Hypocrisy Quote by Hilary Mantel
““hypocrisy, fraud, idleness—their worn-out relics, their threadbare worship, and their lack of invention. When did anything good last come from a monastery? They do not invent, they only repeat, and what they repeat is corrupt. For hundreds of years the monks have held the pen, and what they have written is what we take to be our history, but I do not believe it really is. I believe they have suppressed the history they don’t like, and written one that is favorable to Rome.” Henry appears””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview, 2015, author unknown
The quote criticizes monastic institutions for stifling innovation and shaping history to serve power, suggesting they repeat corrupt ideas rather than create.
In simple terms: Monks are seen as repeaters, not creators, and may bias history.
Key Takeaway
Question authority and seek diverse sources.
Themes
history
power
knowledge
authority
innovation
Mood
skeptical
critical
inquisitive
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic research
- political analysis
- media literacy
- public discourse
Key Concepts
institutional bias
historical narrative
censorship
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence counters this view?
- How can we verify historical accounts?
A Different Perspective
Monastic contributions to art and science are overlooked.
![“History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes [Letter to von Humboldt, 1813].” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cba/thomas-jefferson-43_atheism_history-i-believe-furnishes-no-example-o_491860.jpg)
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