| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Meno by Plato: be any good men at all.
MENO: How do you mean, Socrates?
SOCRATES: I mean that good men are necessarily useful or profitable. Were
we not right in admitting this? It must be so.
MENO: Yes.
SOCRATES: And in supposing that they will be useful only if they are true
guides to us of action--there we were also right?
MENO: Yes.
SOCRATES: But when we said that a man cannot be a good guide unless he
have knowledge (phrhonesis), this we were wrong.
MENO: What do you mean by the word 'right'?
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Europeans by Henry James: there was what she said, and there was what she meant,
and there was something, between the two, that was neither.
It is probable that, in the last analysis, what she meant was
that Felix should spare her the necessity of stating the case
more exactly and should hold himself commissioned to assist her
by all honorable means to marry the best fellow in the world.
But in all this it was never discovered what Felix understood.
"Once you have your liberty, what are your objections?" he asked.
"Well, I don't particularly like him."
"Oh, try a little."
"I am trying now," said Eugenia. "I should succeed better if he did
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas: "Well, don't be alarmed if I return at one, two or three o'clock
in the morning; indeed, do not be alarmed if I do not come at
all."
This time Bonacieux became so pale that D'Artagnan could not help
perceiving it, and asked him what was the matter.
"Nothing," replied Bonacieux, "nothing. Since my misfortunes I
have been subject to faintnesses, which seize me all at once, and
I have just felt a cold shiver. Pay no attention to it; you have
nothing to occupy yourself with but being happy."
"Then I have full occupation, for I am so."
"Not yet; wait a little! This evening, you said."
The Three Musketeers |
