Nothing will come of nothing

Cultural  

1. You will gain nothing if you invest nothing. This saying is spoken by the title character in the play King Lear, by William Shakespeare. King Lear is telling his daughter Cordelia that she will gain no favors from him if she does not make elaborate speeches saying she loves him.

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Example Sentences

"Nothing will come of nothing," King Lear told one of his daughters.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nothing will come of nothing, says King Lear, and your humble servant.

From The Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford — Volume 4 by Walpole, Horace

Nothing will come of nothing, speake againe    Cor.

From King Lear by Shakespeare, William