--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The warm lights that once rounded off our…" description: "\"“The warm lights that once rounded off our world so completely are betrayed for what they are, smoky and guttering candles. Beyond what once seemed a c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/h-g-wells-1122_wisdom_the-warm-lights-that-once-rounded-off-ou_1922528.png" --- # The warm lights that once rounded off our world so… ![“The warm lights that once rounded off our world so completely are betrayed for what they are, smoky and guttering candles. Beyond what once seemed a casket of dutiful security is now a limitless and indifferent universe. Ours is the wisdom or there is no wisdom; ours is the decision or there is no…” quote by H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/h-g-wells-1122_wisdom_the-warm-lights-that-once-rounded-off-ou_1922528.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/h-g-wells-1122_wisdom_the-warm-lights-that-once-rounded-off-ou_1922528.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21a/h-g-wells-1122_wisdom_the-warm-lights-that-once-rounded-off-ou_1922528.png) > ““The warm lights that once rounded off our world so completely are betrayed for what they are, smoky and guttering candles. Beyond what once seemed a casket of dutiful security is now a limitless and indifferent universe. Ours is the wisdom or there is no wisdom; ours is the decision or there is no decision. That burthen is upon each of us in the measure of our capacity. The talent has been given us and we may not bury it.”” [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts past comforting certainty with a vast, indifferent future, urging individuals to recognize their responsibility and use their innate talents rather than hide them. **In simple terms:** Past certainty fades; we must act with our talents. Key Takeaway Embrace responsibility and use your gifts. Themes responsibility existentialism human potential choice wisdom Mood reflective determined inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal growth - leadership - creative projects - ethical decision making - overcoming complacency Key Concepts free will existential responsibility talent utilization Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance comfort with the need for growth? - What talents are you neglecting? A Different Perspective It may overlook the comfort that security can provide in uncertain times. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Candles Casket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candles-casket-2960836/) [Universe Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-wisdom-1640621/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wisdom Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom-decision-2960835/) [Wisdom Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom-wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [All that you seek is already within you. In Hinduism it is called the Atman, in Buddhism the pure Buddha-Mind. 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People are not liberated because of lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/knowledge-is-power-power-provides-information-information-leads-to/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Wisdom is not wisdom when it is derived from books alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/wisdom-is-not-wisdom-when-it-is-derived-from-books-alone/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“If you can’t compete with beauty, compete with wisdom; because wisdom is a powerful sword~”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-toledo/if-you-can-t-compete-with-beauty-compete-with-wisdom-because-wisdom/) [Elena Toledo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-toledo/) > [“Experience does not give you wisdom. Wisdom comes through liberation of the mind. And since most humans live a conditioned life, they never get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/experience-does-not-give-you-wisdom-wisdom-comes-through-liberation/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) ## More by H. G. Wells > [... life falls into place only with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/life-falls-into-place-only-with-god/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [Fools make researches and wise men exploit them - that is our earthly way of dealing with the question, and we thank Heaven for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/fools-make-researches-and-wise-men-exploit-them-that-is-our-earthly/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [The true sweetness of chess, if it ever can be sweet, is to see a victory snatched, by some happy impertinence, out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-true-sweetness-of-chess-if-it-ever-can-be-sweet-is-to-see-a/) [H. G. 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Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [The Jews looked for a special savior, a messiah, who was to redeem mankind by the agreeable process of restoring the fabulous glories of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-jews-looked-for-a-special-savior-a-messiah-who-was-to-redeem/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [“And I have by me, for my comfort, two strange white flowers—shrivelled now, and brown and flat and brittle—to witness that even when mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/and-i-have-by-me-for-my-comfort-two-strange-white-flowers-shrivelled/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [ \[A novel by Henry James\] is like a church lit but without a congregation to distract you, with every light and line focused on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/a-novel-by-henry-james-is-like-a-church-lit-but-without-a/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [In England we have come to rely upon a comfortable time-lag of fifty years or a century intervening between the perception that something ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/in-england-we-have-come-to-rely-upon-a-comfortable-time-lag-of-fifty/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [We must end war before war ends us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/we-must-end-war-before-war-ends-us/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [What good is religion if it collapses under calamity?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/what-good-is-religion-if-it-collapses-under-calamity/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) [Explore all 280 H. G. Wells quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) ## More Wisdom quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) > [“Your mind has the intellect to lift the world, your heart has the wisdom to better the world, and your soul has the genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/your-mind-has-the-intellect-to-lift-the-world-your-heart-has-the/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? 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