This is probably my favorite quote of all time. It is the opening lines of a brilliant Chinese book entitled The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It was written about six hundred years ago, but chronicles the Three Kingdoms period in China, around the 2nd and 3rd century B.C. It is a highly recommended read and the characters linger with you forever. It is still required reading in most Asian schools, including Korea and Japan.
The opening lines of the book are wonderful and draw a major parallel to most anything, including the current age we live in.
The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide. Thus it has ever been.
Things that are whole, must divide. And those that are divided, must form again. That is creation/destruction/recreation at its finest. It is one of the most profound statements I have ever heard and entirely symbiotic with nature.