The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman Fate and Free Will Quotes

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Quote #10

The Fates, who certainly all foreknew of these amours of widow Wadman and my uncle Toby, had, from the first creation of matter and motion (and with more courtesy than they usually do things of this kind) established such a chain of causes and effects hanging so fast to one another, that it scarce possible for my uncle Toby to have dwelt in any other house in the world, or to have occupied any other garden in Christendom, but the very house and garden which joined and laid parallel to Mrs. Wadman's; (8.13.1)

Check out fate, messing up everyone's lives once again. Tristram's concept of fate seems to work through cause-and-effect, like it's subject to the rules of physics—or maybe just karma.