"Foolish men imagine that because judgment for an evil thing is delayed, there is no justice; but only accident here below. Judgment for an evil thing is many times delayed some day or two, some century or two, but it is sure as life, it is sure as death"

Human beings are often deceived by the timing of consequences. When wrongdoing appears to go unpunished, it is tempting to assume that justice is absent or that the world is ruled by random chance. Thomas Carlyle’s observation points out the folly in such thinking, underscoring a profound principle about morality and the workings of justice in the world. He suggests that the apparent delay in the outcome of evil actions is not an exemption from justice but a part of its inscrutable process. People may escape consequences for days or even centuries, but these postponements should not be mistaken for their absence.

Carlyle draws a sharp distinction between the surface appearance and deeper reality. The seeming randomness or “accident” in human affairs, where malicious acts remain unpunished, is only a temporary illusion. The moral universe, in his view, has a memory and a reckoning; retribution may slumber, but it does not forget. This principle serves as a warning to those who would ignore ethical boundaries, reassured by the absence of immediate repercussions. For Carlyle, justice is as certain and unyielding as the fundamental facts of life and death. Time may cloud the connection between action and consequence, but the linkage persists, inexorable and inescapable.

His insight carries an implicit call for patience and faith in the moral order. While the machinery of justice may turn slowly, its operations are ultimately trustworthy. Society may observe the flourishing of injustice and feel despair, but Carlyle counsels against cynicism and resignation. Justice delayed is not justice denied; sometimes, its workings simply require more time than is visible in the moment. His view challenges people to look beyond the immediate, to trust in deeper currents beneath the surface of events, and to remember that ultimate accountings are embedded in the very fabric of existence.