If a book were written all in numbers, it would be true. It would be just. Nothing said in words ever came out quite even. Things in words got twisted and ran together, instead of staying straight and fitting together. But underneath the words, at the center, like the center of the Square, it all came out even. Everything could change, yet nothing would be lost. If you saw the numbers you could see that, the balance, the pattern. You saw the foundations of the world. And they were solid.

Summary

This quote suggests that numbers hold a certain purity and truthfulness that words often lack. It points out that words can be imprecise and distorted, causing them to lose their intended meaning. However, underneath the surface of words, hidden within the numbers, lies a sense of balance and order. The quote implies that numbers reveal the fundamental structure of the world, providing a solid foundation that remains unaltered even as everything else changes. It suggests that if one can perceive the numbers behind the words, they can grasp the essence and patterns of existence.

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