---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A Paradox, the doughnut hole. Empty…"
description: "\"A Paradox, the doughnut hole. Empty space, once, but now they've learned to market even that. A minus quantity; nothing, rendered edible. I wondered if..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/margaret-atwood-40_doe_a-paradox-the-doughnut-hole-empty-space_1707220.jpg"
---

#  A Paradox, the doughnut hole. Empty space, once, but now…

![“A Paradox, the doughnut hole. Empty space, once, but now they've learned to market even that. A minus quantity; nothing, rendered edible. I wondered if they might be used-metaphorically, of course-to demonstrate the existence of God. Does naming a sphere of nothingness transmute it into being?” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/margaret-atwood-40_doe_a-paradox-the-doughnut-hole-empty-space_1707220.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/margaret-atwood-40_doe_a-paradox-the-doughnut-hole-empty-space_1707220.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/margaret-atwood-40_doe_a-paradox-the-doughnut-hole-empty-space_1707220.jpg)

> “A Paradox, the doughnut hole. Empty space, once, but now they've learned to market even that. A minus quantity; nothing, rendered edible. I wondered if they might be used-metaphorically, of course-to demonstrate the existence of God. Does naming a sphere of nothingness transmute it into being?”

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote uses a doughnut hole as a metaphor for how even emptiness can be commercialized, questioning whether naming something creates reality and suggesting a deeper philosophical inquiry about existence.

**In simple terms:** Even emptiness can be turned into a product, prompting thoughts about naming and reality.

Key Takeaway

Consider how language shapes perception of what exists.

Themes

consumerism philosophy metaphor existence language

Mood

critical inquisitive

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- marketing analysis
- product design
- philosophical debate
- theological reflection

Key Concepts

commercialization semantic creation theology material culture

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to "market" emptiness?
- Can naming truly create being?

A Different Perspective

Naming alone does not guarantee existence; cultural context determines meaning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Doughnut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doughnut/) [Empty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty/) [Empty space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty-space/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-of-god/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Holes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holes/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Minus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minus/) [Nothingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothingness/) [Nothingness Transmute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothingness-transmute-1210404/) [Paradox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox/) [Paradox Doughnut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox-doughnut-1210405/) [Quantity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantity/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Sphere Nothingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sphere-nothingness-1210403/) [Spheres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spheres/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/)

## Related quotes

> [I love just being in the sphere of nothingness looking inwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-harket/i-love-just-being-in-the-sphere-of-nothingness-looking-inwards/)

[Morten Harket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-harket/)

> [There is no fountain of youth, What you put into your body is what you get out of it. You would not feed your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/there-is-no-fountain-of-youth-what-you-put-into-your-body-is-what-you/)

[Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/)

> [You're a cop. I need a doughnut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/you-re-a-cop-i-need-a-doughnut/)

[Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/)

> [Now, have I ever been tempted to break into a Krispy Kreme doughnut store in the middle of the night? Oh, yeah. God help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/now-have-i-ever-been-tempted-to-break-into-a-krispy-kreme-doughnut/)

[Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/)

> [I don't need a receipt for a doughnut. I'll just give you the money, and you give me the doughnut. End of transaction! We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-need-a-receipt-for-a-doughnut-i-ll-just-give-you-the-money/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [I try to work out my mind more these days. I try to eat right. I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-t/i-try-to-work-out-my-mind-more-these-days-i-try-to-eat-right-i-don-t/)

[Mr. T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-t/)

> [ “Fucking delish, I don't care if it's a faggy word, oops, sorry, no offense, sorry again. \[i\]Delish! Criminy!\[/i\] This is like a cookie, it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/fucking-delish-i-don-t-care-if-it-s-a-faggy-word-oops-sorry-no/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [“Should I have a doughnut or my disgusting cardboard?” asked Gwynn, as she drew up languidly before me at a study table in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-amory/should-i-have-a-doughnut-or-my-disgusting-cardboard-asked-gwynn-as/)

[Daniel Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-amory/)

> [“He leaned over, brushed the sugar away from her chin and planted a quick peck on her lips. She pulled back to look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-rossi/he-leaned-over-brushed-the-sugar-away-from-her-chin-and-planted-a/)

[Mila Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-rossi/)

> [Don't look at the hole in the doughnut. Look at the whole doughnut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-rickey/don-t-look-at-the-hole-in-the-doughnut-look-at-the-whole-doughnut/)

[Branch Rickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-rickey/)

> [In year 10 or 11, I used to buy packs of doughnuts for 50p from Morrisons, and sell them for 50p each. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-hus/in-year-10-or-11-i-used-to-buy-packs-of-doughnuts-for-50p-from/)

[J Hus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-hus/)

> [Go along, go along quickly, and set all you have on the table for us. We don't want doughnuts, honey buns, poppy cakes, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/go-along-go-along-quickly-and-set-all-you-have-on-the-table-for-us-we/)

[Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/)

> [Rich people believe "You can have your cake and eat it too." Middle-class people believe "Cake is too rich, so I'll only have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-harv-eker/rich-people-believe-you-can-have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too-middle/)

[T. Harv Eker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-harv-eker/)

> [There isn't a problem on this earth that a doughnut cannot make better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/there-isn-t-a-problem-on-this-earth-that-a-doughnut-cannot-make-better/)

[Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/)

> [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&amp;P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

## More by Margaret Atwood

> [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/)

[margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

[Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

## More Doe quotes

> [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/)

[Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/)

> [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/)

[William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

> [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/)

[Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/)

[Browse all 25,574 Doe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A Paradox, the doughnut hole. Empty space, once, but now they've learned to market even that. A minus quantity; nothing, rendered edible. I wondered if they might be used-metaphorically, of course-to demonstrate the existence of God. Does naming a sphere of nothingness transmute it into being?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Margaret Atwood"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/a-paradox-the-doughnut-hole-empty-space-once-but-now-they-ve-learned/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Doe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/a-paradox-the-doughnut-hole-empty-space-once-but-now-they-ve-learned/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/margaret-atwood-40_doe_a-paradox-the-doughnut-hole-empty-space_1707220.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/margaret-atwood-40_doe_a-paradox-the-doughnut-hole-empty-space_1707220.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/margaret-atwood-40_doe_a-paradox-the-doughnut-hole-empty-space_1707220.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A Paradox, the doughnut hole. Empty space, once, but now they've learned to market even that. A minus…” — Margaret Atwood",
                "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": "Margaret Atwood",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A Paradox, the doughnut hole. Empty...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/a-paradox-the-doughnut-hole-empty-space-once-but-now-they-ve-learned/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/a-paradox-the-doughnut-hole-empty-space-once-but-now-they-ve-learned/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
