a certain something

2.Vanity.90. Anyone who wants to appreciate man's vanity to the full need only reflect on the causes and effects of love. The cause is a je ne sais quoi (Corneille) and its effects are appalling. The je ne sais quoi, which is such a tiny thing that we cannot even recognize it, rocks the world, thrones, armies, the whole of creation to their foundation.
The nose of Cleopatra: if it had been shorter, the face of the earth would have changed.
- Pascal, Pensees.