ANTIFA & An@rchist Guidance: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Devil Speech from A Man for All Seasons<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is one of the most powerful and enduring exchanges in literature and film. It comes from Robert Bolt\u2019s play *A Man for All Seasons*. In the scene, Sir Thomas More is challenged by his idealistic and hot-headed son-in-law, William Roper, for refusing to arrest a man More knows to be wicked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is the dialogue:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
**William Roper:** So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
**Sir Thomas More:** Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
**William Roper:** Yes, I’d cut down every law in England to do that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
**Sir Thomas More:** Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned ’round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, man’s laws, not God’s! And if you cut them down, and you’re just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I’d give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety’s sake!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This passage perfectly captures the philosophy we so often discuss: that the rule of law is not merely a tool for the powerful, but a “thicket” that protects every individual\u2014even the most vulnerable\u2014from the unpredictable and often cruel whims of the crowd or the state. When we abandon due process in our zeal to “get” someone we deem evil, we destroy the very barriers that exist to protect us all when the winds of public sentiment shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This video features the iconic delivery of these lines from the 1966 film adaptation of the play, which brings the full weight of More’s warning to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n A Man for All Seasons – The Devil Speech<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ANTIFA & An@rchist Guidance: The Devil Speech from A Man for All Seasons That is one of the most powerful and enduring exchanges in literature and film. It comes from Robert Bolt\u2019s play *A Man for All Seasons*. In the … Continue reading ![\"A](\"https:\/\/external-sea5-1.xx.fbcdn.net\/emg1\/v\/t13\/14240666473007217692?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FPDBiLT3LASk%2Fhqdefault.jpg&fb_obo=1&utld=ytimg.com&stp=c0.36.480.250a_dst-jpg_flffffff_q75_s480x250_tt6&_nc_gid=VpmrUTQSQp9tPi0BtJTAHw&_nc_oc=AdrW_5XogASoNrbcN8gfAQaUXSWLY__4B6Ia-6KplYQgZjVQEfiKbdmFDm0AK7B883A&ccb=13-1&oh=06_Q3_AAbSYxsA8G8NGp7UPPgJfK--7yWbgtutGDBZwJM3e2Ny8&oe=6A3EB612&_nc_sid=632586\")
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