When he was made the provost, the author relates how he didn't know what to expect. He discusses his experience in the positions and concludes that the burden of the job of provost is knowing the things that other do not or would rather not know. Much of this has to do with money and because the provost is required to know so much and talk so little, his/her actions are frequently not fully intelligible to those who observe them. The hardest part of being provost has been accepting undeserved suspicion and learning that it is right and proper that he or she be suspected--that such vigilance is part of what keeps institutions healthy.