with everything to prove

[lauraguan]

I was a nothing and a nobody with everything to prove.

What does 'with everything to prove' mean?

Thanks!

 

[Raymott]

I was a nothing and a nobody with everything to prove.

What does 'with everything to prove' mean?

Thanks!

This is a person who has accomplished nothing. So, they have to prove their worth. They have to prove that they can get a job, earn a living, maintain relationships, stay sober, be a productive member of society ...

The specific things they have to prove are not important though and one could argue about them; the emphasis is on the fact that they have so far proved nothing.

 

[Barb_D]

Without at all disagreeing with ray, I wanted to add that it doesn't necessarily mean that this person had been a failure in life so far, but simply that they had (perhaps) come from a humble background (= a nobody) and hadn't been set up for success to date.