Quote by Mark Helprin, Winter's Tale
The universe is still and complete. Everything that ever was, is; everything that ever will be, is -- and so on, in all possible combinations. Though in perceiving it we imagine that it is in motion, and unfinished, it is quite finished and quite astonishingly beautiful. In the end, or rather, as things really are, any event, no matter how small, is intimately and sensibly tied to all others. All rivers run full to the sea; those who are apart are brought together; the lost ones are redeemed; the dead come back to life; the perfectly blue days that have begun and ended in golden dimness continue immobile and accessible; and, when all is perceived in such a way as to obviate time, justice becomes apparent not as something that will be, but as something that is.
Summary
This quote expresses the idea that the universe, despite its apparent motion and incompleteness, is in fact still and complete. It implies that everything that has ever existed and will exist is already interconnected and woven together in various combinations. It suggests that all events, no matter how small, are connected to one another, and that seemingly separate entities eventually come together. The quote also conveys the notion that time is irrelevant in perceiving the grand scheme of things, and that justice is not a future outcome, but a present reality. Ultimately, it presents a perspective of the universe as astonishingly beautiful and harmonious.