--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's another disadvantage to the use…" description: "\"There's another disadvantage to the use of the flashlight: like many other mechanical gadgets it tends to separate a man from the world around him. If ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/edward-abbey-254_boundaries_there-s-another-disadvantage-to-the-use_919471.jpg" --- # There's another disadvantage to the use of the flashlight… ![“There's another disadvantage to the use of the flashlight: like many other mechanical gadgets it tends to separate a man from the world around him. If I switch it on my eyes adapt to it and I can see only the small pool of light it makes in front of me; I am isolated. Leaving the flashlight in my…” quote by Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/edward-abbey-254_boundaries_there-s-another-disadvantage-to-the-use_919471.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/edward-abbey-254_boundaries_there-s-another-disadvantage-to-the-use_919471.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/edward-abbey-254_boundaries_there-s-another-disadvantage-to-the-use_919471.jpg) > “There's another disadvantage to the use of the flashlight: like many other mechanical gadgets it tends to separate a man from the world around him. If I switch it on my eyes adapt to it and I can see only the small pool of light it makes in front of me; I am isolated. Leaving the flashlight in my pocket where it belongs, I remain a part of the environment I walk through and my vision though limited has no sharp or definite boundary.” [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Relying on artificial light narrows perception, isolating the user from the broader environment. **In simple terms:** Flashlights limit awareness of surroundings. Key Takeaway Stay aware of the whole scene, not just the illuminated part. Themes perception isolation technology Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - hiking - night navigation - urban exploration Key Concepts environmental awareness sensory limitation Questions to Reflect On - How does technology change your sense of place? - Can you notice details without a flashlight? A Different Perspective Overreliance on tools can reduce natural adaptability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Disadvantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disadvantage/) [Disadvantages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disadvantages/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Flashlight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flashlight/) [Flashlight Pocket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flashlight-pocket-1412271/) [Flashlights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flashlights/) [Gadgets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gadgets/) [Isolated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isolated/) [Leaving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving/) [Leaving Flashlight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving-flashlight-1412269/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Pockets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pockets/) [Pool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pool/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Use Flashlight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-flashlight-1412270/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) [Walks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walks/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Don't trust the street lights at night, trust the flashlight in your pocket! If you trust something that is under your control, the probability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/don-t-trust-the-street-lights-at-night-trust-the-flashlight-in-your/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Brits and Americans have hundreds of different phrases for the same thing. Luckily, it's usually a source of amusement rather than frustration. A flashlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/brits-and-americans-have-hundreds-of-different-phrases-for-the-same/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [Because there might come a day when there is no flashlight, there is no gun, there is no guiding hand. And I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/because-there-might-come-a-day-when-there-is-no-flashlight-there-is/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I see myself as a flashlight in the dark. I'm not trying to be overlooked anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-banks/i-see-myself-as-a-flashlight-in-the-dark-i-m-not-trying-to-be/) [Lloyd Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-banks/) > [Looking for enlightenment is like looking for a flashlight when all you need the flashlight for is to find the flashlight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-welch/looking-for-enlightenment-is-like-looking-for-a-flashlight-when-all/) [Lew Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-welch/) > [I want painting to be my flashlight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/squeak-carnwath/i-want-painting-to-be-my-flashlight/) [Squeak Carnwath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/squeak-carnwath/) > [Don’t be attached to visions or lights in meditation, don’t rise or fall with them. What’s so great about brightness? My flashlight has it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/don-t-be-attached-to-visions-or-lights-in-meditation-don-t-rise-or/) [Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/) > [a full moon is a flashlight so everyone can see your drama!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/a-full-moon-is-a-flashlight-so-everyone-can-see-your-drama/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [When Rae got back, she spread her empty hands wide and said "Okay, guess where I hid it." She even turned around for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/when-rae-got-back-she-spread-her-empty-hands-wide-and-said-okay-guess/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [Gratitude is like a flashlight. It lights up what is already there. You don't necessarily have anything more or different, but suddenly you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-ryan/gratitude-is-like-a-flashlight-it-lights-up-what-is-already-there-you/) [M. J. Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-ryan/) > [Robbie turned to the house again. "Got a flashlight?" "Of course not." I smirked. "That would make me too well prepared, wouldn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-tiernan/robbie-turned-to-the-house-again-got-a-flashlight-of-course-not-i/) [Cate Tiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-tiernan/) > [The most important element of breaking into a house is a flashlight, a flashlight will keep ya' on target. You don't wanna be stummblin'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-dicamillo/the-most-important-element-of-breaking-into-a-house-is-a-flashlight-a/) [Brandon DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-dicamillo/) > [Too bad we don't have a flashlight." "Thanks for stating the obvious, Mr. Thomas," Minho replied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dashner/too-bad-we-don-t-have-a-flashlight-thanks-for-stating-the-obvious-mr/) [James Dashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dashner/) > [I'm sure we've all had that annoying experience when we desperately need a flashlight, we find one, and the batteries are out. Imagine how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-makosinski/i-m-sure-we-ve-all-had-that-annoying-experience-when-we-desperately/) [Ann Makosinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-makosinski/) > [Gratitude is like a flashlight. If you go out in your yard at night and turn on a flashlight, you suddenly can see what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawna-markova/gratitude-is-like-a-flashlight-if-you-go-out-in-your-yard-at-night/) [Dawna Markova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawna-markova/) ## More by Edward Abbey > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Apuleius married a rich widow, then wrote \_The Golden Ass\_.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/apuleius-married-a-rich-widow-then-wrote-the-golden-ass/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Except for the scale of the operation, there was nothing unusual about Hitler's massacre of the Jews. Genocide's an old tradition, as human as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/except-for-the-scale-of-the-operation-there-was-nothing-unusual-about/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [By the age of eighteen, a human has acquired enough joy and heartache to provide the food of reflection for a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/by-the-age-of-eighteen-a-human-has-acquired-enough-joy-and-heartache/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“Our institutions are too big; they represent not the best but the worst characteristics of human beings. By submitting to huge hierarchies of power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/our-institutions-are-too-big-they-represent-not-the-best-but-the/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [No man-made structure in all of American history has been hated so much, by so many, for so long, with such good reason, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/no-man-made-structure-in-all-of-american-history-has-been-hated-so/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Where all pretend to be thinking alike, it's likely that no one is thinking at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/where-all-pretend-to-be-thinking-alike-it-s-likely-that-no-one-is/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Nobody has so many friends that he can afford to lose one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/nobody-has-so-many-friends-that-he-can-afford-to-lose-one/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“But why, the questioner insists, why do people like you pretend to love uninhabited country so much? Why this cult of wilderness? Why the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/but-why-the-questioner-insists-why-do-people-like-you-pretend-to-love/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Civilization is a youth with a molotov cocktail in his hand. Culture is the Soviet tank or L.A. cop that guns him down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/civilization-is-a-youth-with-a-molotov-cocktail-in-his-hand-culture/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [All revolutions have failed? Perhaps. But rebellion for good cause is self- justifying -- a good in itself. Rebellion transforms slaves into human beings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/all-revolutions-have-failed-perhaps-but-rebellion-for-good-cause-is/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“Me, I'm living under a sword too, as Jack may have told you. An old wino's disease, which could lay me in the grave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/me-i-m-living-under-a-sword-too-as-jack-may-have-told-you-an-old-wino/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“Look here, I want to say, for godsake folks get out of them there machines, take off those fucking sunglasses and unpeel both eyeballs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/look-here-i-want-to-say-for-godsake-folks-get-out-of-them-there/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Reason has seldom failed us because it has seldom been tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/reason-has-seldom-failed-us-because-it-has-seldom-been-tried/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“What is the essence of the art of writing? Part One: Have something to say. Part Two: Say it well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/what-is-the-essence-of-the-art-of-writing-part-one-have-something-to/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) [Explore all 807 Edward Abbey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) ## More Boundaries quotes > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) > [While the world of reality has its limits, the world of your imagination is without boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/while-the-world-of-reality-has-its-limits-the-world-of-your/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I never go anywhere or do anything that transports me outside the boundaries of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-never-go-anywhere-or-do-anything-that-transports-me-outside-the/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [As a kid, in the Runaways, I would see the interviewers start to ask about our personal lives and what we did — and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/as-a-kid-in-the-runaways-i-would-see-the-interviewers-start-to-ask/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [“Let us not subside into a single mandatory way of thinking or feeling, immersed by a spirit of self-gratification. But let’s dig into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/let-us-not-subside-into-a-single-mandatory-way-of-thinking-or-feeling/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [The question of boundaries is a major question of the Jewish people because the Jews are the great experts of crossing boundaries. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-yehoshua/the-question-of-boundaries-is-a-major-question-of-the-jewish-people/) [A. B. Yehoshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-yehoshua/) > [Working against a restriction - for me - often produces greater things than getting rid of all boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lord/working-against-a-restriction-for-me-often-produces-greater-things/) [Jon Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lord/) > [That's what all art's about - a sense of moving away from boundaries that you can't in real life. Like a dancer is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/that-s-what-all-art-s-about-a-sense-of-moving-away-from-boundaries/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) [Browse all 2,012 Boundaries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's another disadvantage to the use of the flashlight: like many other mechanical gadgets it tends to separate a man from the world around him. If I switch it on my eyes adapt to it and I can see only the small pool of light it makes in front of me; I am isolated. Leaving the flashlight in my pocket where it belongs, I remain a part of the environment I walk through and my vision though limited has no sharp or definite boundary.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Abbey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/there-s-another-disadvantage-to-the-use-of-the-flashlight-like-many/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boundaries" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/there-s-another-disadvantage-to-the-use-of-the-flashlight-like-many/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/edward-abbey-254_boundaries_there-s-another-disadvantage-to-the-use_919471.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/edward-abbey-254_boundaries_there-s-another-disadvantage-to-the-use_919471.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/edward-abbey-254_boundaries_there-s-another-disadvantage-to-the-use_919471.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's another disadvantage to the use of the flashlight: like many other mechanical gadgets it tends to…” — Edward Abbey", "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": "Edward Abbey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There's another disadvantage to the use...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/there-s-another-disadvantage-to-the-use-of-the-flashlight-like-many/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/there-s-another-disadvantage-to-the-use-of-the-flashlight-like-many/#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 } } ] } ```