--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Science is still only a candle glimmering…" description: "\"Science is still only a candle glimmering in a great pitch-dark cavern.\" — Mario Vargas Llosa" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_candle_science-is-still-only-a-candle-glimmerin_2882277.png" --- # Science is still only a candle glimmering in a great… ![“Science is still only a candle glimmering in a great pitch-dark cavern.” quote by Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_candle_science-is-still-only-a-candle-glimmerin_2882277.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_candle_science-is-still-only-a-candle-glimmerin_2882277.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_candle_science-is-still-only-a-candle-glimmerin_2882277.png) > “Science is still only a candle glimmering in a great pitch-dark cavern.” [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientific understanding is limited, like a small light in vast darkness. **In simple terms:** Science is a tiny candle. Key Takeaway Embrace humility in learning. Themes science knowledge humility Mood thoughtful philosophical Type essay inspirational When to use this quote - education reform - research funding - public outreach Key Concepts epistemology philosophy of science Questions to Reflect On - How can we expand knowledge? - What role does uncertainty play? A Different Perspective Complex problems need more than light. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Candle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candle/) [Candle Glimmering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candle-glimmering-4000761/) [Cavern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cavern-669357/) [Caverns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caverns/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dark Cavern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-cavern-4000759/) [Glimmering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glimmering-522177/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science Candle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-candle-4000760/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) ## Related quotes > [Man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/man-has-closed-himself-up-till-he-sees-all-things-thro-narrow-chinks/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Something inside me had dropped away, and nothing came in to fill the cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/something-inside-me-had-dropped-away-and-nothing-came-in-to-fill-the/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Can you swim?" said Victor. One of the cavern's rotting pillars crashed down behind them. From the pit itself came a terrible wailing. "Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/can-you-swim-said-victor-one-of-the-cavern-s-rotting-pillars-crashed/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The deepest cavern in the world is the human heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-barron/the-deepest-cavern-in-the-world-is-the-human-heart/) [Laird Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-barron/) > [“It draws you in. You twist your mind into new shapes. You start to understand Caverna . . . and you fall in love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/it-draws-you-in-you-twist-your-mind-into-new-shapes-you-start-to/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“This cavern is below all, and the enemy of all; it is hatred, without exception.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/this-cavern-is-below-all-and-the-enemy-of-all-it-is-hatred-without/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Plunge Deep enough in order to see something that is hidden and glimmering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/plunge-deep-enough-in-order-to-see-something-that-is-hidden-and/) [Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/) > [Torrent of light and river of air, Along whose bed the glimmering stars are seen, Like gold and silver sands in some ravine Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/torrent-of-light-and-river-of-air-along-whose-bed-the-glimmering/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“It was a gracious evening, full of delectable lights and shadows. In the west was a sky of mackerel clouds-crimson and amber-tinted, with long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/it-was-a-gracious-evening-full-of-delectable-lights-and-shadows-in/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [“So many glimmering lights travelling through the universe, the never-ending lifespan of starlight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thalia-kalkipsakis/so-many-glimmering-lights-travelling-through-the-universe-the-never/) [Thalia Kalkipsakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thalia-kalkipsakis/) > [Gone, glimmering through the dream of things that were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/gone-glimmering-through-the-dream-of-things-that-were/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [“He closed his eyes in the languor of sleep. His eyelids trembled as if they felt the vast cyclic movement of the earth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/he-closed-his-eyes-in-the-languor-of-sleep-his-eyelids-trembled-as-if/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [He was beautiful, that was always affirmed, but his beauty was hard to fix or to see, for he was always glimmering, flickering, melting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/he-was-beautiful-that-was-always-affirmed-but-his-beauty-was-hard-to/) [A. S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/) > [“The sky is black, so rich and thick it looks warm. It feels as if I can see for miles into that blackness, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-lion/the-sky-is-black-so-rich-and-thick-it-looks-warm-it-feels-as-if-i-can/) [Melissa Lion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-lion/) > [“A world, a glimmer or a flower? Glimmering and trembling, trembling and unfolding, a breaking light, an opening flower, it spread in endless succession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/a-world-a-glimmer-or-a-flower-glimmering-and-trembling-trembling-and/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) ## More by Mario Vargas Llosa > [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/nothing-better-protects-a-human-being-against-the-stupidity-of/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [I learnt to read when I was five, and I think that is the most important thing that happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-learnt-to-read-when-i-was-five-and-i-think-that-is-the-most/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Death isn't enough. It doesn't remove the stain. But a slap, a whiplash, square on the face, does. Because a man's face is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/death-isn-t-enough-it-doesn-t-remove-the-stain-but-a-slap-a-whiplash/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [The writer’s job is to write with rigor, with commitment, to defend what they believe with all the talent they have. I think that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/the-writer-s-job-is-to-write-with-rigor-with-commitment-to-defend/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [The truths that seem most truthful, if you look at them from all sides, if you look at them close up, turn out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/the-truths-that-seem-most-truthful-if-you-look-at-them-from-all-sides/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [That is one thing I am sure of amid my many uncertainties regarding the literary vocation: deep inside, a writer feels that writing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/that-is-one-thing-i-am-sure-of-amid-my-many-uncertainties-regarding/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Revolution will free society of its afflictions, while science will free the individual of his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/revolution-will-free-society-of-its-afflictions-while-science-will/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [I think if you're impregnated with good literature, with good culture, you're much more difficult to manipulate, and you're much more aware of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-if-you-re-impregnated-with-good-literature-with-good-culture/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Each book, for me, has been an adventure, a period of time dedicated to study, to document certain facts, to traveling, and also to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/each-book-for-me-has-been-an-adventure-a-period-of-time-dedicated-to/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Reading good literature is an experience of pleasure...but it is also an experience of learning what and how we are, in our human integrity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/reading-good-literature-is-an-experience-of-pleasure-but-it-is-also/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [“O comes o te comen, no hay más remedio.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/o-comes-o-te-comen-no-hay-m-s-remedio/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [“they knew what we’re doing for them, they’d kiss our feet. But mentally they are closer to the crocodile and the hippopotamus than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/they-knew-what-we-re-doing-for-them-they-d-kiss-our-feet-but-mentally/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Iraq is better without Saddam Hussein than with Saddam Hussein. Without a doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/iraq-is-better-without-saddam-hussein-than-with-saddam-hussein/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [When I was growing up, the Spanish-speaking world was Balkanized. We were isolated. We didn't know what was happening in cultural terms in Ecuador,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/when-i-was-growing-up-the-spanish-speaking-world-was-balkanized-we/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) [Explore all 166 Mario Vargas Llosa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) ## More Candle quotes > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [I still get nervous about singing. I drink tea with honey and lemon before every concert. And I need to have scented candles in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/i-still-get-nervous-about-singing-i-drink-tea-with-honey-and-lemon/) [Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/) > [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/) [Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [On Hanukkah, the first dark night, Light yourself a candle bright. I'll you, if you will me invite To dance within that gentle light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-gordon/on-hanukkah-the-first-dark-night-light-yourself-a-candle-bright-i-ll/) [Nick Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-gordon/) > [I try to be the clown and court jester and make people laugh. At the same time, you have people in the hospital who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-simmons/i-try-to-be-the-clown-and-court-jester-and-make-people-laugh-at-the/) [Richard Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-simmons/) > [Only by the candle, held in the skeleton hand of Poverty, can man read his own dark heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/only-by-the-candle-held-in-the-skeleton-hand-of-poverty-can-man-read/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Traveling is all very well if you can get home at night. I would be willing to go around the world if I came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-taber/traveling-is-all-very-well-if-you-can-get-home-at-night-i-would-be/) [Gladys Taber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-taber/) > [Go not to the temple to put flowers upon the feet of God, first fill your own house with the fragrance of love. Go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/go-not-to-the-temple-to-put-flowers-upon-the-feet-of-god-first-fill/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“Two ways to be a light for all, is to be a flaming candle or the mirror that reflects it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/two-ways-to-be-a-light-for-all-is-to-be-a-flaming-candle-or-the/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“Some will see your flame and want to blow it out...others will approach with a candle...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenita-vangellis/some-will-see-your-flame-and-want-to-blow-it-out-others-will-approach/) [Lenita Vangellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenita-vangellis/) > [So here I sit in the early candle-light of old age-I and my book-casting backward glances over out travel'd road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/so-here-i-sit-in-the-early-candle-light-of-old-age-i-and-my-book/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [I was eating beans by candle light for a decade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-andre/i-was-eating-beans-by-candle-light-for-a-decade/) [Eric Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-andre/) > [The stars begin to fade like guttering candles and are snuffed out one by one. Out in the depths of space the great celestial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-robert-harrison/the-stars-begin-to-fade-like-guttering-candles-and-are-snuffed-out/) [Edward Robert Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-robert-harrison/) [Browse all 1,033 Candle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candle/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Science is still only a candle glimmering in a great pitch-dark cavern.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mario Vargas Llosa" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/science-is-still-only-a-candle-glimmering-in-a-great-pitch-dark-cavern/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Candle" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/science-is-still-only-a-candle-glimmering-in-a-great-pitch-dark-cavern/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_candle_science-is-still-only-a-candle-glimmerin_2882277.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_candle_science-is-still-only-a-candle-glimmerin_2882277.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_candle_science-is-still-only-a-candle-glimmerin_2882277.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Science is still only a candle glimmering in a great pitch-dark cavern.” — Mario Vargas Llosa", "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": "Mario Vargas Llosa", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Science is still only a candle...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/science-is-still-only-a-candle-glimmering-in-a-great-pitch-dark-cavern/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/science-is-still-only-a-candle-glimmering-in-a-great-pitch-dark-cavern/#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 } } ] } ```