“In grammar school he’d had an old priest as his religion teacher. “Truth is light,” the priest had said one day.Montalbano, never very studious, had been a mischievous pupil, always sitting in the last row.“So that must mean that if everyone in the family tells the truth, they save on the electric bill.”
Quote Analysis
In this quote from Andrea Camilleri's novel, the character of Montalbano recalls a lesson from his grammar school days where his old priest teacher declared "Truth is light." With his mischievous nature, Montalbano humorously connects this idea to saving on the electric bill by suggesting that if everyone in the family tells the truth, they will need less light in the house. This quote highlights Montalbano's wit and penchant for finding humor in even the most serious of topics.
The Importance of Honesty in the Modern Age
In this humorous quote from Andrea Camilleri's work, we are reminded of the age-old concept that "truth is light." This sentiment holds true even in the modern world, where honesty and transparency are valued traits in personal and professional relationships. In a time when misinformation and dishonesty can spread quickly through social media and other platforms, the importance of telling the truth is more relevant than ever. Just as Montalbano humorously suggests that telling the truth can save on electric bills, we can see how being honest and open in our interactions can ultimately lead to more positive outcomes for ourselves and those around us.
Example of Usage:
Montalbano recalls a lesson from his old religion teacher, relating truth with light. His mischievous nature is displayed as he cleverly jokes about saving on the electric bill by everyone in the family telling the truth.
Reflection Questions
Reflecting on this humorous quote from Andrea Camilleri's work, consider the following questions:
- How does this quote play with the idea of truth and light? In what ways can truth be seen as illuminating or enlightening?
- In what ways does Montalbano's mischievous nature as a child contrast with the message of truth being light? How does this add depth to the quote?
- How does humor play a role in conveying deeper themes or messages in literature? How does this quote use humor to explore larger concepts like truth and honesty?
- In what ways can honesty and truthfulness in a family dynamic have tangible effects, both metaphorically and practically, as suggested by the idea of saving on the electric bill?
Similar quotes
“There was a Catholic priest and the Seventh Day Adventist minister sitting together on one flight. The priest ordered a Scotch and water. The minister said, "I'd rather commit adultery than drink." The priest looked up at me and said, "I didn't know I had a choice today." That was a fun trip.”
“He had lived (without being aware of it) on those spiritual truths that he had sucked in with his mother's milk, but he had thought, not merely without recognition of these truths, but studiously ignoring them. ”
“Last night it had been my father who had finally said it: "She’s never coming home." A clear and easy piece of truth that everyone who had ever known me had accepted. But he needed to say it, and she needed to hear him say it.”
“For this is the thing the priests do not know, with their One God and One Truth; that there is no such thing as a true tale. Truth has many faces and the truth is like the old road to Avalon; it depends on your own will, and your own thoughts, whither the road will take you, and whether, at the end, you arrive at the Holy Isle of Eternity or among the priests with their bells and their death and their Satan and hell and damnation...but perhaps I am unjust even to them. Even the Lady of the Lake, who hated a priest's robe as she would have hated a poisonous viper, and with good cause too, chid me once for speaking evil of the God.'For all the Gods are one god,' she said to me then, as she had said many times before, and as I have said to my own novices many times, and as every priestess who comes after me will say again, 'and all the Goddesses are one Goddess, and their is only one Initiator. And to every man his own truth, and the God within.'And so, perhaps, the truth winds somewhere between the road to Glastonbury, Isle of the Priests, and the road to Avalon, lost forever in the mists of the Summer Sea.But this is my truth, I who am Morgaine tell you these things, Morgaine who was in later days called Morgan le Fay.”
“But I cannot find my way in this darkness," said K. "Turn left to the wall," said the priest, "then follow the wall without leaving it and you'll come to a door." The priest had already taken a step or two away from him, but K. cried out in a loud voice, "please wait a moment." "I am waiting," said the priest. "Don't you want anything more form me?" asked K. "No," said the priest. "You were so friendly to me for a time," said K., "and explained so much to me, and now you let me go as if you cared nothing about me." "But you have to leave now," said the priest. "Well, yes," said K., "you must see that I can't help it." "You must first see who I am," said the priest. "You are the prison chaplain," said K., groping his way nearer to the priest again; his immediate return to the Bank was not so necessary as he had made out, he could quite stay longer. "That means I belong to the Court," said the priest. "So why should I want anything from you? The court wants nothing from you. It receives you when you came and it dismisses you when you go.”