--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing,\" I said. \"It's quiet. It's like―…" description: "\"“Nothing,\" I said. \"It's quiet. It's like― I don't know. It's like falling off a cliff.\" I laughed. \"I guess my life will just stop when I get married...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/susanna-kaysen-3041_life_nothing-i-said-it-s-quiet-it-s-like-i-do_1258025.png" --- # Nothing," I said. "It's quiet. It's like― I don't know… ![“Nothing," I said. "It's quiet. It's like― I don't know. It's like falling off a cliff." I laughed. "I guess my life will just stop when I get married." It didn't. It wasn't quiet either. And in the end, I lost him. I did it on purpose, the way Garance lost Baptiste in the crowd. I needed to be…” quote by Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/susanna-kaysen-3041_life_nothing-i-said-it-s-quiet-it-s-like-i-do_1258025.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/susanna-kaysen-3041_life_nothing-i-said-it-s-quiet-it-s-like-i-do_1258025.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/susanna-kaysen-3041_life_nothing-i-said-it-s-quiet-it-s-like-i-do_1258025.png) > ““Nothing," I said. "It's quiet. It's like― I don't know. It's like falling off a cliff." I laughed. "I guess my life will just stop when I get married." It didn't. It wasn't quiet either. And in the end, I lost him. I did it on purpose, the way Garance lost Baptiste in the crowd. I needed to be alone, I felt. I wanted to be going on alone to my future.”” [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator describes a profound sense of emptiness and fear of losing identity through marriage, leading to deliberate isolation and loss of a partner. **In simple terms:** Feeling empty and fearing change, she isolates herself. Key Takeaway Recognize when fear drives self‑sabotage. Themes identity loneliness fear of commitment self‑sabotage Mood melancholic reflective Type personal psychological When to use this quote - relationship breakdown - marriage anxiety - personal crisis Key Concepts existential dread psychological isolation Questions to Reflect On - What fears are you avoiding by staying alone? - How does fear shape your relationships? A Different Perspective Isolation can become self‑fulfilling, preventing growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Garance Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garance-lost-3988700/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Married Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married-didn-475990/) [Said Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-quiet-587759/) [Stop Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stop-married-3988701/) [Wasn Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasn-quiet-1757349/) ## Related quotes > [And in the end, I lost him. I did it on purpose, the way Garance lost Baptiste in the crowd. I needed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/and-in-the-end-i-lost-him-i-did-it-on-purpose-the-way-garance-lost/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [I wasn't into making classmates laugh - or any of the comedy cliches. I wanted to disappear. I was a nonentity. I wasn't too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-widdicombe/i-wasn-t-into-making-classmates-laugh-or-any-of-the-comedy-cliches-i/) [Josh Widdicombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-widdicombe/) > [“She wasn’t quiet. Neither was he. While it lasted, they were as close as two people could be. But afterward, she didn’t stay the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruthie-knox/she-wasn-t-quiet-neither-was-he-while-it-lasted-they-were-as-close-as/) [Ruthie Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruthie-knox/) > [Kids used to pick on me because I was quiet, I was an easy target. But I wasn't quiet because I was scared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-thee-stallion/kids-used-to-pick-on-me-because-i-was-quiet-i-was-an-easy-target-but/) [Megan Thee Stallion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-thee-stallion/) > [My friend asked 'Why don't you talk to me anymore?' I said in a whisper 'There's nothing to say..' He said looked in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazzy/my-friend-asked-why-don-t-you-talk-to-me-anymore-i-said-in-a-whisper/) [Jazzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazzy/) > [“Hear that quiet, man?' he said. 'That quiet - just listen. There's your moral.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/hear-that-quiet-man-he-said-that-quiet-just-listen-there-s-your-moral/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [I would do exactly what you are doing: I would talk to everyone I needed to, I would not tell too many people his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-would-do-exactly-what-you-are-doing-i-would-talk-to-everyone-i/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“I will take you from him, Scotlyn," he said with quiet confidence. "I think about you every fucking minute of the day, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-oliver/i-will-take-you-from-him-scotlyn-he-said-with-quiet-confidence-i/) [Tess Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-oliver/) > [As I said, i'm very quiet, i don't go around saying "I'm awesome!" but when I brought in my portfolio into DreamWorks and showed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/as-i-said-i-m-very-quiet-i-don-t-go-around-saying-i-m-awesome-but/) [Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/) > [“I had one too," Daniel said. He was quiet for a minute. "Do you think after Trenton, we could get married and settle down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-despain/i-had-one-too-daniel-said-he-was-quiet-for-a-minute-do-you-think/) [Bree Despain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-despain/) > [“I said, Quiet!" Tiffany was so much startled by this peremptory reminder that she gasped, and stood staring up at the Nonesuch as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgette-heyer/i-said-quiet-tiffany-was-so-much-startled-by-this-peremptory-reminder/) [Georgette Heyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgette-heyer/) > [“You're not beautiful," he said in a quiet statement that made her brow knit. "Why do you look beautiful when you're not?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/you-re-not-beautiful-he-said-in-a-quiet-statement-that-made-her-brow/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“It wasn’t all a lie,’ she said in a quiet voice. ‘The way I felt about you was real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-nicole-bye/it-wasn-t-all-a-lie-she-said-in-a-quiet-voice-the-way-i-felt-about/) [Ashlee Nicole Bye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-nicole-bye/) > [I smell fear, he said with a quiet intensity. But not nearly enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/i-smell-fear-he-said-with-a-quiet-intensity-but-not-nearly-enough/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Excuse me, but I believe you have my lady,” one of them said in a quiet, deep voice that sent veritable chills down George’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/excuse-me-but-i-believe-you-have-my-lady-one-of-them-said-in-a-quiet/) [Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/) ## More by Susanna Kaysen > [I had an inspiration once. I woke up one morning and I knew that it was my task to swallow fifty asprin.It was my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/i-had-an-inspiration-once-i-woke-up-one-morning-and-i-knew-that-it/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [I don't have a whole bunch of literary connections. I don't write reviews or attend writer's conferences. 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Often an entire family is crazy, but since an entire family can't go into the hospital, one person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/lunatics-are-similar-to-designated-hitters-often-an-entire-family-is/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [It's one of the reasons I became a writer, to be able to smoke in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/it-s-one-of-the-reasons-i-became-a-writer-to-be-able-to-smoke-in-peace/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [It's a fairly accurate portrait of me at eighteen, minus a few quirks like reckless driving and eating binges. It's accurate but it isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/it-s-a-fairly-accurate-portrait-of-me-at-eighteen-minus-a-few-quirks/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [For many of us, the hospital was as much a refuge as it was a prison. Though we were cut off from the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/for-many-of-us-the-hospital-was-as-much-a-refuge-as-it-was-a-prison/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Freedom was the price of privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/freedom-was-the-price-of-privacy/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [“People ask, How did you get in there? What they really want to know is if they are likely to end up in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/people-ask-how-did-you-get-in-there-what-they-really-want-to-know-is/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [It was my misfortune-or salvation-to be at all times perfectly conscious of my misperceptions of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/it-was-my-misfortune-or-salvation-to-be-at-all-times-perfectly/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Scar tissue has no character. It's not like skin. It doesn't show age or illness or pallor or tan. It has no pores, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/scar-tissue-has-no-character-it-s-not-like-skin-it-doesn-t-show-age/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [When women are angry at men, they call them heartless. When men are angry at women, they call them crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/when-women-are-angry-at-men-they-call-them-heartless-when-men-are/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [ Disease \[is\] as one of our languages. Doctors understand what disease has to say about itself. It's up to the person with the disease… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/disease-is-as-one-of-our-languages-doctors-understand-what-disease/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [“Asa had a sharp understanding of the future--that is, a time when this would be past. Time was rushing through and around him, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/asa-had-a-sharp-understanding-of-the-future-that-is-a-time-when-this/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) [Explore all 137 Susanna Kaysen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) [Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. 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I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Nothing,\" I said. \"It's quiet. It's like― I don't know. It's like falling off a cliff.\" I laughed. \"I guess my life will just stop when I get married.\" It didn't. It wasn't quiet either. And in the end, I lost him. I did it on purpose, the way Garance lost Baptiste in the crowd. I needed to be alone, I felt. 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