Saint Thomas More: Man For All Seasons

Saint Thomas More truly was a great man, worthy of his canonization and throughout his life he exhibited many gifts, talents, and qualities. He was born February 7, 1478, became the councilor for King Henry VIII and Lord High Chancellor of England before his death on July 6, 1535. This man was called a ‘Man for All Seasons’ or in other words a Renaissance Man. This title, along with many of his other prestigious titles, was presented to him because of how he put God at the center of his decisions, was an active citizen who favored measures of societal equality, and was a distinguished scholar and lawyer. These attributes made him a well-rounded person who held tight to his beliefs while being an educated citizen, appointing him worthy of being …show more content…
He made the restrictions and constraints of the less-fortunate known and strived to get free speech and education for all. During his marriage to Jane Colt, he taught her Latin and other subjects until her untimely death in 1511. He also believed his daughters should be educated as equally as his son. In his book, Utopia, he once stated, “Extreme justice is an extreme injury: for we ought not to approve of those terrible laws that make the smallest offences capital, nor of that opinion of the Stoics that makes all crimes equal.” This quote states that he recognized that there were some judges would make unfair, disagreeable decisions based off a person’s social status. It can also be seen that he doesn’t believe in serious punishments such as the death penalty. This was something that he believed in quite firmly as it can be seen and quoted by him in many different instances. For example, in Utopia he again stated, “When public judicatories are swayed by avarice or partiality, justice, the grand sinew of society is lost.” This quote exhibited how More realized that most judges do, in fact, make unfair calls depending on a person’s social status. He also sees how this is an injustice against everyone as a people. Finally, yet again in Utopia, he recognized how some not have resources to fend themselves by stating, “They have no lawyers among them, for they consider them as a sort of people whose profession it is to disguise matters.” This quotes gives everyone some regard for how the lower class at the time would not have enough resources to provide for their everyday needs. He is able to see that some may not have lawyers to acquire rights for them, and along with no lawyers they don’t have much of anything. These three quotes, which are all subsequently from Utopia, support the idea of Thomas More always being an activist for equality and social