| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Alcibiades II by Platonic Imitator: that in the city the wise are few, while the foolish, whom you call mad,
are many?
ALCIBIADES: I do.
SOCRATES: But how could we live in safety with so many crazy people?
Should we not long since have paid the penalty at their hands, and have
been struck and beaten and endured every other form of ill-usage which
madmen are wont to inflict? Consider, my dear friend: may it not be quite
otherwise?
ALCIBIADES: Why, Socrates, how is that possible? I must have been
mistaken.
SOCRATES: So it seems to me. But perhaps we may consider the matter
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from American Notes by Rudyard Kipling: But when the lieutenant--such a big, brave, gentle giant--rose to
his feet, he delivered what seemed to me as the speech of the
evening. I remember nearly the whole of it, and it ran
some-thing in this way:--"Gentlemen--It's very good of you to
give me this dinner and to tell me all these prettythings, but
what I want you to understand--the fact is, what we want and what
we ought to get at once, is a navy--more ships--lots of 'em--"
Then we howled the top of the roof off, and I for one fell in
love with Carlin on the spot. Wallah! He was a man.
The prince among merchants bid me take no heed to the warlike
sentiments of some of the old generals.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Historical Lecturers and Essays by Charles Kingsley: musician and player on the violin, and who, when he grew rich, liked
nothing so well as to bring into his house any buffoon or strolling-
player to make fun for him. Vivacious he was, hot-tempered,
forgiving, and with a power of learning and a power of work which
were prodigious, even in those hard-working days. Rabelais chaffs
Rondelet, under the name of Rondibilis; for, indeed, Rondelet grew
up into a very round, fat, little man; but Rabelais puts excellent
sense into his mouth, cynical enough, and too cynical, but both
learned and humorous; and, if he laughs at him for being shocked at
the offer of a fee, and taking it, nevertheless, kindly enough,
Rondelet is not the first doctor who has done that, neither will he
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