"In the beginning there was nothing. God said, 'Let there be light!' And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better"
About this Quote
The subtext is a gentle indictment of how humans confuse illumination with progress. We love the feeling of "clarity" - the bright, reassuring sense that a problem is being addressed - even when the underlying void hasn't changed. It's a gag about modern life as much as scripture: turn on the lights, upgrade the interface, add a dashboard, and suddenly nothing feels like something because it's easier to look at.
DeGeneres's comedic persona matters. Her delivery style trades in approachable understatement, not caustic takedowns. So the line isn't aimed at believers as targets; it's aimed at certainty itself. By treating God's first miracle as a cosmetic improvement, she makes room for skepticism without demanding it, offering a secular wink: the universe may be incomprehensible, but at least we can improve the visibility of our confusion.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
DeGeneres, Ellen. (2026, January 15). In the beginning there was nothing. God said, 'Let there be light!' And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-the-beginning-there-was-nothing-god-said-let-73060/
Chicago Style
DeGeneres, Ellen. "In the beginning there was nothing. God said, 'Let there be light!' And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-the-beginning-there-was-nothing-god-said-let-73060/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"In the beginning there was nothing. God said, 'Let there be light!' And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-the-beginning-there-was-nothing-god-said-let-73060/. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.







