Submitted by Kurt:
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?”
- Excerpt from East of Eden by John Steinbeck
(19 votes, average: 4.53 out of 5)
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That is my favorite passage in East of Eden!
I totally got this tattooed on my wrist on friday! I hate having to explain it all the time but I like the meaning behind the word and I like it a lot better than something conventional.
east of eden is my favorite book of all time, i read it many times a year. the whole discourse on timshel is amazing.
i TOO have a timshel tattoo… i got it about 3 months ago, on the inside of my right ring finger.
i love your tattoo & i love your choice in reading material!