---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothingness cannot be defined; the…"
description: "\"Nothingness cannot be defined; the softest thing cannot be snapped.\" — Bruce Lee"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/bruce-lee-430_nothingness_nothingness-cannot-be-defined-the-softes_2325056.jpg"
---

#  Nothingness cannot be defined; the softest thing cannot be…

![“Nothingness cannot be defined; the softest thing cannot be snapped.” quote by Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/bruce-lee-430_nothingness_nothingness-cannot-be-defined-the-softes_2325056.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/bruce-lee-430_nothingness_nothingness-cannot-be-defined-the-softes_2325056.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/bruce-lee-430_nothingness_nothingness-cannot-be-defined-the-softes_2325056.jpg)

> “Nothingness cannot be defined; the softest thing cannot be snapped.”

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

## About This Quote

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

Lee asserts that nothingness defies definition and softness cannot be broken, highlighting the paradox of emptiness and strength.

**In simple terms:** True strength lies in flexibility and emptiness.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate inner stillness and adaptable strength.

Themes

philosophy martial arts flexibility emptiness

Mood

calm inspired

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- meditation
- training drills
- stress management

Key Concepts

Zen paradox resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you apply softness in confronting challenges?
- In what ways does emptiness enhance personal power?

A Different Perspective

Emphasizing emptiness may be misinterpreted as passivity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Defined Softest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defined-softest-5572005/) [Nothingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothingness/) [Nothingness Defined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothingness-defined-3136316/) [Softest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/softest-382141/) [Softest Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/softest-thing-2695216/)

## Related quotes

> [“I wipe at her cheeks with the cuff of my green sweater because it’s the softest thing I can think of. It catches her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/i-wipe-at-her-cheeks-with-the-cuff-of-my-green-sweater-because-it-s/)

[Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/)

> [“The softest thing in the world dashes against and overcomes the hardest; that which has no (substantial) existence enters where there is no crevice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/the-softest-thing-in-the-world-dashes-against-and-overcomes-the/)

[Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/)

> [To unmask the deceit of every instinct for preservation is to procure salvation for humanity in nothingness.. ..Nothingness must be defined as the absense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-blondel/to-unmask-the-deceit-of-every-instinct-for-preservation-is-to-procure/)

[Maurice Blondel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-blondel/)

> [Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This shows clearly the principle of softness overcoming hardness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/water-is-the-softest-thing-yet-it-can-penetrate-mountains-and-earth/)

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

> [“I can feel you staring at me,” he said in the softest wake-up voice I’d ever heard. “I only hope you’re a girl and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-shelly/i-can-feel-you-staring-at-me-he-said-in-the-softest-wake-up-voice-i-d/)

[Piper Shelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-shelly/)

> [Sit with the repentant, for they have the softest hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-nu-aym/sit-with-the-repentant-for-they-have-the-softest-hearts/)

[Abu Nu&#96;aym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-nu-aym/)

> [“Love is the softest rose in the soul's garden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/love-is-the-softest-rose-in-the-soul-s-garden/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [“Women: the softest creatures with the strongest bite.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-m-sanchez/women-the-softest-creatures-with-the-strongest-bite/)

[N.M.Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-m-sanchez/)

> [“Sometimes the hardest shells hid the softest hearts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-hackett/sometimes-the-hardest-shells-hid-the-softest-hearts/)

[Anna Hackett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-hackett/)

> [Music is the softest cushion in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niki-de-saint-phalle/music-is-the-softest-cushion-in-the-world/)

[Niki de Saint Phalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niki-de-saint-phalle/)

> [Trusting God in everything is the softest pillow on which you can rest and the hardest rock on which you can stand firm, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-runwal/trusting-god-in-everything-is-the-softest-pillow-on-which-you-can/)

[Vikas Runwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-runwal/)

> [The softest of stuff in the world, penetrates quickly the hardest, insubstantial, it enters where there is no room...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-softest-of-stuff-in-the-world-penetrates-quickly-the-hardest/)

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

> [“Is he weeping?" said the one with the softest heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-renault/is-he-weeping-said-the-one-with-the-softest-heart/)

[Mary Renault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-renault/)

> [The softest pillow is a clean conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-h-swami-tejomayananda/the-softest-pillow-is-a-clean-conscience/)

[H H Swami Tejomayananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-h-swami-tejomayananda/)

> [A clear conscience is the softest pillow in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-r-narayana-murthy/a-clear-conscience-is-the-softest-pillow-in-the-world/)

[N. R. Narayana Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-r-narayana-murthy/)

## More by Bruce Lee

> [Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear. Make a hairbreadth difference and heaven and earth are set apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/do-not-like-do-not-dislike-all-will-then-be-clear-make-a-hairbreadth/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-great-mistake-is-to-anticipate-the-outcome-of-the-engagement-you/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [The more aware you become, the more you shed from day to day what you have learned so that your mind is always fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-more-aware-you-become-the-more-you-shed-from-day-to-day-what-you/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [The usefulness of the cup is its emptiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-usefulness-of-the-cup-is-its-emptiness/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [My style? You can call it the art of fighting without fighting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/my-style-you-can-call-it-the-art-of-fighting-without-fighting/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [The founder of any branch must be more ingenious than the common man. However, if his achievement is not carried on by disciples of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-founder-of-any-branch-must-be-more-ingenious-than-the-common-man/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [I don't believe in different ways of fighting now. I mean, unless human beings have 3 arms and 3 legs, then we will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-don-t-believe-in-different-ways-of-fighting-now-i-mean-unless-human/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [Be a practical dreamer backed by action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/be-a-practical-dreamer-backed-by-action/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [In order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/in-order-to-taste-my-cup-of-water-you-must-first-empty-your-cup/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [Truth comes when your mind and heart are purged of all sense of striving and you are no longer trying to become somebody; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/truth-comes-when-your-mind-and-heart-are-purged-of-all-sense-of/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [A person cannot forget someone who is good to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/a-person-cannot-forget-someone-who-is-good-to-them/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [The highest art is no art. The highest form is no form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-highest-art-is-no-art-the-highest-form-is-no-form/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [To live is a constant process of relating, so come on out of that shell of isolation and conclusion, and relate DIRECTLY to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/to-live-is-a-constant-process-of-relating-so-come-on-out-of-that/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [I hope martial artists are more interested in the root of martial arts and not the different decorative branches, flowers or leaves. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-hope-martial-artists-are-more-interested-in-the-root-of-martial/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [Art lives where absolute freedom is, because where it is not, there can be no creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/art-lives-where-absolute-freedom-is-because-where-it-is-not-there-can/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

[Explore all 562 Bruce Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

## More Nothingness quotes

> [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [“This book is written in a barren period of loss with an attempt to move forward towards substance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phindiwe-nkosi/this-book-is-written-in-a-barren-period-of-loss-with-an-attempt-to/)

[Phindiwe Nkosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phindiwe-nkosi/)

> [ \[The Community's\] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-guerin/the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give-me-confidence-but-i-derive-my/)

[Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-guerin/)

> [“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/)

> [This isn't a picture filled with wonder and a sense of fun; it's so jaded and crass that I almost wonder if it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-zacharek/this-isn-t-a-picture-filled-with-wonder-and-a-sense-of-fun-it-s-so/)

[Stephanie Zacharek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-zacharek/)

> [Bullies enjoy dark happiness; these are the blank parts that eventually fill their minds with nothingness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-shanks/bullies-enjoy-dark-happiness-these-are-the-blank-parts-that/)

[Emily Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-shanks/)

> [“I was introduced to the void by the rebuffed nothingness. Reddedilmiş hiçlik tarafından boşlukla tanıştırıldım.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-klein/i-was-introduced-to-the-void-by-the-rebuffed-nothingness-reddedilmi/)

[Yves Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-klein/)

> [“ Programs has a temporary results leading to nothingness, and the Gospel the brings the result of Eternal life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommie-scott/programs-has-a-temporary-results-leading-to-nothingness-and-the/)

[Tommie Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommie-scott/)

> [My loneliness...still comes over me sometimes...It's a liminal, lost sensation of having wandered wide, endless boulevards, among rows of orange trees, winter butterflies, seasons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-roth/my-loneliness-still-comes-over-me-sometimes-it-s-a-liminal-lost/)

[Marco Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-roth/)

> [In order that love be fully satisfied, It is necessary that It lower Itself and that It lower Itself to nothingness and transform this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-order-that-love-be-fully-satisfied-it-is-necessary-that-it-lower/)

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

> [When death claim me, no doubt I would walk along by that faint light in the brief instant before being flung once again into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-death-claim-me-no-doubt-i-would-walk-along-by-that-faint-light/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Everything is mostly nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-demarest/everything-is-mostly-nothing/)

[Lynn Demarest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-demarest/)

> [“ I Am! I am—yet what I am none cares or knows; My friends forsake me like a memory lost: I am the self-consumer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-clare/i-am-i-am-yet-what-i-am-none-cares-or-knows-my-friends-forsake-me/)

[John Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-clare/)

> [Things are only mannequins and even the great world-historical events are only costumes beneath which they exchange glances with nothingness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/things-are-only-mannequins-and-even-the-great-world-historical-events/)

[Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/)

> [“Garraty thought that memories were like a line drawn in the dirt. The further back you went the scuffier and harder to see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bachman/garraty-thought-that-memories-were-like-a-line-drawn-in-the-dirt-the/)

[Richard Bachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bachman/)

[Browse all 776 Nothingness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothingness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Nothingness cannot be defined; the softest thing cannot be snapped.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bruce Lee"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/nothingness-cannot-be-defined-the-softest-thing-cannot-be-snapped/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Nothingness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/nothingness-cannot-be-defined-the-softest-thing-cannot-be-snapped/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/bruce-lee-430_nothingness_nothingness-cannot-be-defined-the-softes_2325056.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/bruce-lee-430_nothingness_nothingness-cannot-be-defined-the-softes_2325056.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/bruce-lee-430_nothingness_nothingness-cannot-be-defined-the-softes_2325056.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nothingness cannot be defined; the softest thing cannot be snapped.” — Bruce Lee",
                "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": "Bruce Lee",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Nothingness cannot be defined; the softest...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/nothingness-cannot-be-defined-the-softest-thing-cannot-be-snapped/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/nothingness-cannot-be-defined-the-softest-thing-cannot-be-snapped/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
