Lee’s hand shook as he filled the delicate cups. He drank his down in one gulp. “Don’t you see?” he cried. “The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you can call sin ignorance. The King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou shalt, ’ meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the Hebrew word, the word timshel–‘ Thou mayest’– that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’–it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.’ Don’t you see?. John Steinbeck
About This Quote

Lee, a prisoner of war in Korea, was faced with the prospect of death if he did not convert to communism. Lee was known as a man who took risks and so he decided to chance his life by trying to escape the camp. He went on with this plan until he was caught and killed. (“Don’t you see?” is his cry that is often quoted.)

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