“ 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 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

What i think this quote means that he would never tell his word of honor to anyone. Which this means u could put him in jail torture him. That won’t matter to him because he will never tell his word of honor. Another example is that if you draw a chalk line around him and you tell him that before he gets out that circle he must say his word of honor. He says he would rather roth or starve to death before telling his word of honor.