Thou hast pared thy wit o’ both sides and left nothing i’ th’ middle.
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 1, Scene 4. The Fool comments on Lear’s irrational actions, saying that he has lost his mind and his intelligence. His "wit" or intelligence has been sliced off on "both sides." The sides represent Lear’s daughters Goneril and Regan to whom he has handed his kingdom. And the "nothing" in the middle is Lear, who has no power or land and so is left with nothing.