Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

The saying uses a simple physical analogy—one flame lighting many others without diminishing—to argue that certain goods are non-rival: generosity, kindness, and joy can multiply through sharing rather than being depleted. Read in a broadly Buddhist key, it aligns with the cultivation of mettā (loving-kindness) and dāna (giving), where one’s well-being is intertwined with others’ well-being and where wholesome states can spread through example. It also counters a scarcity mindset: happiness is not a finite resource to hoard but something that can expand in a community when expressed, taught, or enacted.

1) “Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened.”
2) “Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
3) “Thousands of candles can be lighted from one candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”