---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What’s up?” I said. “Nothing.” “I mean…"
description: "\"“What’s up?” I said. “Nothing.” “I mean what’s wrong?” “My leg is broken.” “Yeah, I noticed.”\" — M.H. Herlong"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/m-h-herlong-33867_broken_what-s-up-i-said-nothing-i-mean-what-s-w_591071.jpg"
---

#  What’s up?” I said. “Nothing.” “I mean what’s wrong?” “My…

![“What’s up?” I said. “Nothing.” “I mean what’s wrong?” “My leg is broken.” “Yeah, I noticed.” quote by M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/m-h-herlong-33867_broken_what-s-up-i-said-nothing-i-mean-what-s-w_591071.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/m-h-herlong-33867_broken_what-s-up-i-said-nothing-i-mean-what-s-w_591071.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/m-h-herlong-33867_broken_what-s-up-i-said-nothing-i-mean-what-s-w_591071.jpg)

> ““What’s up?” I said. “Nothing.” “I mean what’s wrong?” “My leg is broken.” “Yeah, I noticed.””

[M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

## About This Quote

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

A brief exchange reveals hidden pain behind casual greetings.

**In simple terms:** People often mask their struggles.

Key Takeaway

Listen more deeply beyond surface talk.

Themes

communication empathy vulnerability

Mood

thoughtful concerned

Type

conversational empathetic

When to use this quote

- friendship
- customer service
- mental health support

Key Concepts

Psychology social interaction active listening

Questions to Reflect On

- What signs indicate someone needs deeper support?
- How can you create space for honest sharing?

A Different Perspective

Not everyone will share their issues even when prompted.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Broken Yeah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-yeah-4837608/) [Leg Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leg-broken-2084837/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Wrong Leg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-leg-1219998/)

## Related quotes

> [Operating-room errors hold a special terror for patients, if only because they seem like the most avoidable kind of complications. The occasional horror stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/operating-room-errors-hold-a-special-terror-for-patients-if-only/)

[Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/)

> [I had a horrible feeling my leg was broken. If it wasn’t, it had a lot of explaining to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/i-had-a-horrible-feeling-my-leg-was-broken-if-it-wasn-t-it-had-a-lot/)

[Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/)

> [The moment when I broke my leg, when I realized my leg was broken, I thought my career was over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-silva/the-moment-when-i-broke-my-leg-when-i-realized-my-leg-was-broken-i/)

[Anderson Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-silva/)

> [In my lifetime I have broken every law that was ever made by both man and God", he said, "If either had made any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-panzram/in-my-lifetime-i-have-broken-every-law-that-was-ever-made-by-both-man/)

[Carl Panzram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-panzram/)

> [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

> [Don't fix what's not broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-atkins/don-t-fix-what-s-not-broken/)

[Robert Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-atkins/)

> [My life was incoherent to me. I felt it quivering, spitting out broken teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-fox/my-life-was-incoherent-to-me-i-felt-it-quivering-spitting-out-broken/)

[Paula Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-fox/)

> [Broken china lasts longer than unbroken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/broken-china-lasts-longer-than-unbroken/)

[Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/)

> [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/)

[Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

> [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/)

[Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/)

> [Marriage is a desperate thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/marriage-is-a-desperate-thing/)

[John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/)

> [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [You don't want to fix things that aren't broken, so that kind of stops you from make changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-weidman/you-don-t-want-to-fix-things-that-aren-t-broken-so-that-kind-of-stops/)

[Chris Weidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-weidman/)

> [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/)

[Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/)

## More by M.H. Herlong

> [“Sometimes when you read a book or watch a TV show, you see the people and you think, Don’t do that. Don’t open that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/sometimes-when-you-read-a-book-or-watch-a-tv-show-you-see-the-people/)

[M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

> [“Usually when you’re steering a boat, it’s like steering a car – you aim yourself in the right direction and move the tiller a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/usually-when-you-re-steering-a-boat-it-s-like-steering-a-car-you-aim/)

[M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

> [“The thing about life is that it goes on. You wake up and there is the sun like always. There is your own body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/the-thing-about-life-is-that-it-goes-on-you-wake-up-and-there-is-the/)

[M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

> [“I thought that it was possible at a time like that to cry. There was a switch inside somewhere, and a person could just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/i-thought-that-it-was-possible-at-a-time-like-that-to-cry-there-was-a/)

[M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

> [“(After Gerry fell overboard and they set sail) “Dad.” I held my teeth tight. “I guess you forgot. Planning this whole trip, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/after-gerry-fell-overboard-and-they-set-sail-dad-i-held-my-teeth/)

[M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

> [“When you’ve been on a boat for a while, its sounds gets to be like the sound of your own heartbeat. It’s always there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/when-you-ve-been-on-a-boat-for-a-while-its-sounds-gets-to-be-like-the/)

[M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

> [“Ben,” Dad snarled. He was tired. “Life jacket and safety harness. Always. When you’re alone on deck at night, we’d never know if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/ben-dad-snarled-he-was-tired-life-jacket-and-safety-harness-always/)

[M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

> [“Gerry breathed loudly and slowly. “Dylan,” he said accusingly, “that was a sad story.” “Not it’s not. It’s a happy story. It’s about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/gerry-breathed-loudly-and-slowly-dylan-he-said-accusingly-that-was-a/)

[M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

> [“So we cooked the flounder and ate every single bite. It was huge, and we were stuffed. It was worse than Thanksgiving. I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/so-we-cooked-the-flounder-and-ate-every-single-bite-it-was-huge-and/)

[M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

> [“I was letting myself come back to life and it wasn’t good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/i-was-letting-myself-come-back-to-life-and-it-wasn-t-good/)

[M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

> [“I wished we had milk – milk for strong bones. Dylan said he would eat the fish bones if I would quit talking about milk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/i-wished-we-had-milk-milk-for-strong-bones-dylan-said-he-would-eat/)

[M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

> [“The present doesn’t change the past. Is the fact that the past happened enough to make the present good? Is the past real? Was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/the-present-doesn-t-change-the-past-is-the-fact-that-the-past/)

[M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

> [“He was an eleven year old man. -(inside joke)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/he-was-an-eleven-year-old-man-inside-joke/)

[M.H. Herlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

[Explore all 14 M.H. Herlong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/)

## More Broken quotes

> [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/)

[Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/)

> [You don't want to fix things that aren't broken, so that kind of stops you from make changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-weidman/you-don-t-want-to-fix-things-that-aren-t-broken-so-that-kind-of-stops/)

[Chris Weidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-weidman/)

> [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Marriage is a desperate thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/marriage-is-a-desperate-thing/)

[John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/)

> [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/)

[Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/)

> [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/)

[Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

> [Broken china lasts longer than unbroken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/broken-china-lasts-longer-than-unbroken/)

[Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/)

> [My life was incoherent to me. I felt it quivering, spitting out broken teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-fox/my-life-was-incoherent-to-me-i-felt-it-quivering-spitting-out-broken/)

[Paula Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-fox/)

> [Don't fix what's not broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-atkins/don-t-fix-what-s-not-broken/)

[Robert Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-atkins/)

> [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

> [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/)

[Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/)

> [Rome, believe me, my friend, is like its own Monte Testaceo, Merelya marvellous mass of broken and castaway wine-pots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/rome-believe-me-my-friend-is-like-its-own-monte-testaceo-merelya/)

[Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/)

> [Its funny how someone breaks your heart but you still love them with all those broken pieces..!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-funny-how-someone-breaks-your-heart-but-you-still-love-them-with/)

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

> [When we don't get what we want, there's a legitimate grieving, and then the spiritual journey truly begins, because not getting what we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/when-we-don-t-get-what-we-want-there-s-a-legitimate-grieving-and-then/)

[Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/)

[Browse all 5,851 Broken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“What’s up?” I said. “Nothing.” “I mean what’s wrong?” “My leg is broken.” “Yeah, I noticed.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "M.H. Herlong"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/what-s-up-i-said-nothing-i-mean-what-s-wrong-my-leg-is-broken-yeah-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Broken"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/what-s-up-i-said-nothing-i-mean-what-s-wrong-my-leg-is-broken-yeah-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/m-h-herlong-33867_broken_what-s-up-i-said-nothing-i-mean-what-s-w_591071.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/m-h-herlong-33867_broken_what-s-up-i-said-nothing-i-mean-what-s-w_591071.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/m-h-herlong-33867_broken_what-s-up-i-said-nothing-i-mean-what-s-w_591071.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What’s up?” I said. “Nothing.” “I mean what’s wrong?” “My leg is broken.” “Yeah, I noticed.” — M.H. Herlong",
                "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": "M.H. Herlong",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-herlong/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“What’s up?” I said. “Nothing.” “I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/what-s-up-i-said-nothing-i-mean-what-s-wrong-my-leg-is-broken-yeah-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-herlong/what-s-up-i-said-nothing-i-mean-what-s-wrong-my-leg-is-broken-yeah-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
