Etymology

there is no spoon

Today it means: A certain problem or obstacle only exists if one believes in it; therefore, it is possible to overcome it by denying its existence. Full definition →

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The story

From The Matrix (1999), in which a boy appears to be able to bend a spoon with his mind. The boy says: "There is no spoon.", referring to the fact that he and others are actually in a large-scale computer simulation.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.