Nothing that stirs but has its repercussions

[suprunp]

These, then, in thumbnail, the Lost Characters. The initial few, who, dying, deserted the hub of the castle's life before Titus was three. [...] Titus himself is meaningless without them, for in his infancy he fed on footsteps, on the patterns that figures made against high ceilings, their hazy outlines, their slow or rapid movements, their varying odours and voices.
Nothing that stirs but has its repercussions, and it may well be that Titus will hear the echoes, when a man, of what was whispered then.
(M. Peake; Gormenghast)

Nothing that stirs has its repercussions. ~ Nothing has its repercussions.

Nothing that stirs but has its repercussions. -- Here 'but' must change everything, mustn't it? Could you give me some examples with this kind of 'but', since I simply fail to see how it works here.

Thanks.

 

[5jj]

T
Nothing that stirs but has its repercussions, and it may well be that Titus will hear the echoes, when a man, of what was whispered then.
(M. Peake; Gormenghast)

Nothing that stirs but has its repercussions. -- Here 'but' must change everything, mustn't it? you give me some examples with this kind of 'but', since I simply fail to see how it works here.

As you were told in another forum in which you asked this question, it probably means 'everything that stirs has its repercussions'. As others have said in this forum, Peake was a law unto himself when it came to English. There is little point in attempting to analyse some of his language too closely.

 

[suprunp]

Thank you 5jj!

Peake was a law unto himself when it came to English. There is little point in attempting to analyse some of his language too closely.

This is quite a sufficient explanation. Now I will be sleeping peacefully knowing that the sentence in question falls into this 'not-very-much-analysable' category.

 

[Tdol]

Forget the grammar and listen to the music. ;-)