--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The force behind the movement of time is…" description: "\"“The force behind the movement of time is a mourning that will not be comforted. That is why the first event is known to have been an expulsion, and th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/125/marilynne-robinson-602_expulsion_the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is_2944153.jpg" --- # The force behind the movement of time is a mourning that… ![“The force behind the movement of time is a mourning that will not be comforted. That is why the first event is known to have been an expulsion, and the last is hoped to be a reconciliation and return.” quote by Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/125/marilynne-robinson-602_expulsion_the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is_2944153.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/125/marilynne-robinson-602_expulsion_the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is_2944153.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/125/marilynne-robinson-602_expulsion_the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is_2944153.jpg) > ““The force behind the movement of time is a mourning that will not be comforted. That is why the first event is known to have been an expulsion, and the last is hoped to be a reconciliation and return.”” [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Time’s motion is driven by unresolved grief, with beginnings as loss and endings as hoped reconciliation. **In simple terms:** Time moves because of uncomforted mourning. Key Takeaway Seek closure to heal the flow of time. Themes philosophy grief temporal theory Mood reflective poetic Type existential emotional When to use this quote - personal loss - historical events - creative projects Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does grief shape your perception of time? - What reconciliation do you seek in life? A Different Perspective Not all experiences fit this metaphor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Mourning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mourning/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The force behind the movement of time is a mourning that will not be comforted. That is why the first event is known to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is-a-mourning-that-will-not-be/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“It's wrong to give so much time over to mourning, she tells herself. Mourning and brooding. There's nothing to be accomplished by it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-wrong-to-give-so-much-time-over-to-mourning-she-tells-herself/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [A great many people who spend their time mourning over the brevity of life could make it seem longer if they did a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/a-great-many-people-who-spend-their-time-mourning-over-the-brevity-of/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [“But the time of mourning is always the perfect time for nonsense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-the-time-of-mourning-is-always-the-perfect-time-for-nonsense/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [I will die like a true-blue rebel. Don't waste any time in mourning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hil/i-will-die-like-a-true-blue-rebel-don-t-waste-any-time-in-mourning/) Joe Hil > [“Why not celebrate what you had had rather than spend your time mourning its passing? There could be joy in things that ended.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/why-not-celebrate-what-you-had-had-rather-than-spend-your-time/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“Don't waste time mourning. Organize”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/don-t-waste-time-mourning-organize/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [I think what is probably hard for people to imagine is how wrapped up the 17 years' work on Harry Potter is with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-think-what-is-probably-hard-for-people-to-imagine-is-how-wrapped-up/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [“The force behind the movement of time is a mourning that will not be comforted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is-a-mourning-that-will-not-be-2/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Ruins stood for what was lost, and yet there were beautiful-peaceful, historic, intellectual. Not tragic or regrettable. Lena tried to keep hers that way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/ruins-stood-for-what-was-lost-and-yet-there-were-beautiful-peaceful/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [Don't waste time mourning lost opportunites or missed chances. If it was meant for you, it would have happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-waste-time-mourning-lost-opportunites-or-missed-chances-if-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He spent too much time mourning what could have been and questioning what should be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/he-spent-too-much-time-mourning-what-could-have-been-and-questioning/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [“A time for every occupation under heaven. A time for giving birth, a time for dying; a time for planting, a time for uprooting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-sherwood/a-time-for-every-occupation-under-heaven-a-time-for-giving-birth-a/) [Ben Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-sherwood/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [“...they had lived, they'd lived intensely. But no matter how deeply you live, it comes to this in the end: one of you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-morton/they-had-lived-they-d-lived-intensely-but-no-matter-how-deeply-you/) [Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/) ## More by Marilynne Robinson > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [For our purposes as human beings, the mind is the center of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/for-our-purposes-as-human-beings-the-mind-is-the-center-of-everything/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“I think sometimes there might be an advantage in making people aware how worn and stale these old transgressions are. It might take some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-think-sometimes-there-might-be-an-advantage-in-making-people-aware/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [There are two occasions when the sacred beauty of Creation becomes dazzlingly apparent, and they occur together. One is when we feel our mortal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/there-are-two-occasions-when-the-sacred-beauty-of-creation-becomes/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [My Calvinism persuades me that we are open to God, in the sense that we are not delimited, not organisms with fixed attributes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/my-calvinism-persuades-me-that-we-are-open-to-god-in-the-sense-that/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“You can know a thing to death and be for all purposes completely ignorant of it. A man can know his father, or his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/you-can-know-a-thing-to-death-and-be-for-all-purposes-completely/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [I listen to Bach a great deal. In general I like to listen to hymns and liturgical music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-listen-to-bach-a-great-deal-in-general-i-like-to-listen-to-hymns/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Every writer I know, when asked how to become a writer, responds with one word:Read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/every-writer-i-know-when-asked-how-to-become-a-writer-responds-with/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Faith for her was habit and family loyalty, a reverence for the Bible which was also literary, admiration for her mother and father. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/faith-for-her-was-habit-and-family-loyalty-a-reverence-for-the-bible/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Prayer is a discipline in truthfulness, in honesty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/prayer-is-a-discipline-in-truthfulness-in-honesty/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.’ There are pleasures to be found where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/the-full-soul-loatheth-an-honeycomb-but-to-the-hungry-soul-every/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [I sometimes am discouraged by what seems to be a sort of conventional disparagement of humankind. I think often people feel that they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-sometimes-am-discouraged-by-what-seems-to-be-a-sort-of-conventional/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Now that I look back, it seems to me that in all that deep darkness a miracle was preparing. So I am right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/now-that-i-look-back-it-seems-to-me-that-in-all-that-deep-darkness-a/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“My grandfather once told her if you couldn't read with cold feet, there wouldn't be a literate soul in the state of Maine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/my-grandfather-once-told-her-if-you-couldn-t-read-with-cold-feet/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Cranky old Leviticus gave us—gave Christ—not only “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” but also the rather forgotten “Thou shalt love the stranger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/cranky-old-leviticus-gave-us-gave-christ-not-only-thou-shalt-love-thy/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Explore all 450 Marilynne Robinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) ## More Expulsion quotes > [...No one died from infection under Keen. ...He (Keen) began to chronicle the results in statistical articles. He was threatened with expulsion from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-douglas/no-one-died-from-infection-under-keen-he-keen-began-to-chronicle-the/) [Paul Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-douglas/) > [Israel should have exploited the repression of the demonstrations in China, when world attention focused on that country, to carry out mass expulsions among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/israel-should-have-exploited-the-repression-of-the-demonstrations-in/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [ \[for indicted foreigners\] simple expulsion is not enough (...) they must be arrested immediately, tried using a fast-track procedure, and then expelled to serve… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franco-frattini/for-indicted-foreigners-simple-expulsion-is-not-enough-they-must-be/) Franco Frattini > [Life may unfold chronologically for the body and for bureaucracies that keep track of such things as births, marriages, deaths, visas, tax returns, expulsions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-dorfman/life-may-unfold-chronologically-for-the-body-and-for-bureaucracies/) [Ariel Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-dorfman/) > [It takes courage to have a conscience when you seem to see others getting something tangible out of not bothering to struggle with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/it-takes-courage-to-have-a-conscience-when-you-seem-to-see-others/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [The search for a Jewish national home came about due to centuries of anti-Semitic pogroms, expulsions, discrimination and hate. The Holocaust was simply the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-bronfman-sr/the-search-for-a-jewish-national-home-came-about-due-to-centuries-of/) [Edgar Bronfman, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-bronfman-sr/) > [A lesser moustache, under the impact of that quick, agonised expulsion of breath, would have worked loose at the roots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-lesser-moustache-under-the-impact-of-that-quick-agonised-expulsion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What does it mean then to live with one another? It can be unhappy, it can be wretched, it can be ambivalent, it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/what-does-it-mean-then-to-live-with-one-another-it-can-be-unhappy-it/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [Yiddish, the language which will ever bear witness to the violence and murder inflicted on us, bear the marks of our expulsions from land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-l-peretz/yiddish-the-language-which-will-ever-bear-witness-to-the-violence-and/) [I. L. Peretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-l-peretz/) > [ Violence or the threat of violence \[must\] never be permitted to influence the actions or judgments of the university community. Once it does, the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/violence-or-the-threat-of-violence-must-never-be-permitted-to/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [“Arrest is an instantaneous, shattering thrust, expulsion, somersault from one state into another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/arrest-is-an-instantaneous-shattering-thrust-expulsion-somersault/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [The force behind the movement of time is a mourning that will not be comforted. That is why the first event is known to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is-a-mourning-that-will-not-be/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Women can say anything they want to men, or blacks to whites, with impunity. But strong words in the other direction can bring down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/women-can-say-anything-they-want-to-men-or-blacks-to-whites-with/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [In school, I couldn't see any sense to reading, writing, and arithmetic. Sure, they kicked me out, but for trifles, like continual daydreaming and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-marvin/in-school-i-couldn-t-see-any-sense-to-reading-writing-and-arithmetic/) [Lee Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-marvin/) > [...the fall of man in paradise has always been followed by his expulsion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-fall-of-man-in-paradise-has-always-been-followed-by-his-expulsion/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) Browse all 55 Expulsion quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The force behind the movement of time is a mourning that will not be comforted. 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