The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Odyssey by Homer: flocks of sheep, or while they fought to defend their city
and the women thereof? Answer and tell me, for I avow me a
friend of thy house. Rememberest thou not the day when I
came to your house in Ithaca with godlike Menelaus, to urge
Odysseus to follow with me to Ilios on the decked ships?
And it was a full month ere we had sailed all across the
wide sea, for scarce could we win to our cause Odysseus,
waster of cities.'
Then the ghost of Amphimedon answered him, and spake: 'Most
famous son of Atreus, king of men, Agamemnon, I remember
all these things, O fosterling of Zeus, as thou declarest
 The Odyssey |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde: [Crossing L.]
LORD WINDERMERE. Margaret! don't talk like that of Mrs. Erlynne,
you don't know how unjust it is!
LADY WINDERMERE. [Turning to him.] You are very jealous of Mrs.
Erlynne's honour. I wish you had been as jealous of mine.
LORD WINDERMERE. Your honour is untouched, Margaret. You don't
think for a moment that - [Puts book back into desk.]
LADY WINDERMERE. I think that you spend your money strangely.
That is all. Oh, don't imagine I mind about the money. As far as
I am concerned, you may squander everything we have. But what I DO
mind is that you who have loved me, you who have taught me to love
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln: It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate. . .we cannot consecrate. . .
we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead,
who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power
to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember,
what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished
work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining
before us. . .that from these honored dead we take increased devotion
to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. . .
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