What I think was hardest for me to realize was that he had tried each time to stop himself. He had killed animals, taking lesser lives to keep from killing a child

Alice Sebold
About This Quote

A man is charged with murder for shooting at a car he saw driving on his property. He says that the car was moving toward his house and that he fired in fear for his own safety. The jury believes that he couldn’t help himself and will not charge him with murder because it is not their job to judge what is right or wrong. We are told to take control of our lives, to make decisions about what we do. Yet, when faced with a life-or-death choice, most people are not willing to kill themselves by taking less life, even if they are sure they are doing the right thing.

Source: The Lovely Bones

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