--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Black is like a broken vessel, which is…" description: "\"Black is like a broken vessel, which is deprived of the capacity to contain anything.\" — Leonardo da Vinci" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/leonardo-da-vinci-330_black_black-is-like-a-broken-vessel-which-is-d_1809388.jpg" --- # Black is like a broken vessel, which is deprived of the… ![“Black is like a broken vessel, which is deprived of the capacity to contain anything.” quote by Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/leonardo-da-vinci-330_black_black-is-like-a-broken-vessel-which-is-d_1809388.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/leonardo-da-vinci-330_black_black-is-like-a-broken-vessel-which-is-d_1809388.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/leonardo-da-vinci-330_black_black-is-like-a-broken-vessel-which-is-d_1809388.jpg) > “Black is like a broken vessel, which is deprived of the capacity to contain anything.” [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A metaphor describing emptiness as lacking the ability to hold or express anything. **In simple terms:** Emptiness cannot contain anything. Key Takeaway Seek depth over emptiness. Themes emptiness capacity potential creativity Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical metaphorical When to use this quote - personal growth - creative projects - emotional health Key Concepts philosophy artistic expression metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to be “full” in life? - How can you add capacity to your work? A Different Perspective Empty vessels can be filled with purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Miriam realizes she is a broken vessel, pieces of her scattered everywhere. She has been finding those pieces, in their many forms, and bringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myla-goldberg/miriam-realizes-she-is-a-broken-vessel-pieces-of-her-scattered/) [Myla Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myla-goldberg/) > [The only way to keep a broken vessel full is to keep it always under the tap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sunday/the-only-way-to-keep-a-broken-vessel-full-is-to-keep-it-always-under/) [Billy Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sunday/) > [Action, as distinguished from fabrication, is never possible in isolation; to be isolated is to be deprived of the capacity to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/action-as-distinguished-from-fabrication-is-never-possible-in/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [“...he seemed to grasp a deep understanding of the unfolding drama in which he had been caught. He seemed to understand something that few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edwards/he-seemed-to-grasp-a-deep-understanding-of-the-unfolding-drama-in/) [Gene Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edwards/) > [“The Broken Vessel Have you ever been scorched by the hot words of Jesus? Has He ever spoken something so deep into your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-goll/the-broken-vessel-have-you-ever-been-scorched-by-the-hot-words-of/) [James W. Goll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-goll/) > [“John became a broken vessel, and it was pleasing to the Lord. See him—and yourself—yielded, merciful and leaning on the Master’s chest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-goll/john-became-a-broken-vessel-and-it-was-pleasing-to-the-lord-see-him/) [James W. Goll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-goll/) > [“It is difficult to fill a broken vessel, and impossible to fill a leaking one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/it-is-difficult-to-fill-a-broken-vessel-and-impossible-to-fill-a/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [Though we may feel we are "like a broken vessel," as the Psalmist says (Psalms 31:12), we must remember, that vessel is in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/though-we-may-feel-we-are-like-a-broken-vessel-as-the-psalmist-says/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [A broken promise is like a broken heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-broken-promise-is-like-a-broken-heart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Wow. You guys are like a broken record. Don't you ever get tired of the whole 'knock 'em our and drag 'em back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/wow-you-guys-are-like-a-broken-record-don-t-you-ever-get-tired-of-the/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [A broken heart is the worst, it's like broken ribs, nobody can see it, but the pain is unbearable when you breathe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-broken-heart-is-the-worst-it-s-like-broken-ribs-nobody-can-see-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don’t know why I ever helped you.” “Because you like broken things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-don-t-know-why-i-ever-helped-you-because-you-like-broken-things/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [A break-up is like a broken mirror, its better to leave it broken that hurt yourself trying to fix it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney/a-break-up-is-like-a-broken-mirror-its-better-to-leave-it-broken-that/) [Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney/) > [“What do I do now? I didn't think my heart could break any more than it already has. The pieces still inside of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-m-ward/what-do-i-do-now-i-didn-t-think-my-heart-could-break-any-more-than-it/) [H.M. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-m-ward/) > [As it enters the ear, does it come in like broken glass, or does it come in like honey?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-condon/as-it-enters-the-ear-does-it-come-in-like-broken-glass-or-does-it/) [Eddie Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-condon/) ## More by Leonardo da Vinci > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with-a-wash-of-black-because-all/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Nothing can be love or hated unless it is first known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/nothing-can-be-love-or-hated-unless-it-is-first-known/) [Leonardo Da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [An arch consists of two weaknesses which, leaning one against the other, make a strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/an-arch-consists-of-two-weaknesses-which-leaning-one-against-the/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [But to me all sciences seem vain and full of error that are not born of experience, mother of all certainty, and do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/but-to-me-all-sciences-seem-vain-and-full-of-error-that-are-not-born/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [“Time stays long enough for those who use it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/time-stays-long-enough-for-those-who-use-it/) [Leonardo Da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [It is ordained that to the ambitious, who derive no satisfaction from the gifts of life and the beauty of the world, life shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/it-is-ordained-that-to-the-ambitious-who-derive-no-satisfaction-from/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Be a mirror, absorb everything around you and still remain the same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/be-a-mirror-absorb-everything-around-you-and-still-remain-the-same/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Your brain is much better than you think; just use it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/your-brain-is-much-better-than-you-think-just-use-it/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Necessity is a guardian in Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/necessity-is-a-guardian-in-nature/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature because in her inventions nothing is lacking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/human-subtlety-will-never-devise-an-invention-more-beautiful-more/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [People reveal themselves completely only when they are thrown out of the customary conditions of their life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/people-reveal-themselves-completely-only-when-they-are-thrown-out-of/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [To be a winner you must want to win but must know of the chance of losing and must not fear of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/to-be-a-winner-you-must-want-to-win-but-must-know-of-the-chance-of/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Nature is so delightful and abundant in its variations that among trees of the same kind there would not be found one which nearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/nature-is-so-delightful-and-abundant-in-its-variations-that-among/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Wisdom is the daughter of experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/wisdom-is-the-daughter-of-experience/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) [Explore all 664 Leonardo da Vinci quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) ## 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": "Black is like a broken vessel, which is deprived of the capacity to contain anything.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leonardo da Vinci" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/black-is-like-a-broken-vessel-which-is-deprived-of-the-capacity-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/black-is-like-a-broken-vessel-which-is-deprived-of-the-capacity-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/leonardo-da-vinci-330_black_black-is-like-a-broken-vessel-which-is-d_1809388.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/leonardo-da-vinci-330_black_black-is-like-a-broken-vessel-which-is-d_1809388.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/leonardo-da-vinci-330_black_black-is-like-a-broken-vessel-which-is-d_1809388.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Black is like a broken vessel, which is deprived of the capacity to contain anything.” — Leonardo da Vinci", "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": "Leonardo da Vinci", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Black is like a broken vessel,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/black-is-like-a-broken-vessel-which-is-deprived-of-the-capacity-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/black-is-like-a-broken-vessel-which-is-deprived-of-the-capacity-to/#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 } } ] } ```