---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no more hollow feeling than to…"
description: "\"“There is no more hollow feeling than to stand with your honor shattered at your feet while soaring public reputation wraps you in rewards. That's soul..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_soul-destroying_there-is-no-more-hollow-feeling-than-to_2697538.jpg"
---

#  There is no more hollow feeling than to stand with your…

![“There is no more hollow feeling than to stand with your honor shattered at your feet while soaring public reputation wraps you in rewards. That's soul-destroying.” quote by Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_soul-destroying_there-is-no-more-hollow-feeling-than-to_2697538.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_soul-destroying_there-is-no-more-hollow-feeling-than-to_2697538.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_soul-destroying_there-is-no-more-hollow-feeling-than-to_2697538.jpg)

> ““There is no more hollow feeling than to stand with your honor shattered at your feet while soaring public reputation wraps you in rewards. That's soul-destroying.””

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

## About This Quote

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

Public acclaim can feel hollow when personal honor is broken, leading to inner devastation.

**In simple terms:** External praise can't heal inner loss.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize personal integrity.

Themes

honor reputation inner conflict

Mood

melancholic thoughtful

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- career setbacks
- public scrutiny
- personal betrayal

Key Concepts

psychology social status self‑esteem

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you reconcile public success with private pain?
- Can honor be restored without external validation?

A Different Perspective

The quote may romanticize suffering.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Feeling Stand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-stand-2707130/) [Hollow Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollow-feeling-2707129/) [Honor Shattered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor-shattered-2707127/) [Soul Destroying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul-destroying-792077/) [Stand Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-honor-2707128/)

## Related quotes

> [There is no more hollow feeling than to stand with your honor shattered at your feet while soaring public reputation wraps you in rewards.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/there-is-no-more-hollow-feeling-than-to-stand-with-your-honor/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“It takes courage to stand up for yourself. I stand in honor, and no longer in fear of speaking out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-jane-fisher/it-takes-courage-to-stand-up-for-yourself-i-stand-in-honor-and-no/)

[Catherine Jane Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-jane-fisher/)

> [It's a good feeling to have something to stand for in any part of your life. It's like personal integrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-trak/it-s-a-good-feeling-to-have-something-to-stand-for-in-any-part-of/)

[A-Trak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-trak/)

> [“Being all alone is like the feeling you get when you stand at the mouth of a large river on a rainy evening and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/being-all-alone-is-like-the-feeling-you-get-when-you-stand-at-the/)

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

> [When you've just done it, you're not sure. But when you've sat with it for a couple of hours and you don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-hirst/when-you-ve-just-done-it-you-re-not-sure-but-when-you-ve-sat-with-it/)

[Damien Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-hirst/)

> [“It’s better to stand alone, with honor, than compromise your values to fit in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/it-s-better-to-stand-alone-with-honor-than-compromise-your-values-to/)

[Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/)

> [I somehow make it through the first month. I dress and brush my teeth when they tell me to. And I experience the hollow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-goldberg-sloan/i-somehow-make-it-through-the-first-month-i-dress-and-brush-my-teeth/)

[Holly Goldberg Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-goldberg-sloan/)

> [“That night I was alone in my room with the lights off. The radio was on and I was staring at the ceiling. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-echols/that-night-i-was-alone-in-my-room-with-the-lights-off-the-radio-was/)

[Damien Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-echols/)

> [There's a fine line between character building and soul destroying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/there-s-a-fine-line-between-character-building-and-soul-destroying/)

[Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/)

> ['Wonderland' was incredible, but 'Once Upon A Time,' I found it quite soul-destroying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-socha/wonderland-was-incredible-but-once-upon-a-time-i-found-it-quite-soul/)

[Michael Socha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-socha/)

> [I'm not much of a crier but it is mildly soul-destroying and exposing to do something physical that you are terrible at in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-blunt/i-m-not-much-of-a-crier-but-it-is-mildly-soul-destroying-and-exposing/)

[Emily Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-blunt/)

> [I never had a spirit-breaking, soul-destroying religion drummed into me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/i-never-had-a-spirit-breaking-soul-destroying-religion-drummed-into-me/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [I can think of nothing more soul destroying in life than to persist in trying to do a thing you want desperately to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-can-think-of-nothing-more-soul-destroying-in-life-than-to-persist/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [Love, even of the most ardent and soul-destroying kind, is never caught by the lens of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-maxwell/love-even-of-the-most-ardent-and-soul-destroying-kind-is-never-caught/)

[William Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-maxwell/)

> [Reading nice stuff about you is lovely, but I know it's going to be soul-destroying when you do something that everyone is tearing apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mackay/reading-nice-stuff-about-you-is-lovely-but-i-know-it-s-going-to-be/)

[George MacKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mackay/)

## More by Lois McMaster Bujold

> [What you are is a question only you can answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/what-you-are-is-a-question-only-you-can-answer/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [Never do yourself, what you can con professionals into doing for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/never-do-yourself-what-you-can-con-professionals-into-doing-for-you/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“It reminded him of that definition of his father's. A weapon is a device for making your enemy change his mind. The mind was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/it-reminded-him-of-that-definition-of-his-father-s-a-weapon-is-a/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“I was imagining the most bizarre things befalling you.” “Did they include a six-hundred-pound ice bear and a pirate poet?” “No…” “Then they weren’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-was-imagining-the-most-bizarre-things-befalling-you-did-they/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [There is a sad disconnectedness that overcomes a library when its owner is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/there-is-a-sad-disconnectedness-that-overcomes-a-library-when-its/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“No, amusing me only, I wonder if they realize how they are used?" "Not a bit. They think they are the emperors of creation."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/no-amusing-me-only-i-wonder-if-they-realize-how-they-are-used-not-a/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“You bastards are on the top of Imperial Lord Auditor Miles Vorkosigan's very own shit list now, you bet. But under what name? Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/you-bastards-are-on-the-top-of-imperial-lord-auditor-miles-vorkosigan/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“Anyway, if the Cetagandans really wanted to assassinate you, they'd hardly do it here. They'd slip something subtle under your skin that wouldn't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/anyway-if-the-cetagandans-really-wanted-to-assassinate-you-they-d/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [Endure pain, find joy, and make your own meaning, because the universe certainly isn't going to supply it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-meaning-because-the-universe/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [Your Reverence, I do not hate any man in this world enough to inflict the results of my prayers upon him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/your-reverence-i-do-not-hate-any-man-in-this-world-enough-to-inflict/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“I always thought my parents could fix anything. Now it's my turn. Dear God, how did this happen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-always-thought-my-parents-could-fix-anything-now-it-s-my-turn-dear/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“I think it is not so much the growth of virtue, as simply the replacement of prior vices with an addiction to one’s god.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-think-it-is-not-so-much-the-growth-of-virtue-as-simply-the/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“Mark’s ideas tended to the bland, and there was no point in asking Miles, whose embittered suggestions all ran to things like Vomit Vanilla…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/mark-s-ideas-tended-to-the-bland-and-there-was-no-point-in-asking/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/the-dead-cannot-cry-out-for-justice-it-is-a-duty-of-the-living-to-do/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“Gardens were meant to be seen, smelled, walked through, grubbed in. A hundred objective measurements didn't sum the worth of a garden; only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/gardens-were-meant-to-be-seen-smelled-walked-through-grubbed-in-a/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

[Explore all 392 Lois McMaster Bujold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

## More Soul Destroying quotes

> [Reading nice stuff about you is lovely, but I know it's going to be soul-destroying when you do something that everyone is tearing apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mackay/reading-nice-stuff-about-you-is-lovely-but-i-know-it-s-going-to-be/)

[George MacKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mackay/)

> [Love, even of the most ardent and soul-destroying kind, is never caught by the lens of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-maxwell/love-even-of-the-most-ardent-and-soul-destroying-kind-is-never-caught/)

[William Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-maxwell/)

> [I can think of nothing more soul destroying in life than to persist in trying to do a thing you want desperately to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-can-think-of-nothing-more-soul-destroying-in-life-than-to-persist/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [I never had a spirit-breaking, soul-destroying religion drummed into me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/i-never-had-a-spirit-breaking-soul-destroying-religion-drummed-into-me/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [I'm not much of a crier but it is mildly soul-destroying and exposing to do something physical that you are terrible at in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-blunt/i-m-not-much-of-a-crier-but-it-is-mildly-soul-destroying-and-exposing/)

[Emily Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-blunt/)

> ['Wonderland' was incredible, but 'Once Upon A Time,' I found it quite soul-destroying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-socha/wonderland-was-incredible-but-once-upon-a-time-i-found-it-quite-soul/)

[Michael Socha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-socha/)

> [There's a fine line between character building and soul destroying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/there-s-a-fine-line-between-character-building-and-soul-destroying/)

[Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/)

> [It's grueling never knowing if the audience is going to think you're funny. It's soul-destroying when they don't laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-vaughn/it-s-grueling-never-knowing-if-the-audience-is-going-to-think-you-re/)

[Vince Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-vaughn/)

> [It is soul-destroying to have your work and physical appearance picked to pieces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/it-is-soul-destroying-to-have-your-work-and-physical-appearance/)

[Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/)

> [That soul-destroying, meaningless, mechanical, moronic work is an insult to human nature which must necessarily and inevitably produce either escapism or aggression, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-f-schumacher/that-soul-destroying-meaningless-mechanical-moronic-work-is-an-insult/)

[E. F. Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-f-schumacher/)

> [“For a man, few things can compare to the act of a woman surrendering herself and giving herself completely to him. It follows then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-k-p-o-neill/for-a-man-few-things-can-compare-to-the-act-of-a-woman-surrendering/)

[Shane K.P. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-k-p-o-neill/)

> [The wind is the appalling enemy. It is mind-destroying, physically-destroying, soul-destroying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bonington/the-wind-is-the-appalling-enemy-it-is-mind-destroying-physically/)

[Chris Bonington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bonington/)

> [The movie industry is brutal. It is dangerous. It is, for most, soul destroying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-apteker/the-movie-industry-is-brutal-it-is-dangerous-it-is-for-most-soul-2/)

[Ronnie Apteker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-apteker/)

> [For too many of us ease is far more soul-destroying than trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/for-too-many-of-us-ease-is-far-more-soul-destroying-than-trouble/)

[Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/)

> [I love my job - I'm going to keep doing it until I die - but there's nothing more soul-destroying than having to cancel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-fender/i-love-my-job-i-m-going-to-keep-doing-it-until-i-die-but-there-s/)

[Sam Fender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-fender/)

[Browse all 16 Soul Destroying quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul-destroying-792077/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“There is no more hollow feeling than to stand with your honor shattered at your feet while soaring public reputation wraps you in rewards. That's soul-destroying.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lois McMaster Bujold"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/there-is-no-more-hollow-feeling-than-to-stand-with-your-honor-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Soul Destroying"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/there-is-no-more-hollow-feeling-than-to-stand-with-your-honor-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_soul-destroying_there-is-no-more-hollow-feeling-than-to_2697538.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_soul-destroying_there-is-no-more-hollow-feeling-than-to_2697538.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58c/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_soul-destroying_there-is-no-more-hollow-feeling-than-to_2697538.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is no more hollow feeling than to stand with your honor shattered at your feet while soaring public…” — Lois McMaster Bujold",
                "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": "Lois McMaster Bujold",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“There is no more hollow feeling...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/there-is-no-more-hollow-feeling-than-to-stand-with-your-honor-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/there-is-no-more-hollow-feeling-than-to-stand-with-your-honor-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
