Who Would Know It?

“Sir Thomas More: Why not be a teacher? You’d be a fine teacher; perhaps a great one.
Richard Rich: If I was, who would know it?
Sir Thomas More: You; your pupils; your friends; God. Not a bad public, that.”
― Robert Bolt, A Man for All Seasons.

I am a big fan of Richard Bolt’s play and the Academy Award Winning Movie, A Man for All Seasons.

I have quoted Bolt’s words several times in the Pew before, but a dear friend reminded me of the above the other day especially “Not a bad public that.”

During Lent, I often forget my audience. I wear my discipline on my sleeve seeking approval, otherwise who would know my sacrifice, my service, or my prayers.

This first week of Lent I need to tell myself and “my public” the answer to the question should be: “Myself, my friends, God.”

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About the author

Webb Hubbell is the former Associate Attorney General of The United States. His novels, When Men Betray, Ginger Snaps, A Game of Inches, The Eighteenth Green, and The East End are published by Beaufort Books and are available online or at your local bookstore. When Men Betray won one of the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014. Ginger Snaps and The Eighteenth Green won the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. His latest, “Light of Day” will be on the bookstands soon.