The Silent Monk's Complaint
Story★★★★A certain monastery enforced a vow of silence. Each monk could utter only two
words every five years, and those two words had to be spoken in the presence of
the abbot. One of the monks, when given his opportunity to speak, said, “Bad
food!” Five years later, his two words were, “Bed hard.” When given his third
opportunity to speak five years later, he said, “I quit.”
“Well,” said the abbot, “you might as well quit. All you’ve done since you got
here is complain!”
The point
A silent monastery monk speaks only twice in five years: first 'Bad food,' then 'Bed hard,' then 'I quit'—the abbot notes all he's done since arriving is complain.
Audience
Adults
Tone
Humorous · Convicting
To tell aloud
under a minute · 86 words