--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ice vs. fire; free choice vs. necessity…" description: "\"“Ice vs. fire; free choice vs. necessity; weight vs. lightness; emptiness vs. meaning...speaking of emptiness, there was a time today when my whole bod..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/sarah-emily-miano-92810_emptiness_ice-vs-fire-free-choice-vs-necessity-wei_2724503.jpg" --- # Ice vs. fire; free choice vs. necessity; weight vs… ![“Ice vs. fire; free choice vs. necessity; weight vs. lightness; emptiness vs. meaning...speaking of emptiness, there was a time today when my whole body felt completely devoid of life and utterly without meaning. A character in one of Edith Wharton's novels says that "the real loneliness comes from…” quote by Sarah Emily Miano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/sarah-emily-miano-92810_emptiness_ice-vs-fire-free-choice-vs-necessity-wei_2724503.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/sarah-emily-miano-92810_emptiness_ice-vs-fire-free-choice-vs-necessity-wei_2724503.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/sarah-emily-miano-92810_emptiness_ice-vs-fire-free-choice-vs-necessity-wei_2724503.jpg) > ““Ice vs. fire; free choice vs. necessity; weight vs. lightness; emptiness vs. meaning...speaking of emptiness, there was a time today when my whole body felt completely devoid of life and utterly without meaning. A character in one of Edith Wharton's novels says that "the real loneliness comes from all these kind faces who only ask one to pretend..." That is how I felt today, waiting anxiously for my afternoon pick-up, only to be let down, and later, facing the world (as if everything was okay inside). ”” Sarah Emily Miano ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emptiness and lack of meaning can overwhelm, especially when external expectations clash with inner void. **In simple terms:** Emptiness feels overwhelming. Key Takeaway Seek meaning in daily life. Themes loneliness emptiness meaning existential Mood somber introspective Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - mental health - creative work Key Concepts psychology self-discovery literature Questions to Reflect On - What gives your life purpose? - How can you confront loneliness constructively? A Different Perspective External validation may not fill internal emptiness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Emptiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emptiness/) [Free choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-choice/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) ## Related quotes > [Emptiness is time when we are all alone with our heart waiting for someone with tears in eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niss-h-agrr/emptiness-is-time-when-we-are-all-alone-with-our-heart-waiting-for/) Niss$h^ Agrr^^@ > [“The whole past, the present, and the future are in the world as potential. Without space, there is no growth and time. Growth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/the-whole-past-the-present-and-the-future-are-in-the-world-as/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“We are dust furrowed by the painful plough of Destiny to give birth to the emptiness of a time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/we-are-dust-furrowed-by-the-painful-plough-of-destiny-to-give-birth/) [Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/) > [The savagery and power of Edith Wharton's ghost stories surprised me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/the-savagery-and-power-of-edith-wharton-s-ghost-stories-surprised-me/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [If Edith Wharton lived in the Age of Innocence, surely we now live in the Age of Deception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-meyer/if-edith-wharton-lived-in-the-age-of-innocence-surely-we-now-live-in/) [Pamela Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-meyer/) > [I live by Edith Wharton's rule to get rid of anything neither useful nor beautiful. So I put the TV out on the street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-bank/i-live-by-edith-wharton-s-rule-to-get-rid-of-anything-neither-useful/) [Melissa Bank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-bank/) > ['The Buccaneers' was an Edith Wharton novel, and she never finished it, and a screenwriter adapted it for television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frain/the-buccaneers-was-an-edith-wharton-novel-and-she-never-finished-it/) [James Frain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frain/) > [“Edith Wharton did have one potentially redeeming disadvantage: she wasn’t pretty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/edith-wharton-did-have-one-potentially-redeeming-disadvantage-she/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [“You'll be amazed how much you have in common with Edith Wharton (who struggled to feel worthy of success), Louisa May Alcott (who badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nava-atlas/you-ll-be-amazed-how-much-you-have-in-common-with-edith-wharton-who/) Nava Atlas > [I live by Edith Whartons rule to get rid of anything neither useful nor beautiful. So I put the TV out on the street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-bank/i-live-by-edith-whartons-rule-to-get-rid-of-anything-neither-useful/) [Melissa Bank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-bank/) > [I love Edith Wharton. And I love old New York. Anything to do with New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/i-love-edith-wharton-and-i-love-old-new-york-anything-to-do-with-new/) [Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/) > [In all my novels, a sense of place - not just geographic but social - is a critical element. I have always been drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/in-all-my-novels-a-sense-of-place-not-just-geographic-but-social-is-a/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) > [ “\[T\]he pain was unspeakable, worse than reading the collected works of Edith Wharton.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/t-he-pain-was-unspeakable-worse-than-reading-the-collected-works-of/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [“I had written short stories that were thought worthy of preservation! Was it the same insignificant I that I had always known? Any one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/i-had-written-short-stories-that-were-thought-worthy-of-preservation/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“She had such control of tone , in her text messages, she was the Edith Wharton of text messaging.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-gessen/she-had-such-control-of-tone-in-her-text-messages-she-was-the-edith/) [Keith Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-gessen/) ## More by Sarah Emily Miano > [“...most art mistakes itself for the universal when it is momentary”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-emily-miano/most-art-mistakes-itself-for-the-universal-when-it-is-momentary/) Sarah Emily Miano Explore all 2 Sarah Emily Miano quotes ## More Emptiness quotes > [Tell the truth about your wound, and then you will get a truthful picture of the remedy to apply to it. Don't pack whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/tell-the-truth-about-your-wound-and-then-you-will-get-a-truthful/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [Go into emptiness, strike voids, bypass what he defends hit him where he does not expect you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/go-into-emptiness-strike-voids-bypass-what-he-defends-hit-him-where/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“I've decided that has been the great achievement of our age: to so thoroughly flood the planet with megabits that every image and fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/i-ve-decided-that-has-been-the-great-achievement-of-our-age-to-so/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“ Desolation would not be the proper word to describe his feelings now; it was more the sense of emptiness he imagined he might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shusaku-endo/desolation-would-not-be-the-proper-word-to-describe-his-feelings-now/) [Shusaku Endo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shusaku-endo/) > [“those of little merit would not even have doubts about this doctrine of emptiness. even suspicion that objects are empty wrecks the seeds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aryadeva/those-of-little-merit-would-not-even-have-doubts-about-this-doctrine/) aryadeva > [Anyone whose goal is 'something higher' must expect someday to suffer vertigo. What is vertigo? Fear of falling? No, Vertigo is something other than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/anyone-whose-goal-is-something-higher-must-expect-someday-to-suffer-2/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“I close my eyes and I let my body shut itself down and I let my mind wander. It wanders to a familiar place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/i-close-my-eyes-and-i-let-my-body-shut-itself-down-and-i-let-my-mind/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Only the thirsty knows the real taste of water; only the lonely knows the real weight of emptiness!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/only-the-thirsty-knows-the-real-taste-of-water-only-the-lonely-knows/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [What I was trying to convey there was the kind of waste land that was left after the war. It was a bit like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-martin/what-i-was-trying-to-convey-there-was-the-kind-of-waste-land-that-was/) [George Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-martin/) > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [But what was there to say? Only that there were tears. Only that Quietness and Emptiness fitted together like stacked spoons. Only that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/but-what-was-there-to-say-only-that-there-were-tears-only-that/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I got this emptiness inside that got me fighting for approval because I missed out on my daddy saying, Way to Go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/i-got-this-emptiness-inside-that-got-me-fighting-for-approval-because/) [Lecrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [“As we see it, space is possible only when the primordial Being swallows emptiness. Space is born when the Being accepts emptiness, the Nonbeing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/as-we-see-it-space-is-possible-only-when-the-primordial-being/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) [Browse all 1,374 Emptiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emptiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Ice vs. fire; free choice vs. necessity; weight vs. lightness; emptiness vs. meaning...speaking of emptiness, there was a time today when my whole body felt completely devoid of life and utterly without meaning. A character in one of Edith Wharton's novels says that \"the real loneliness comes from all these kind faces who only ask one to pretend...\" That is how I felt today, waiting anxiously for my afternoon pick-up, only to be let down, and later, facing the world (as if everything was okay inside). ”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Emily Miano" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-emily-miano/ice-vs-fire-free-choice-vs-necessity-weight-vs-lightness-emptiness-vs/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Emptiness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-emily-miano/ice-vs-fire-free-choice-vs-necessity-weight-vs-lightness-emptiness-vs/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/sarah-emily-miano-92810_emptiness_ice-vs-fire-free-choice-vs-necessity-wei_2724503.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/sarah-emily-miano-92810_emptiness_ice-vs-fire-free-choice-vs-necessity-wei_2724503.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/sarah-emily-miano-92810_emptiness_ice-vs-fire-free-choice-vs-necessity-wei_2724503.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ice vs. fire; free choice vs. necessity; weight vs. lightness; emptiness vs. meaning...speaking of…” — Sarah Emily Miano", "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": "Sarah Emily Miano", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-emily-miano/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Ice vs. fire; free choice vs....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-emily-miano/ice-vs-fire-free-choice-vs-necessity-weight-vs-lightness-emptiness-vs/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-emily-miano/ice-vs-fire-free-choice-vs-necessity-weight-vs-lightness-emptiness-vs/#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 } } ] } ```