Nothingness Quote by Fernando Pessoa
““I am the nothingness around which this movement spins, the only reason it spins, not that the center exists except in the fact that all circles have a center. I, really I, am the well without walls, but with the sliminess of its walls, the center of everything with the nothingness around it.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: “The Book of Disquiet” by Fernando Pessoa, 1913
The speaker sees themselves as the void that defines motion, the essential center that exists only because circles need a center, embodying paradoxical emptiness and presence.
In simple terms: I am the empty center that gives motion meaning.
Key Takeaway
Embrace the paradox of being both empty and essential.
Themes
existence
paradox
identity
philosophy
Mood
contemplative
enigmatic
Type
philosophical
poetic
When to use this quote
- meditation
- creative writing
- personal reflection
- philosophical discourse
Key Concepts
nothingness
center
movement
self
definition
Questions to Reflect On
- How does recognizing your emptiness affect your sense of purpose?
- Can you find balance between being a center and a void?
A Different Perspective
The concept may be too abstract for practical application without grounding.
![“[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 is always upon nothingness that God is pleased to rear His works. If at any day we accomplish some good here, the glory will certainly be His alone, since…” quote by Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b8/theodore-guerin-54729_accomplish_the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give_7176.jpg)