---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a terrible emptiness in me, an…"
description: "\"There is a terrible emptiness in me, an indifference that hurts.\" — Albert Camus"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/albert-camus-47_emptiness_there-is-a-terrible-emptiness-in-me-an-i_439274.jpg"
---

#  There is a terrible emptiness in me, an indifference that…

![“There is a terrible emptiness in me, an indifference that hurts.” quote by Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/albert-camus-47_emptiness_there-is-a-terrible-emptiness-in-me-an-i_439274.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/albert-camus-47_emptiness_there-is-a-terrible-emptiness-in-me-an-i_439274.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/albert-camus-47_emptiness_there-is-a-terrible-emptiness-in-me-an-i_439274.jpg)

> “There is a terrible emptiness in me, an indifference that hurts.”

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A profound emptiness and painful indifference reside within, reflecting existential angst.

**In simple terms:** Empty feeling hurts.

Key Takeaway

Explore purpose to fill emptiness.

Themes

existentialism emptiness indifference

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- loneliness
- depression
- search for meaning
- alienation

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What gives your life meaning?
- How do you confront indifference?

A Different Perspective

Finding meaning may not erase emptiness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Emptiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emptiness/) [Emptiness Indifference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emptiness-indifference-3854980/) [Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [Indifference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifference/) [Indifference Hurts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifference-hurts-3854979/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Terrible Emptiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-emptiness-1261784/)

## Related quotes

> [“I am back in my beloved city. The scene of desolation fills my eyes with tears. At every step my distress and agitation increases.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khushwant-singh/i-am-back-in-my-beloved-city-the-scene-of-desolation-fills-my-eyes/)

[Khushwant Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khushwant-singh/)

> [I stare at the pile of discarded remnants and think of my mother. Did she touch that pillar there? Does her scent still linger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/i-stare-at-the-pile-of-discarded-remnants-and-think-of-my-mother-did/)

[Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/)

> [“To be a mother, after all, was to know the most perfect fullness on earth, followed by the most terrible emptiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-baker/to-be-a-mother-after-all-was-to-know-the-most-perfect-fullness-on/)

[Tiffany Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-baker/)

> [“She grew silent, waded in the shallows, heard the sigh and suck of the water, knew the terrible emptiness of her open hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wallace/she-grew-silent-waded-in-the-shallows-heard-the-sigh-and-suck-of-the/)

[Wendy Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wallace/)

> [I think that's what finally stopped me. I slid right to the edge. My legs were hanging over. And I could feel it too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-z-danielewski/i-think-that-s-what-finally-stopped-me-i-slid-right-to-the-edge-my/)

[Mark Z. Danielewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-z-danielewski/)

> [Smile and others will smile back. Smile to show how transparent, how candid you are. Smile if you have nothing to say. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/smile-and-others-will-smile-back-smile-to-show-how-transparent-how/)

[Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/)

> [“Gazing up at the dark sky spangled with its signs and stars, for the first time, the first, I laid my heart open to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/gazing-up-at-the-dark-sky-spangled-with-its-signs-and-stars-for-the/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [By giving too much importance to fine actions one may end by paying an indirect but powerful tribute to evil, because in so doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/by-giving-too-much-importance-to-fine-actions-one-may-end-by-paying/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Thus each of us had to be content to live only for the day, alone under the vast indifference of the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/thus-each-of-us-had-to-be-content-to-live-only-for-the-day-alone/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [To correct a natural indifference I was placed half-way between misery and the sun. Misery kept me from believing that all was well under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/to-correct-a-natural-indifference-i-was-placed-half-way-between/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [He had opened his heart to the sublime indifference of the universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/he-had-opened-his-heart-to-the-sublime-indifference-of-the-universe/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [I looked up at the mass of signs and stars in the night sky and laid myself open for the first time to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-looked-up-at-the-mass-of-signs-and-stars-in-the-night-sky-and-laid/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“To correct a natural indifference, I was placed halfway between poverty and the sun. Poverty kept me from thinking all was well under the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/to-correct-a-natural-indifference-i-was-placed-halfway-between/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [When misguided public opinion honors what is despicable and despises what is honorable, punishes virtue and rewards vice, encourages what is harmful and discourages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/when-misguided-public-opinion-honors-what-is-despicable-and-despises/)

[Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/)

> [What's wrong with death sir? What are we so mortally afraid of? Why can't we treat death with a certain amount of humanity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/what-s-wrong-with-death-sir-what-are-we-so-mortally-afraid-of-why-can/)

[Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/)

## More by Albert Camus

> [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Being is good, but getting rich is better… If the gods had only the riches of men's adoration, they would be as poor as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/being-is-good-but-getting-rich-is-better-if-the-gods-had-only-the/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“Having been, not only mutilated in our country, wounded in our very flesh, but also divested of our most beautiful images, for you gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/having-been-not-only-mutilated-in-our-country-wounded-in-our-very/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [I've seen of enough of people who die for an idea. I don't believe in heroism; I know it's easy and I've learned it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-ve-seen-of-enough-of-people-who-die-for-an-idea-i-don-t-believe-in/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [The best are led to make greater demands upon themselves. As for those who succumb, they did not deserve to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-best-are-led-to-make-greater-demands-upon-themselves-as-for-those/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“Then he asked me if I wasn’t interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/then-he-asked-me-if-i-wasn-t-interested-in-a-change-of-life-i-said/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Life is meaningless, but worth living, provided you recognize it's meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/life-is-meaningless-but-worth-living-provided-you-recognize-it-s/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Thinking of the future, establishing aims for oneself, having preferences-all this presupposes a belief in freedom, even if one occasionally ascertains that one doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/thinking-of-the-future-establishing-aims-for-oneself-having/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-explained-to-him-however-that-my-nature-was-such-that-my-physical/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-only-way-to-deal-with-an-unfree-world-is-to-become-so-absolutely/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“We love people not because for good they did for us, but for good we did for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-love-people-not-because-for-good-they-did-for-us-but-for-good-we/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [You have so much inside you, and the noblest happiness of all. Don’t just wait for a man to come along. That’s the mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/you-have-so-much-inside-you-and-the-noblest-happiness-of-all-don-t/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [The desire for possession is insatiable, to such a point that it can survive even love itself. To love, therefore, is to sterilize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-desire-for-possession-is-insatiable-to-such-a-point-that-it-can/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

[Explore all 1,600 Albert Camus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

## More Emptiness quotes

> [Tell the truth about your wound, and then you will get a truthful picture of the remedy to apply to it. Don't pack whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/tell-the-truth-about-your-wound-and-then-you-will-get-a-truthful/)

[Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/)

> [Go into emptiness, strike voids, bypass what he defends hit him where he does not expect you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/go-into-emptiness-strike-voids-bypass-what-he-defends-hit-him-where/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“I've decided that has been the great achievement of our age: to so thoroughly flood the planet with megabits that every image and fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/i-ve-decided-that-has-been-the-great-achievement-of-our-age-to-so/)

[Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/)

> [“ Desolation would not be the proper word to describe his feelings now; it was more the sense of emptiness he imagined he might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shusaku-endo/desolation-would-not-be-the-proper-word-to-describe-his-feelings-now/)

[Shusaku Endo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shusaku-endo/)

> [“those of little merit would not even have doubts about this doctrine of emptiness. even suspicion that objects are empty wrecks the seeds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aryadeva/those-of-little-merit-would-not-even-have-doubts-about-this-doctrine/)

[aryadeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aryadeva/)

> [Anyone whose goal is 'something higher' must expect someday to suffer vertigo. What is vertigo? Fear of falling? No, Vertigo is something other than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/anyone-whose-goal-is-something-higher-must-expect-someday-to-suffer-2/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“I close my eyes and I let my body shut itself down and I let my mind wander. It wanders to a familiar place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/i-close-my-eyes-and-i-let-my-body-shut-itself-down-and-i-let-my-mind/)

[James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/)

> [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“Only the thirsty knows the real taste of water; only the lonely knows the real weight of emptiness!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/only-the-thirsty-knows-the-real-taste-of-water-only-the-lonely-knows/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [What I was trying to convey there was the kind of waste land that was left after the war. It was a bit like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-martin/what-i-was-trying-to-convey-there-was-the-kind-of-waste-land-that-was/)

[George Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-martin/)

> [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/)

[Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/)

> [But what was there to say? Only that there were tears. Only that Quietness and Emptiness fitted together like stacked spoons. Only that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/but-what-was-there-to-say-only-that-there-were-tears-only-that/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [I got this emptiness inside that got me fighting for approval because I missed out on my daddy saying, Way to Go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/i-got-this-emptiness-inside-that-got-me-fighting-for-approval-because/)

[Lecrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/)

> [“As we see it, space is possible only when the primordial Being swallows emptiness. Space is born when the Being accepts emptiness, the Nonbeing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/as-we-see-it-space-is-possible-only-when-the-primordial-being/)

[Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/)

[Browse all 1,374 Emptiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emptiness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There is a terrible emptiness in me, an indifference that hurts.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Albert Camus"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-is-a-terrible-emptiness-in-me-an-indifference-that-hurts/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Emptiness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-is-a-terrible-emptiness-in-me-an-indifference-that-hurts/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/albert-camus-47_emptiness_there-is-a-terrible-emptiness-in-me-an-i_439274.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/albert-camus-47_emptiness_there-is-a-terrible-emptiness-in-me-an-i_439274.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/albert-camus-47_emptiness_there-is-a-terrible-emptiness-in-me-an-i_439274.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is a terrible emptiness in me, an indifference that hurts.” — Albert Camus",
                "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": "Albert Camus",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There is a terrible emptiness in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-is-a-terrible-emptiness-in-me-an-indifference-that-hurts/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-is-a-terrible-emptiness-in-me-an-indifference-that-hurts/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
