--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because if the whole universe could just…" description: "\"“Because if the whole universe could just explode out of Nothing and then just Be, don't you see that the opposite could also be true? That it is possi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fb/salman-rushdie-153_quote_because-if-the-whole-universe-could-just_1689546.jpg" --- # Because if the whole universe could just explode out of… ![“Because if the whole universe could just explode out of Nothing and then just Be, don't you see that the opposite could also be true? That it is possible to implode and Un-Be as well as to explode and Be? That it's possible to implode and Un-Be as well as to explode and Be? That all human beings…” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fb/salman-rushdie-153_quote_because-if-the-whole-universe-could-just_1689546.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fb/salman-rushdie-153_quote_because-if-the-whole-universe-could-just_1689546.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fb/salman-rushdie-153_quote_because-if-the-whole-universe-could-just_1689546.jpg) > ““Because if the whole universe could just explode out of Nothing and then just Be, don't you see that the opposite could also be true? That it is possible to implode and Un-Be as well as to explode and Be? That it's possible to implode and Un-Be as well as to explode and Be? That all human beings, Napoleon Bonaparte, for example, or the emperor Akbar, or Angelina Jolie or your father, could simply return to Nothing once they're...done? In a sort of Little, by which I mean personal, Un-Bang?”” [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## 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 suggests that existence and non-existence are interchangeable possibilities, implying that everything could revert to nothingness as easily as it emerges into being. **In simple terms:** Everything might return to nothing as easily as it appears. Key Takeaway Consider both creation and dissolution. Themes philosophy existence cosmology Mood curious speculative Type philosophical metaphysical When to use this quote - personal reflection - scientific speculation - spiritual contemplation Key Concepts dualism impermanence entropy Questions to Reflect On - What does “nothing” mean to you? - Can we truly imagine a return to non‑being? A Different Perspective The idea challenges empirical verification and may seem abstract. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Explode Possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explode-possible-1041030/) [Implode Explode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/implode-explode-1041032/) [Just Explode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-explode-1041031/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/napoleon-bonaparte/) [Possible Implode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possible-implode-1041029/) [Universe Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-just/) ## Related quotes > [We all need to express ourselves, but a lot of the time, you know, you turn inward, and you actually implode rather than explode.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-lou-wood/we-all-need-to-express-ourselves-but-a-lot-of-the-time-you-know-you/) [Aimee Lou Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-lou-wood/) > [I'll never die. I'll just explode, right there before your eyes, onstage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/i-ll-never-die-i-ll-just-explode-right-there-before-your-eyes-onstage/) [Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/) > [If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and perish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/if-i-could-not-walk-far-and-fast-i-think-i-should-just-explode-and-2/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Sometimes you get an audience that's looking to just explode.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-you-get-an-audience-that-s-looking-to-just-explode/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The fact that New York continues in the face of all of the chaos, of the crime, of the madness, you just think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spalding-gray/the-fact-that-new-york-continues-in-the-face-of-all-of-the-chaos-of/) [Spalding Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spalding-gray/) > [“If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and perish.”––Charles Dickens”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-could-not-walk-far-and-fast-i-think-i-should-just-explode-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You don't have to worry about the future, you don't worry about the past - you just explode.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-don-t-have-to-worry-about-the-future-you-don-t-worry-about-the/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Suppose someone sits down where you are sitting right now and announces to me that he is Napoleon Bonaparte. The last thing I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-solow/suppose-someone-sits-down-where-you-are-sitting-right-now-and/) [Robert Solow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-solow/) > [“Are you a psychiatrist?” “I don’t think so.” He shuffles forward, heading towards a side bay that, as I approach it, turns out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/are-you-a-psychiatrist-i-don-t-think-so-he-shuffles-forward-heading/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“My Princess Layla I cannot express how much I am looking forward to returning to you tomorrow. My heart feels heavy even as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-coulson/my-princess-layla-i-cannot-express-how-much-i-am-looking-forward-to/) [Marie Coulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-coulson/) > [“By common consent the eminent man of the time was Napoleon Bonaparte, the revolution queller, the burgher sovereign, the imperial democrat, the supreme captain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-milligan-sloane/by-common-consent-the-eminent-man-of-the-time-was-napoleon-bonaparte/) [William Milligan Sloane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-milligan-sloane/) > [“ “I’m talking about greatness, about taking a lever to the world and moving it,” Larry Ellison said, walking the grounds of his new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-guthrie/i-m-talking-about-greatness-about-taking-a-lever-to-the-world-and/) [Julian Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-guthrie/) > [“Neurotics, proceed with delusions of grandeur. Napoleon Bonaparte, take the lead. Jesus Christ, bring up the rear. Simulate severe depression. Non-communicative with repressed hostility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/neurotics-proceed-with-delusions-of-grandeur-napoleon-bonaparte-take/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“Never interfere with an enemy while he’s in the process of destroying himself.’ Napoleon Bonaparte”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/never-interfere-with-an-enemy-while-he-s-in-the-process-of-destroying/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [ \[Wise men\] have tried to understand our state of being, by grasping at its stars, or its arts, or its economics. But, if there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/wise-men-have-tried-to-understand-our-state-of-being-by-grasping-at/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) ## More by Salman Rushdie > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If you want to be a serious writer, then you have to write what there is to write about. If you're going to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-want-to-be-a-serious-writer-then-you-have-to-write-what-there/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Después de exigir mi marcha, ya no posees jurisdicción en lo concerniente a mi salud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/despu-s-de-exigir-mi-marcha-ya-no-posees-jurisdicci-n-en-lo/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If there is a choice between absolute safety and freedom, then freedom must always prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-there-is-a-choice-between-absolute-safety-and-freedom-then-freedom/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'd wanted to create a storm so that I could become more famous and richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-d-wanted-to-create-a-storm-so-that-i-could-become-more-famous-and/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“...proving once again that there was no escape from recurrence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/proving-once-again-that-there-was-no-escape-from-recurrence/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [A little bit of one story joins onto an idea from another, and hey presto, . . . not old tales but new ones.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/a-little-bit-of-one-story-joins-onto-an-idea-from-another-and-hey/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm a novelist. Fortunately I don't have to rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-a-novelist-fortunately-i-don-t-have-to-rule-the-world/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The First Amendment defends all forms of speech including hate speech, which is why groups like Ku Klux Klan are allowed to utter their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-first-amendment-defends-all-forms-of-speech-including-hate-speech/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) [Explore all 1,087 Salman Rushdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More Napoleon Bonaparte quotes > [ \[Wise men\] have tried to understand our state of being, by grasping at its stars, or its arts, or its economics. But, if there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/wise-men-have-tried-to-understand-our-state-of-being-by-grasping-at/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [“Never interfere with an enemy while he’s in the process of destroying himself.’ Napoleon Bonaparte”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/never-interfere-with-an-enemy-while-he-s-in-the-process-of-destroying/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [“Neurotics, proceed with delusions of grandeur. Napoleon Bonaparte, take the lead. Jesus Christ, bring up the rear. Simulate severe depression. Non-communicative with repressed hostility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/neurotics-proceed-with-delusions-of-grandeur-napoleon-bonaparte-take/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“ “I’m talking about greatness, about taking a lever to the world and moving it,” Larry Ellison said, walking the grounds of his new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-guthrie/i-m-talking-about-greatness-about-taking-a-lever-to-the-world-and/) [Julian Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-guthrie/) > [“By common consent the eminent man of the time was Napoleon Bonaparte, the revolution queller, the burgher sovereign, the imperial democrat, the supreme captain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-milligan-sloane/by-common-consent-the-eminent-man-of-the-time-was-napoleon-bonaparte/) [William Milligan Sloane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-milligan-sloane/) > [“My Princess Layla I cannot express how much I am looking forward to returning to you tomorrow. My heart feels heavy even as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-coulson/my-princess-layla-i-cannot-express-how-much-i-am-looking-forward-to/) [Marie Coulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-coulson/) > [Suppose someone sits down where you are sitting right now and announces to me that he is Napoleon Bonaparte. The last thing I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-solow/suppose-someone-sits-down-where-you-are-sitting-right-now-and/) [Robert Solow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-solow/) > [“Are you a psychiatrist?” “I don’t think so.” He shuffles forward, heading towards a side bay that, as I approach it, turns out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/are-you-a-psychiatrist-i-don-t-think-so-he-shuffles-forward-heading/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“All told, this leads from going with naive intuition – which was the eventual downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte and Wilhelm II – to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-marshall/all-told-this-leads-from-going-with-naive-intuition-which-was-the/) [Sebastian Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-marshall/) > [Anyone who clings to the historically untrue-and thoroughly immoral-doctrine that, 'violence never settles anything' I would advise to conjure the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/anyone-who-clings-to-the-historically-untrue-and-thoroughly-immoral/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“Sometimes a revolution turns into an actual government, or at the very least an actual way of life that contrasts with days past like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsey-brickl/sometimes-a-revolution-turns-into-an-actual-government-or-at-the-very/) [Kelsey Brickl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsey-brickl/) > [Political scientists have often described Gaullism as a sort of Bonapartism. I myself have occasionally compared Sarkozy to Napoleon Bonaparte.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-gallo/political-scientists-have-often-described-gaullism-as-a-sort-of/) [Max Gallo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-gallo/) > [“It requires more courage to suffer than to die. —Napoleon Bonaparte”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-cheevers/it-requires-more-courage-to-suffer-than-to-die-napoleon-bonaparte/) [Jack Cheevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-cheevers/) > [“History is a set of lies agreed upon. – Napoléon Bonaparte”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-crane/history-is-a-set-of-lies-agreed-upon-napol-on-bonaparte/) [Pamela Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-crane/) > [“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on —it is going on when you don’t have strength. ―Napoleon Bonaparte”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleatha-romig/courage-isn-t-having-the-strength-to-go-on-it-is-going-on-when-you/) [Aleatha Romig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleatha-romig/) [Browse all 25 Napoleon Bonaparte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/napoleon-bonaparte/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Because if the whole universe could just explode out of Nothing and then just Be, don't you see that the opposite could also be true? 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