Movie Quote of the Week
“But look now. If we lived in a state where virtue was profitable, common sense would make us saintly. But since we see that avarice, anger, pride and stupidity commonly profit far beyond charity, modesty, justice and thought, perhaps we must stand fast a little – even at the risk of being heroes.”
-Thomas More, “A Man for All Seasons”
I’ve quoted this movie more than once on this page. (If you’ve never seen it, or even if it’s just been a while, I would implore you to sit down and watch it. It’s that good.) In my latest viewing, on the fancy new A/V rig, not only the visuals were enhanced, but also the words sprung forth with greater clarity than ever. And the above quote, when More is awaiting execution in the Tower of London, reminded me so much of our times.
I hope we can all stand fast a little.
I was fortunate to perform in “Man” in high school, back in the late ’60s. It’s full of excellent lines like the above, and, yes, sadly apropos for these days in too many ways.
Molly Ivins did a wonderful piece about the kind of people More talks about (the avaricious, the proud, etc.) claiming they’re acting on the Lord’s instructions. (Can you link to it Adam — it was in today’s local paper so may be recent. VP Cheney’s Christmas card is truly astonishing). She said there was so much of this around, she was worried there might be a “dangerous Lord Impersonater” on the loose. Religion and profit — parallels to our times?