---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How nice -- to feel nothing, and still…"
description: "\"How nice -- to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive.\" — Kurt Vonnegut"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ff/kurt-vonnegut-41_alive_how-nice-to-feel-nothing-and-still-get-f_2489113.jpg"
---

#  How nice -- to feel nothing, and still get full credit for…

![“How nice -- to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ff/kurt-vonnegut-41_alive_how-nice-to-feel-nothing-and-still-get-f_2489113.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ff/kurt-vonnegut-41_alive_how-nice-to-feel-nothing-and-still-get-f_2489113.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ff/kurt-vonnegut-41_alive_how-nice-to-feel-nothing-and-still-get-f_2489113.jpg)

> “How nice -- to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive.”

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

## About This Quote

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

Finding contentment in emptiness while still feeling alive.

**In simple terms:** Emptiness can coexist with vitality.

Key Takeaway

Embrace stillness without losing purpose.

Themes

existentialism nihilism contentment

Mood

reflective calm

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- Meditation
- creative work
- daily routine
- stress relief

Key Concepts

Stoicism absurdism

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “nothing” mean to you?
- How can you stay alive while feeling empty?

A Different Perspective

May lead to disengagement from meaningful goals.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Coma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coma/) [Credit Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit-alive-947123/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Feel Credit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-credit-947122/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nice Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice-feel-947124/)

## Related quotes

> [In a way, I don't feel I get the credit I deserve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-mitchell/in-a-way-i-don-t-feel-i-get-the-credit-i-deserve/)

[Liz Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-mitchell/)

> [I look at my voice and my abilities as a gift. I don't feel that I can even take any credit for it, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-look-at-my-voice-and-my-abilities-as-a-gift-i-don-t-feel-that-i-can/)

[Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/)

> [“You feel, as you always do, what is most to the credit of human nature.  —Such feelings ought to be investigated, that they may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/you-feel-as-you-always-do-what-is-most-to-the-credit-of-human-nature/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“I'm independent and strong, but sometimes...just sometimes, it's nice to be taken case of. It's nice to be made to feel like a lady”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-towle/i-m-independent-and-strong-but-sometimes-just-sometimes-it-s-nice-to/)

[Samantha Towle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-towle/)

> [“Nice to feel you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-jeanisse/nice-to-feel-you/)

[Bella Jeanisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-jeanisse/)

> [It's nice to feel wanted somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-sayer/it-s-nice-to-feel-wanted-somewhere/)

[Leo Sayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-sayer/)

> [If I want to be remembered as anything in this life it's just 'nice'.I feel like being nice to others is the coolest thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troye-sivan/if-i-want-to-be-remembered-as-anything-in-this-life-it-s-just-nice-i/)

[Troye Sivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troye-sivan/)

> [“Nice to feel you.” Scott Mason”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-jeanisse/nice-to-feel-you-scott-mason/)

[Bella Jeanisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-jeanisse/)

> [It's nice sometimes to feel a bit more debonair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-howle/it-s-nice-sometimes-to-feel-a-bit-more-debonair/)

[Billy Howle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-howle/)

> [It's nice to feel like you have more in common with people rather than more differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/it-s-nice-to-feel-like-you-have-more-in-common-with-people-rather/)

[Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/)

> [It's very nice to feel. You're nothing. You're just nothing when you're near a volcano.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katia-and-maurice-krafft/it-s-very-nice-to-feel-you-re-nothing-you-re-just-nothing-when-you-re/)

[Katia and Maurice Krafft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katia-and-maurice-krafft/)

> [It's always nice to go somewhere and to feel that you're part of a new project, to feel that you're part of something new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthijs-de-ligt/it-s-always-nice-to-go-somewhere-and-to-feel-that-you-re-part-of-a/)

[Matthijs de Ligt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthijs-de-ligt/)

> [It's nice to feel that you have a purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-schwarzkopf/it-s-nice-to-feel-that-you-have-a-purpose/)

[Norman Schwarzkopf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-schwarzkopf/)

> [Why dont you slip into something more comfortable¦like a coma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/badbitch/why-dont-you-slip-into-something-more-comfortable-like-a-coma/)

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

> [My journey deep into coma, outside this lowly physical realm and into the loftiest dwelling place of the almighty Creator, revealed the indescribably immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/my-journey-deep-into-coma-outside-this-lowly-physical-realm-and-into/)

[Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/)

## More by Kurt Vonnegut

> [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

[Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

## More Alive quotes

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/)

[Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/)

> [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/)

[Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/)

> [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/)

[Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/)

> [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/)

[David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/)

> [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/)

[James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/)

> [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/)

[Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/)

> [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/)

[Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/)

> [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/)

[John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/)

> [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/)

[William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/)

[Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "How nice -- to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kurt Vonnegut"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/how-nice-to-feel-nothing-and-still-get-full-credit-for-being-alive/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Alive"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/how-nice-to-feel-nothing-and-still-get-full-credit-for-being-alive/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ff/kurt-vonnegut-41_alive_how-nice-to-feel-nothing-and-still-get-f_2489113.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ff/kurt-vonnegut-41_alive_how-nice-to-feel-nothing-and-still-get-f_2489113.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ff/kurt-vonnegut-41_alive_how-nice-to-feel-nothing-and-still-get-f_2489113.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“How nice -- to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive.” — Kurt Vonnegut",
                "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": "Kurt Vonnegut",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "How nice -- to feel nothing,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/how-nice-to-feel-nothing-and-still-get-full-credit-for-being-alive/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/how-nice-to-feel-nothing-and-still-get-full-credit-for-being-alive/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
