There is a single light of science, and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere.

Asimov’s line frames scientific knowledge as a shared, indivisible human inheritance rather than a set of isolated national or institutional achievements. The “single light” metaphor suggests that discoveries are cumulative and globally transmissible: advances in one place propagate through publication, education, replication, and application elsewhere. The quote also carries an ethical implication—supporting research, open communication, and scientific literacy benefits everyone, while suppressing inquiry or restricting access dims the common light. In this view, science is a cooperative enterprise whose progress depends on networks of trust, exchange, and continuity across borders and generations.