| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Wyoming by William MacLeod Raine: not awake in the camp. The foreman and the sheepman took turns
keeping vigil; and on the other side of the fire sat one of the
rustlers in silent watchfulness. To the man opposite him each of
the sentinels were outposts of the enemy, but they fraternized
after the manner of army sentries, exchanging tobacco and
occasional casual conversation.
The foreman took the first turn, and opposite him sat a one-eyed
old scoundrel who had rustle calves from big outfits ever since
Wyoming was a territory and long before. Chalkeye Dave, he was
called, and sometimes merely Chalkeye. What his real name was no
man knew. Nor was his past a subject for conversation in his
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from At the Sign of the Cat & Racket by Honore de Balzac: Varietes, while the two younger apprentices each received a crown of
six francs, with permission to go wherever they chose, provided they
were in by midnight.
Notwithstanding this debauch, the old cloth-merchant was shaving
himself at six next morning, put on his maroon-colored coat, of which
the glowing lights afforded him perennial enjoyment, fastened a pair
of gold buckles on the knee-straps of his ample satin breeches; and
then, at about seven o'clock, while all were still sleeping in the
house, he made his way to the little office adjoining the shop on the
first floor. Daylight came in through a window, fortified by iron
bars, and looking out on a small yard surrounded by such black walls
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Charmides by Plato: to no purpose; as I am led to infer, because I observe that if this is
wisdom, some strange consequences would follow. Let us, if you please,
assume the possibility of this science of sciences, and further admit and
allow, as was originally suggested, that wisdom is the knowledge of what we
know and do not know. Assuming all this, still, upon further
consideration, I am doubtful, Critias, whether wisdom, such as this, would
do us much good. For we were wrong, I think, in supposing, as we were
saying just now, that such wisdom ordering the government of house or state
would be a great benefit.
How so? he said.
Why, I said, we were far too ready to admit the great benefits which
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