| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Bureaucracy by Honore de Balzac: for by the city of Paris; he was government commissioner to a secret
society; and filled a position of superintendence in the royal
household. His two official posts which appeared on the budget were
those of secretary-general to his ministry and Master of petitions.
What he now wanted was to be made commander of the Legion of honor,
gentleman of the bed-chamber, count, and deputy. To be elected deputy
it was necessary to pay taxes to the amount of a thousand francs; and
the miserable homestead of the des Lupeaulx was rated at only five
hundred. Where could he get money to build a mansion and surround it
with sufficient domain to throw dust in the eyes of a constituency?
Though he dined out every day, and was lodged for the last nine years
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Vailima Letters by Robert Louis Stevenson: good sentence in it, but perhaps - I don't know - it may be
found an honest, clear volume.
WEDNESDAY.
Never got a word set down, and continues on Thursday 19th
May, his own marriage day as ever was. News; yes. The C. J.
came up to call on us! After five months' cessation on my
side, and a decidedly painful interchange of letters, I could
not go down - could not - to see him. My three ladies
received him, however; he was very agreeable as usual, but
refused wine, beer, water, lemonade, chocolate and at last a
cigarette. Then my wife asked him, 'So you refuse to break
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Lay Morals by Robert Louis Stevenson: to solve, the problem. The ascetic and the creeping hog,
although they are at different poles, have equally failed in
life. The one has sacrificed his crew; the other brings back
his seamen in a cock-boat, and has lost the ship. I believe
there are not many sea-captains who would plume themselves on
either result as a success.
But if it is righteousness thus to fuse together our divisive
impulses and march with one mind through life, there is
plainly one thing more unrighteous than all others, and one
declension which is irretrievable and draws on the rest. And
this is to lose consciousness of oneself. In the best of
|
