Chapter 31 “I’ve Been Here” (pp. 383-384)
“
Then he heard a voice say: “It was amazing to them to discover they had always been in the garden without understanding it,” and knew for certain that the inside and the outside of everything are always a single, continuous medium. In that moment he believed he could go anywhere. With a shout of elation he attempted to fall forward in all possible directions at once; only to find to his dismay that in the very exercise of this privilege he had selected one of them.
— M. John Harrison
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Then he heard a voice say: “It was amazing to them to discover they had always been in the garden without understanding it,” and knew for certain that the inside and the outside of everything are always a single, continuous medium. In that moment he believed he could go anywhere. With a shout of elation he attempted to fall forward in all possible directions at once; only to find to his dismay that in the very exercise of this privilege he had selected one of them." in the context of "Chapter 31 “I’ve Been Here” (pp. 383-384)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "M. John Harrison" (Sourced, Light (2002): All page numbers from the mass market paperback edition published by Bantam Spectra )
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About M. John Harrison
Michael John Harrison (born 26 July 1945), known primarily by his pen name M. John Harrison, is an English author and critic. He is widely considered one of the leading stylists in modern fantasy and science fiction.
About M. John Harrison
Michael John Harrison (born 26 July 1945), known primarily by his pen name M. John Harrison, is an English author and critic. He is widely considered one of the leading stylists in modern fantasy and science fiction.
View all quotes →