And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
And God saw that the light was good …..Genesis 1.3
And He hath subjected to you the night and the day; the sun and the moon and the stars too are subjected to you by His behest; verily, in this are signs for those who understand.
And all of varied hues He hath created for you over the earth: verily, in this are signs for those who remember. ~ The Qur’an
O life-giving sun, offspring of the Lord of Creation, solitary seer of heaven!
Spread thy light and withdraw thy blinding splendour that I may behold thy radiant form;
That spirit far away within thee is my own inmost spirit.
~ Upanishads
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life ~ Jesus (John 8:12)
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. ~ Jesus (Matthew 5:16)
Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness does not decrease by being shared. ~ The Buddha
The first step that the soul of the faithful man made placed him in the good-thought paradise;
The second step that the soul of the faithful man made placed him in the good-word paradise;
The third step that the soul of the faithful man made placed him in the good-deed paradise;
The fourth step that the soul of the faithful man made placed him in the endless lights
…… Zoroastrian Scriptures
Like to the light of the all-piercing sun
(which is not changed by aught it shines upon)
the soul’s light shineth pure in every place.
~ Bhagavad Gita
Amongst all is the Light. You are that Light.
By this Illumination, that Light is radiant within all.
Through the Guru’s Teachings, the Light shines forth.
~ Sri Guru Granth Sahib
Thou art My lamp and My light is in Thee. Get Thou from it thy radiance and seek none other than Me. For I have created thee rich and bountifully shed My favour upon thee.
The light of the intellect enables us to understand and realize all that exists, but it is only the Divine Light that can give us sight for the invisible things, and which enables us to see truths ……..
It was the Divine Light which enabled the prophets to see two thousand years in advance what was going to take place ……… Thus it is this Light which we must strive to seek, for it is greater than any other.
It was by this Light that Moses was enabled to see and comprehend the Divine Appearance, and to hear the Heavenly Voice which spoke to Him from the Burning Bush.
It is of this Light Muḥammad is speaking when He says, “Alláh is the light of the Heavens, and of the Earth.” Seek with all your hearts this Heavenly Light, so that you may be enabled to understand the realities, that you may know the secret things of God, that the hidden ways may be made plain before your eyes. ~ Abdu’l-Baha (1844 – 1921) – Baha’i
I will love the light for it shows me the way;
Yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.
~ Og Mandino (1923-1996) – writer
What does not transmit light creates its own darkness.
~Marcus Aurelius (121-180) – Roman emperor and philosopher
Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.
~Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) – writer & poet
Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.
~Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) – poet, writer and philosopher
People are like stained-glass windows.
They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,
But when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed
Only if there is a light from within.
~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (1926-2004) – psychiatrist
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
~ Edith Wharton (1862-1937) – writer
Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.
Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) – Anglican bishop and theologian
One day the sun admitted,
“I am just a shadow. I wish I could show you
The Infinite Incandescence that has cast my brilliant image! I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in the darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.”
~Hafiz (Hafez) – 14th century poet
At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
~ Albert Schweitzer (1875- 1965) – theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher and physician
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. ~Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) – Baptist minister, civil rights activist and political philosopher
I am nothing, just a mirror in the palm of your hand, reflecting your kindness, your sadness, your anger. You are the candle that lights the whole world and I am an empty vessel for your light.
~ Rumi – 13th-century Persian poet, Sufi mystic, and Islamic scholar
Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space.
It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether
you are friend or foe.
It gives of itself freely and is not diminished thereby.
~ Michael Strassfield (b.1950) – rabbi
O God, give me light in my heart and light in my tongue
and light in my hearing and light in my sight
and light in my feeling and light in all my body
and light before me and light behind me.
Give me, I pray Thee, light on my right hand
and light on my left hand
and light above me
and light beneath me.
O Lord, increase light within me
and give me light and illuminate me.
~ Attributed to Muhammad
All the darkness of the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.
~ St Francis of Assisi (? – 1226) – mystic and poet