Blackall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-blackall/)

> [There are instances where lines in my work are borrowed or stolen from sources, mainly from books, or they become my own versions. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-pettibon/there-are-instances-where-lines-in-my-work-are-borrowed-or-stolen/)

[Raymond Pettibon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-pettibon/)

> [True beauty lives on high. Ours is but a flame borrowed thence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/true-beauty-lives-on-high-ours-is-but-a-flame-borrowed-thence/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

Browse all 343 Borrowed quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Few minds are sunlike, sources of light in themselves and to others: many more are moons that shine with a borrowed radiance. One may easily distinguish the two: the former are always full; the latter only now and then, when their suns are shining full upon them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Augustus William Hare"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/few-minds-are-sunlike-sources-of-light-in-themselves-and-to-others/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Borrowed"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/few-minds-are-sunlike-sources-of-light-in-themselves-and-to-others/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b3/augustus-william-hare-7245_borrowed_few-minds-are-sunlike-sources-of-light-i_552525.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b3/augustus-william-hare-7245_borrowed_few-minds-are-sunlike-sources-of-light-i_552525.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b3/augustus-william-hare-7245_borrowed_few-minds-are-sunlike-sources-of-light-i_552525.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Few minds are sunlike, sources of light in themselves and to others: many more are moons that shine with a…” — Augustus William Hare",
                "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": "Augustus William Hare",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Few minds are sunlike, sources of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/few-minds-are-sunlike-sources-of-light-in-themselves-and-to-others/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/few-minds-are-sunlike-sources-of-light-in-themselves-and-to-others/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
