For tyme ylost may nought recovered be.
Geoffrey ChaucerRead
. . . if gold rust, what then will iron do?/ For if a priest be foul in whom we trust/ No wonder that a common man should rust. . . .
Interpretation
What this quote means
If those we look up to are flawed, it’s no surprise that common people struggle too.
Geoffrey Chaucer's quote highlights the influence of role models on society. It suggests that when those in positions of trust and authority, such as priests, exhibit flaws or corruption, it serves as a poor example for others, leading to a general decline in moral standards. The metaphor of gold rusting symbolizes the deterioration of virtue among the supposed paragons of society, implying that if even the finest can tarnish, it is expected that the average person may also falter.
Themes
GoldRustPriestTrustMoralityInfluenceSociety
In practice
Example use cases
A leader in a community is under scrutiny; this quote illustrates the importance of integrity.
More from Geoffrey Chaucer
All quotes →For in their hearts doth Nature stir them so Then people long on pilgrimage to go And palmers to be seeking foreign strands To distant shrines renowned in sundry lands.
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If gold rusts, what then can iron do?
Geoffrey ChaucerRead
Thus with hir fader for a certeyn space_x000D_ _x000D_ Dwelleth this flour of wyfly pacience,_x000D_ _x000D_ That neither by hir wordes ne hir face_x000D_ _x000D_ Biforn the folk, ne eek in her absence,_x000D_ _x000D_ Ne shewed she that hir was doon offence.
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Ther nis no werkman, whatsoevere he be, That may bothe werke wel and hastily.
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For oute of olde feldys, as men sey,_x000D_ _x000D_ Comyth al this newe corn from yer to yere;_x000D_ _x000D_ And out of olde bokis, in good fey,_x000D_ _x000D_ Comyth al this newe science that men lere.
Geoffrey ChaucerRead
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