--- 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 the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/marilynne-robinson-602_behinds_the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is_803069.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. So memory pulls us forward, so prophecy is only brilliant memory - there will be a garden where…” quote by Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/marilynne-robinson-602_behinds_the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is_803069.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/marilynne-robinson-602_behinds_the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is_803069.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/marilynne-robinson-602_behinds_the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is_803069.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. So memory pulls us forward, so prophecy is only brilliant memory - there will be a garden where all of us as one child will sleep in our mother Eve, hooped in her ribs and staved by her spine.” [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. Memory drives both forward motion and prophetic insight, linking past sorrow to future reconciliation. **In simple terms:** Memory pushes us forward and shapes hope. Key Takeaway Honor memory to guide future actions. Themes memory time prophecy reconciliation Mood contemplative hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - grief counseling - historical analysis - spiritual practice Key Concepts philosophy theology psychology Questions to Reflect On - What memories propel you forward? - How can you transform grief into hope? A Different Perspective Memory can be painful and may hinder progress if unprocessed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliant/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garden/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mourning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mourning/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Prophecy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophecy/) [Reconciliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reconciliation/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [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-3/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“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/) > [I had a major motorcycle accident on CHIPs that gave me a 50-50 chance to live. I broke a lot of bones and fractured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-estrada/i-had-a-major-motorcycle-accident-on-chips-that-gave-me-a-50-50/) [Erik Estrada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-estrada/) > [How not to imagine the tumors ripening beneath his skin, flesh I have kissed, stroked with my fingertips, pressed my belly and breasts against,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/how-not-to-imagine-the-tumors-ripening-beneath-his-skin-flesh-i-have/) [Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/) > [When I was 8 years old, I was struck by a car and broke a few ribs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-kapler/when-i-was-8-years-old-i-was-struck-by-a-car-and-broke-a-few-ribs/) [Gabe Kapler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-kapler/) > [This body is yours. No one can ever take it from you, if only you will accept yourself, claim it again--your arms, your spine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hegland/this-body-is-yours-no-one-can-ever-take-it-from-you-if-only-you-will/) [Jean Hegland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hegland/) > [The more I did it-the more it owned me. It made things matter. It put a spine into my spineless life and that spine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/the-more-i-did-it-the-more-it-owned-me-it-made-things-matter-it-put-a/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [But when I look in the basin, among the curdlike blood clots, I see and elfin thorax, attentuated, its pencilline ribs all in parallel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallie-tisdale/but-when-i-look-in-the-basin-among-the-curdlike-blood-clots-i-see-and/) [Sallie Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallie-tisdale/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [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 > [“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 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/) > [“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/) ## 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 Behinds quotes > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, signifying thereby that we must take time by the forelock; for, when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/time-is-painted-with-a-lock-before-and-bald-behind-signifying-thereby/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [God hides Himself behind causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rollin/god-hides-himself-behind-causes/) [Charles Rollin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rollin/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/) [Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/) > [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm really thankful to God, man. Like now, I'm really making a real comeback with my group. With or without a record, with or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ike-turner/i-m-really-thankful-to-god-man-like-now-i-m-really-making-a-real/) [Ike Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ike-turner/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) Browse all 6,789 Behinds 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. That is why the first event is known to have been an expulsion, and the last is hoped to be a reconciliation and return. So memory pulls us forward, so prophecy is only brilliant memory - there will be a garden where all of us as one child will sleep in our mother Eve, hooped in her ribs and staved by her spine.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marilynne Robinson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is-a-mourning-that-will-not-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Behinds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is-a-mourning-that-will-not-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/marilynne-robinson-602_behinds_the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is_803069.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/marilynne-robinson-602_behinds_the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is_803069.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/marilynne-robinson-602_behinds_the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is_803069.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The force behind the movement of time is a mourning that will not be comforted. That is why the first event…” — Marilynne Robinson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Marilynne Robinson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The force behind the movement of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is-a-mourning-that-will-not-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/the-force-behind-the-movement-of-time-is-a-mourning-that-will-not-be/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```