"Nothing to be done," is one of many phrases that appear repeatedly in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Godot is an existentialist play that reads like something of a language poem. The characters say things like "there's nothing to be done" and "it's all over." At first glance, these might seem like simple statements of fact that could not be more wrong. In practice, though, they are ways of acknowledging the limit of human reason and experience. They are all attempts at explaining what happens after you try everything possible to change something that cannot be changed. In short, they are ways of accepting reality. By saying "nothing to be done," Vladimir and Estragon are not denying that there are problems they need to deal with. They are aware of the issue before them and know that something needs to be done about it. But beyond that, there is no other option but to keep on waiting. Vladimir and Estragon themselves realize this; they just want someone else to accept it too.