Student Success Statement

“I have been asked what i mean by ‘word of honor.’ I will tell you: Place me behind prison walls- walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground- there is a possibility that in some way or another i might be able to escape; but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can i get out of that circle? No, never! I’d die first.”

Karl G. Maeser

Reflection: This quote by Karl G. Maeser says that he may be able to escape a prison with tall walls and high security but he says that if he was placed in a chalk drawn circle that and if he had to give his word to never not cross that he would die before he breaks his word of honor by crossing the circle line. He says that he has been questioned about what he means by ‘word of honor’ and he means that if you say you are going to do something then you do it and stick to your word and if you say that you are not going to do something then you do not do it because you need to keep your word. An example of this is that if you say to someone that you are going to be somewhere at a certain time then you be there at the place you said you would be at the time that you said you were going to be there. Another example is that if you say you will not steal and you see a wallet on top of a car then you leave it where it is and do not steal it because you said that you would not steal and if you take it you break his word and so then you would not be trustworthy anymore and you would feel bad. Karl G. Maeser says “I have been asked what i mean by ‘word of honor’ I will tell you: Place me behind prison walls- walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground- there is a possibility that in some way or another i might be able to escape; but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can i get out of that circle? No, never! I’d die first.” We all need to keep our word of honor no matter what.