--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the beginning there was nothing, only…" description: "\"“In the beginning there was nothing, only time. But since there was no one to count the time, there might as well have been nothing. And then there was..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67d/isabel-greenberg-53814_humor_in-the-beginning-there-was-nothing-only_1686480.jpg" --- # In the beginning there was nothing, only time. But since… ![“In the beginning there was nothing, only time. But since there was no one to count the time, there might as well have been nothing. And then there was an egg. Don't ask how it got there, OK.” quote by Isabel Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67d/isabel-greenberg-53814_humor_in-the-beginning-there-was-nothing-only_1686480.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67d/isabel-greenberg-53814_humor_in-the-beginning-there-was-nothing-only_1686480.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67d/isabel-greenberg-53814_humor_in-the-beginning-there-was-nothing-only_1686480.jpg) > ““In the beginning there was nothing, only time. But since there was no one to count the time, there might as well have been nothing. And then there was an egg. Don't ask how it got there, OK.”” [Isabel Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-greenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It humorously suggests that without observers, time and existence are meaningless, then introduces the egg as a starting point of creation. **In simple terms:** Without observers, time is meaningless; the egg begins existence. Key Takeaway Consider the role of perception in reality. Themes existence time creation Mood playful thought‑provoking Type philosophical humorous When to use this quote - contemplation - science - storytelling - creative writing Key Concepts philosophy humor cosmology Questions to Reflect On - What does “the egg” symbolize for you? - How does observation shape reality? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex cosmology. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Beginning Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning-time-303778/) [Count Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/count-time-1010526/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Egg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-egg-1010525/) ## Related quotes > [Love's been here from the beginning of time, and life would be very boring without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-stansfield/love-s-been-here-from-the-beginning-of-time-and-life-would-be-very/) [Lisa Stansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-stansfield/) > [No one from the beginning of time has had security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/no-one-from-the-beginning-of-time-has-had-security/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Be patience with time an egg will walk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-molkwanin/be-patience-with-time-an-egg-will-walk/) [Jimmy Molkwanin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-molkwanin/) > [Be patient. In time, even an egg will walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/be-patient-in-time-even-an-egg-will-walk/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [My wife only has sex with me for a purpose. Last night it was to time an egg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/my-wife-only-has-sex-with-me-for-a-purpose-last-night-it-was-to-time/) [Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/) > [I count all the time on resonance. I call on this, you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/i-count-all-the-time-on-resonance-i-call-on-this-you-see/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [We should count time by heart-throbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/we-should-count-time-by-heart-throbs/) [James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/) > [Of course he would count the time that we'd been two entirely different species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/of-course-he-would-count-the-time-that-we-d-been-two-entirely/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [I've learned that everytime I count the time, it goes so long. But when I ignore it, it passed very quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldyna-threesya/i-ve-learned-that-everytime-i-count-the-time-it-goes-so-long-but-when/) [Aldyna Threesya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldyna-threesya/) > [You can count on time for two things. One is that it will pass. The other is that it will never shut up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-richardson/you-can-count-on-time-for-two-things-one-is-that-it-will-pass-the/) [Bill Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-richardson/) > [“I've been around since the beginning of time, and I’ve never been afraid until I met you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlin-bevis/i-ve-been-around-since-the-beginning-of-time-and-i-ve-never-been/) [Kaitlin Bevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlin-bevis/) > [I've been a Latrice Royale fan since the beginning of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manila-luzon/i-ve-been-a-latrice-royale-fan-since-the-beginning-of-time/) [Manila Luzon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manila-luzon/) > [Men since the beginning of time have sought peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/men-since-the-beginning-of-time-have-sought-peace/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [The 21st of December marks the end of the time and the beginning of no-time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/the-21st-of-december-marks-the-end-of-the-time-and-the-beginning-of/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/a-beginning-is-the-time-for-taking-the-most-delicate-care-that-the/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) ## More by Isabel Greenberg > [“Had they known the difficulties that were to befall them, they might not have been so rash in falling in love. But perhaps there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-greenberg/had-they-known-the-difficulties-that-were-to-befall-them-they-might/) [Isabel Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-greenberg/) > [“Follow your gut, Storyteller, it will lead to your happy ending.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-greenberg/follow-your-gut-storyteller-it-will-lead-to-your-happy-ending/) [Isabel Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-greenberg/) > [“Let's form a secret society…A League. The League of Secret Storytellers. We shall tell all the stories that are never told. Stories about bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-greenberg/let-s-form-a-secret-society-a-league-the-league-of-secret/) [Isabel Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-greenberg/) > [“Had they known the difficulties that were to befall them, they might not have been so rash in falling in love. But perhaps there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-greenberg/had-they-known-the-difficulties-that-were-to-befall-them-they-might-2/) [Isabel Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-greenberg/) > [“Winter is the time for stories, staying fast by the glow of fire. And outside, in the darkness, the stars are brighter than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-greenberg/winter-is-the-time-for-stories-staying-fast-by-the-glow-of-fire-and/) [Isabel Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-greenberg/) [Explore all 6 Isabel Greenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-greenberg/) ## More Beginning quotes > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Every Finish Line is the beginning of a new race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-finish-line-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-race/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) [Adam Imad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-imad/) > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [The only vocal training I had was playing with a tape recorder as a kid, and you know, doing the beginning of the 'Lone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buffer/the-only-vocal-training-i-had-was-playing-with-a-tape-recorder-as-a/) [Michael Buffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buffer/) > [January is the beginning of a new year for us in the Western world. Let us give to God what belongs to him: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/january-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-year-for-us-in-the-western-world/) [Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/) > [In the beginning, if you look at those early label albums of the Chicks, we didn't write all that much. We had an A&R…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/in-the-beginning-if-you-look-at-those-early-label-albums-of-the/) [Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [When there is a mission before you, you see it from its beginning to its conclusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-white/when-there-is-a-mission-before-you-you-see-it-from-its-beginning-to/) [Jesse White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-white/) > [When God made the world, all things began with him. Life, death, it all began when he said so. That includes you and me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manae-poet-of-carisis/when-god-made-the-world-all-things-began-with-him-life-death-it-all/) [Manae Poet Of Carisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manae-poet-of-carisis/) > [From the beginning at Intel, we planned on being big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-noyce/from-the-beginning-at-intel-we-planned-on-being-big/) [Robert Noyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-noyce/) > [In the very beginning, Yelp started as a service where we really didn't think people would write reviews for fun. The whole concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/in-the-very-beginning-yelp-started-as-a-service-where-we-really-didn/) [Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/) > [Some projects feel like the stars are aligning for them from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-smith/some-projects-feel-like-the-stars-are-aligning-for-them-from-the-very/) [Gregory Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-smith/) > [Do not judge me by my beginning, Only by my end, Nor by the path I took, But where it led me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacklyn-h-lucas/do-not-judge-me-by-my-beginning-only-by-my-end-nor-by-the-path-i-took/) [Jacklyn H Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacklyn-h-lucas/) [Browse all 3,566 Beginning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In the beginning there was nothing, only time. 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