--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is nothing. And you are nothing. She…" description: "\"“ This is nothing. And you are nothing. She took another step, and stumbled. The ground was plummeting downward now. You are nothing. There was a starv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b0/anne-ursu-9493_best-friend_this-is-nothing-and-you-are-nothing-she_1941212.png" --- # This is nothing. And you are nothing. She took another… ![“This is nothing. And you are nothing. She took another step, and stumbled. The ground was plummeting downward now. You are nothing. There was a starving girl. You gave her things and then left her like a beggar on the street, and for what? There was a couple in the cottage. You could have given…” quote by Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b0/anne-ursu-9493_best-friend_this-is-nothing-and-you-are-nothing-she_1941212.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b0/anne-ursu-9493_best-friend_this-is-nothing-and-you-are-nothing-she_1941212.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b0/anne-ursu-9493_best-friend_this-is-nothing-and-you-are-nothing-she_1941212.png) > ““ This is nothing. And you are nothing. She took another step, and stumbled. The ground was plummeting downward now. You are nothing. There was a starving girl. You gave her things and then left her like a beggar on the street, and for what? There was a couple in the cottage. You could have given them something, but you left. And for what? There was a dancing girl in the marketplace. You could have helped her, but you left. And for what? There was a boy and his bird sister. He helped you, and you gave him nothing. There was a swanskin, and you thought it might make you beautiful. There were red shoes, and you thought they might make you graceful. There was a threshold and a magical woods, and you thought they might make you a hero. There was a boy, and he was your best friend. Your father left you. You left your mother. Come , the wind said, and I will blow you away . Come , the snow said, and I will bury you . Come , the cold said, and I will embrace you . Come . Come . And so she did.”” [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator confronts emptiness and missed chances, reflecting on selfishness and the inevitability of loss, urging acceptance of impermanence. **In simple terms:** Life is fleeting; we often miss chances to help. Key Takeaway Embrace compassion before it’s too late. Themes emptiness choice consequence impermanence compassion Mood melancholic introspective Type narrative philosophical When to use this quote - personal crises - charitable acts - relationship decisions - self‑reflection Key Concepts existentialism moral reflection Questions to Reflect On - What would you change if you could redo a missed chance? - How does acknowledging emptiness affect your actions? A Different Perspective May romanticize suffering without offering solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-friend/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Red shoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red-shoes/) ## Related quotes > [It is useless to talk virtue to a starving girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-howard-shaw/it-is-useless-to-talk-virtue-to-a-starving-girl/) [Anna Howard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-howard-shaw/) > [“It's okay. You're going to save me, Miss Maylene." 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Guess she gave you things, I didn't give to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele/i-heard-that-your-dreams-came-true-guess-she-gave-you-things-i-didn-t/) [Adele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele/) > [My parents gave up things for me when I was growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-firmino/my-parents-gave-up-things-for-me-when-i-was-growing-up/) [Roberto Firmino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-firmino/) > [Take everything that you gave. When things were nice. Fake everything. If it makes you feel all right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruthie-foster/take-everything-that-you-gave-when-things-were-nice-fake-everything/) [Ruthie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruthie-foster/) > [I gave up, so what? Things happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naquitta-faith/i-gave-up-so-what-things-happen/) [Naquitta Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naquitta-faith/) ## More by Anne Ursu > [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [Jack believed in something—he believed in white witches and sleighs pulled by wolves, and in the world the trees obscured. He believed that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/jack-believed-in-something-he-believed-in-white-witches-and-sleighs/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [“This is what happens on journeys—the things you find are not necessarily the things you had gone looking for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/this-is-what-happens-on-journeys-the-things-you-find-are-not/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [“A sick-hued darkness overtook Hazel. There was ground, somewhere, and somewhere beyond that there was a palace, and somewhere beyond that was a witch,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/a-sick-hued-darkness-overtook-hazel-there-was-ground-somewhere-and/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [“She hated this place. Nothing made sense. Nothing worked as it was supposed to. 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In her case it took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/you-can-t-just-kill-a-swan-and-wrap-yourself-in-its-skin-you-know-it/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [“The house felt strange. Altered. Like someone had come in during the day and shrunk all the furniture just a tiny bit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/the-house-felt-strange-altered-like-someone-had-come-in-during-the/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [“It would not hurt, after all, to walk into the woods.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/it-would-not-hurt-after-all-to-walk-into-the-woods/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) [Explore all 72 Anne Ursu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) ## More Best friend quotes > [“But my best friend from college was silent for a long time. She, of all of my friends, had seen the parade of sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/but-my-best-friend-from-college-was-silent-for-a-long-time-she-of-all/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [I fell in love with my best friend, but I know that if it doesn't last, it will never be the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-yang/i-fell-in-love-with-my-best-friend-but-i-know-that-if-it-doesn-t-last/) Shelly Yang > [A best friend isn't someone who's just always there for you.Its someone who understands you a bit more than you understand yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/a-best-friend-isn-t-someone-who-s-just-always-there-for-you-its/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Back home I get to see my old friends!(: But they don't understand the change in me and I can't explain it to them...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/back-home-i-get-to-see-my-old-friends-but-they-don-t-understand-the/) [Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/) > [This goes out to someone that was Once the most important person in my life I didn't realize it at the time I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aviation/this-goes-out-to-someone-that-was-once-the-most-important-person-in/) Aviation > [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [Sometimes the right people can make your day. They're called best friends :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/sometimes-the-right-people-can-make-your-day-they-re-called-best/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Here is your third gift from Me once again..I had a fourth gift it was about me making a video telling you how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilbear/here-is-your-third-gift-from-me-once-again-i-had-a-fourth-gift-it-was/) [LilBear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilbear/) > [Our friendship is like a cup of tea¦a special blend of you and me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orebela-gbenga/our-friendship-is-like-a-cup-of-tea-a-special-blend-of-you-and-me/) [Orebela Gbenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orebela-gbenga/) > [When you have the most beautiful best friend in the world what more could I ask for I love you Tay :) you mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick/when-you-have-the-most-beautiful-best-friend-in-the-world-what-more/) [Nick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick/) > [I believe in God, because he is the only thing that kept me going. 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