Madness string 41506

Random mermaid
Symbols are a mockery of meaning. They are sad signifiers of the unenlightened. The Keepers of the Quiet do not need them, but few have achieved the wisdom of the Keepers of the Quiet. Neither you nor I are among them. And so we must betray the purity of intentions and depend on symbols.

In about half the cases involving this sort of thing, the courts end up saying 'shall' means 'should' and 'must' means 'may' (and sometimes 'may' means 'must').