We'll leave a light on for you.

We'll leave a light on for you" is widely recognized as a reassuring, hospitable phrase in American English, promising welcome and safe return. In late-20th- and early-21st-century popular culture it became especially familiar through advertising, most notably as a long-running slogan associated with Motel 6 in the United States. Because it functions as a slogan and a common idiom rather than a line traceable to a single literary work or speech, it is often circulated without a definitive author and is frequently labeled "Anonymous" in quotation collections.

The "light" operates as a symbol of guidance, safety, and belonging: even in absence or uncertainty, someone keeps a place prepared for you. The promise implies continuity of care—an assurance that the relationship or refuge remains available regardless of delay. As a slogan, it also compresses a brand’s promise into an emotional gesture: not merely lodging, but a sense of being expected and welcomed. In broader usage, the phrase can convey forgiveness and patience, suggesting that return is possible and that the door is not closed.

“We’ll leave the light on for you.”