--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...maybe I am just your priest - or a…" description: "\"“...maybe I am just your priest - or a churl - perhaps you mistrust me the way the medievals mistrusted monks...”\" — John Geddes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/john-geddes-1052_mistrust_maybe-i-am-just-your-priest-or-a-churl-p_3144614.jpg" --- # ...maybe I am just your priest - or a churl - perhaps you… ![“...maybe I am just your priest - or a churl - perhaps you mistrust me the way the medievals mistrusted monks...” quote by John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/john-geddes-1052_mistrust_maybe-i-am-just-your-priest-or-a-churl-p_3144614.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/john-geddes-1052_mistrust_maybe-i-am-just-your-priest-or-a-churl-p_3144614.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/john-geddes-1052_mistrust_maybe-i-am-just-your-priest-or-a-churl-p_3144614.jpg) > ““...maybe I am just your priest - or a churl - perhaps you mistrust me the way the medievals mistrusted monks...”” [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels mistrusted like medieval monks, highlighting tension between authority and suspicion. **In simple terms:** Authority can be doubted like old monks. Key Takeaway Build trust through openness. Themes trust authority historical perception Mood skeptical reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - religious leadership - community meetings - historical analysis - personal relationships Key Concepts social dynamics skepticism Questions to Reflect On - Why do people mistrust figures of authority? - How can one reconcile doubt with respect? A Different Perspective Some may view authority as necessary despite mistrust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Monks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monks/) [Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priest/) ## Related quotes > [“...some of the best love poems have been written by monks and nuns...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/some-of-the-best-love-poems-have-been-written-by-monks-and-nuns/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“It was the doubt that knocked me over, Mina: the terrible doubt as to the reality of the whole thing. I felt impotent and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syrie-james/it-was-the-doubt-that-knocked-me-over-mina-the-terrible-doubt-as-to/) [Syrie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syrie-james/) > [Our culture has long mistrusted the body. It's been seen as a confusing blend of God's handiwork and the devil's playground. It is, rather,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-moran/our-culture-has-long-mistrusted-the-body-it-s-been-seen-as-a/) [Victoria Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-moran/) > [Mine eyes Were not in fault, for she was beautiful; Mine ears, that heard her flattery; nor my heart, That thought her like her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/mine-eyes-were-not-in-fault-for-she-was-beautiful-mine-ears-that/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“But then we did not think of ourselves as poor. We did not accept it. we thought we were superior people and other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/but-then-we-did-not-think-of-ourselves-as-poor-we-did-not-accept-it/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-truth-is-that-all-men-having-power-ought-to-be-mistrusted/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“It was a wonderful experience. She mistrusted his very slumbers--and she seemed to think I could tell her why! Thus a poor mortal seduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-a-wonderful-experience-she-mistrusted-his-very-slumbers-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Take from a man his reputation for probity, and the more shrewd and clever he is, the more hated and mistrusted he becomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/take-from-a-man-his-reputation-for-probity-and-the-more-shrewd-and/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Welfare is hated by those who administer it, mistrusted by those who pay for it and held in contempt by those who receive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-c-goldmark-jr/welfare-is-hated-by-those-who-administer-it-mistrusted-by-those-who/) Peter C Goldmark Jr > [The commercial class has always mistrusted verbal brilliancy and wit, deeming such qualities, perhaps with some justice, frivolous and unprofitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-commercial-class-has-always-mistrusted-verbal-brilliancy-and-wit/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Flatterers should be mistrusted, especially when they praise the dead. To seek a place in society is self-serving, but to seek one in history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bauvard/flatterers-should-be-mistrusted-especially-when-they-praise-the-dead/) [Bauvard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bauvard/) > [In a world that operates largely at random, coincidences are to be expected, but any one of them must always be mistrusted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/in-a-world-that-operates-largely-at-random-coincidences-are-to-be/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [“...You say you don't mistrust me, yet you quote Chrysostom - Hell is paved with priests' skulls…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-say-you-don-t-mistrust-me-yet-you-quote-chrysostom-hell-is-paved/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [On the whole, monks do not become famous - and that is a good thing - but monasteries do - and that is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basil-hume/on-the-whole-monks-do-not-become-famous-and-that-is-a-good-thing-but/) [Basil Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basil-hume/) > [“Wouldn't it be great if health-care plans included a list of Buddhist monks among the network providers?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-brett/wouldn-t-it-be-great-if-health-care-plans-included-a-list-of-buddhist/) [Regina Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-brett/) ## More by John Geddes > [“...those others - they're looking for trends - subjects to catch a spark - but I have you - a coal from God's altar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/those-others-they-re-looking-for-trends-subjects-to-catch-a-spark-but/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“...careful the morning lest it wake from slumber the city half-encumbered by the morning mist ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/careful-the-morning-lest-it-wake-from-slumber-the-city-half/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“...I've decided ... love is an eternity of slow motion replays ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/i-ve-decided-love-is-an-eternity-of-slow-motion-replays/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“... my early writing was a silent fury - at what or whom, I had no idea - but I shut it in until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/my-early-writing-was-a-silent-fury-at-what-or-whom-i-had-no-idea-but/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“...little children adore me - I'm a Troll Tamer and they know it!...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/little-children-adore-me-i-m-a-troll-tamer-and-they-know-it/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“...all this time I've been worshiping you - when other men wanted to kiss you, I've been offering the praise of my lips...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/all-this-time-i-ve-been-worshiping-you-when-other-men-wanted-to-kiss/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“... the scarlet thread,the red clay from which we were made, runs in tiny streams through all our veins, reminding us of where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-scarlet-thread-the-red-clay-from-which-we-were-made-runs-in-tiny/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“...you are not what you seem - you're a Sylph - you leave and the air retains your image - you haunt me...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-are-not-what-you-seem-you-re-a-sylph-you-leave-and-the-air/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“...God daubs stars into galaxies with fiery paint - the same lacquer he uses upon your lips...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/god-daubs-stars-into-galaxies-with-fiery-paint-the-same-lacquer-he/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“...language always occurs in a context - you can speak Elizabethan words, but to speak the language you have to put on the mindset...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/language-always-occurs-in-a-context-you-can-speak-elizabethan-words/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“...the feelings that pass between us are deeper than fleshly touches...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-feelings-that-pass-between-us-are-deeper-than-fleshly-touches/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“...open the access to your heart and write down what your voice is whispering...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/open-the-access-to-your-heart-and-write-down-what-your-voice-is/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [...true love is an irrevocable act - you can only give your heart away once - after that, you give as much as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/true-love-is-an-irrevocable-act-you-can-only-give-your-heart-away/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“...the strands that connect us are frail, so don't hang great weights on slender wires...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-strands-that-connect-us-are-frail-so-don-t-hang-great-weights-on/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [...not even the wind can bring a tear to my eye the way you do...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/not-even-the-wind-can-bring-a-tear-to-my-eye-the-way-you-do/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) [Explore all 301 John Geddes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) ## More Mistrust quotes > [He who mistrusts most should be trusted least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theognis-of-megara/he-who-mistrusts-most-should-be-trusted-least/) [Theognis of Megara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theognis-of-megara/) > [I would have none of that rigid circumspect charity which is never done without scrutiny, and which always mistrusts the truth of the necessities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-massillon/i-would-have-none-of-that-rigid-circumspect-charity-which-is-never/) [Jean Baptiste Massillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-massillon/) > [You realize that our mistrust of the future makes it hard to give up the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/you-realize-that-our-mistrust-of-the-future-makes-it-hard-to-give-up/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Transparency is not about restoring trust in institutions. Transparency is the politics of managing mistrust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-krastev/transparency-is-not-about-restoring-trust-in-institutions/) [Ivan Krastev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-krastev/) > [I mistrust all frank and simple people, especially when their stories hold together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-mistrust-all-frank-and-simple-people-especially-when-their-stories/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“I am unacquainted with His designs, but I shall not cease to believe in them because I cannot fathom them, and I had rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-am-unacquainted-with-his-designs-but-i-shall-not-cease-to-believe/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“To switch effectively from defense to social engagement strategies, the nervous system must do two things: (1) assess risk, and (2) if the environment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-w-porges/to-switch-effectively-from-defense-to-social-engagement-strategies/) [Stephen W. Porges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-w-porges/) > [I'm an anarchist. I'm implacably opposed to heirarchical systems of power and control. I also mistrust crowds, as they often operate according to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-m-an-anarchist-i-m-implacably-opposed-to-heirarchical-systems-of/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [By a divine instinct, men's minds mistrust ensuing danger; as, by proof, we see the waters swell before a boisterous storm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/by-a-divine-instinct-men-s-minds-mistrust-ensuing-danger-as-by-proof/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [To mistrust science and deny the validity of scientific method is to resign your job as a human. You'd better go look for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/to-mistrust-science-and-deny-the-validity-of-scientific-method-is-to/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Always trust, when mistrust comes love goes out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-trust-when-mistrust-comes-love-goes-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ He's \[Louis Brandais\] so suspicious of bigness in government as well as business that he mistrusts even really top-down reforms at the state level.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-rosen/he-s-louis-brandais-so-suspicious-of-bigness-in-government-as-well-as/) [Jeffrey Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-rosen/) > [Usually, I would mistrust a book if it took that long to write. Usually, if it isn't done in two years, I suspect there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnside/usually-i-would-mistrust-a-book-if-it-took-that-long-to-write-usually/) [John Burnside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnside/) > [Never for a moment do we lay aside our mistrust of the ideals established by society, and of the convictions which are kept by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/never-for-a-moment-do-we-lay-aside-our-mistrust-of-the-ideals/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [Mistrust all men, and slay him whom thou mistrustest overmuch; and as for women, flee from them, for they are evil, and in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/mistrust-all-men-and-slay-him-whom-thou-mistrustest-overmuch-and-as/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) Browse all 287 Mistrust quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...maybe I am just your priest - or a churl - perhaps you mistrust me the way the medievals mistrusted monks...”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Geddes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/maybe-i-am-just-your-priest-or-a-churl-perhaps-you-mistrust-me-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Mistrust" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/maybe-i-am-just-your-priest-or-a-churl-perhaps-you-mistrust-me-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/john-geddes-1052_mistrust_maybe-i-am-just-your-priest-or-a-churl-p_3144614.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/john-geddes-1052_mistrust_maybe-i-am-just-your-priest-or-a-churl-p_3144614.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/john-geddes-1052_mistrust_maybe-i-am-just-your-priest-or-a-churl-p_3144614.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...maybe I am just your priest - or a churl - perhaps you mistrust me the way the medievals mistrusted…” — John Geddes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Geddes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...maybe I am just your priest...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/maybe-i-am-just-your-priest-or-a-churl-perhaps-you-mistrust-me-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/maybe-i-am-just-your-priest-or-a-churl-perhaps-you-mistrust-me-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```