“A good deal is doing, sir. We have put our shoulders to the wheel, Mr. Carstone, and the wheel is going round.”
-- Bleak House by Charles Dickens.
This is a lawyer's response to his client's demand to know what is happening in the expensive, long drawn out probate lawsuit in which he is involved. The lawyer's answer is less than candid – pushing a wheel around doesn't move anything forward.
I used this and many other quotes from Bleak House when I gave a presentation last week on Ethical Lessons from Charles Dickens Bleak House. It was a Continuing Legal Education seminar for lawyers, who all got one ethics CLE credit. I had a lot of fun doing it and met many other literature-loving lawyers.
Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.