| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Theaetetus by Plato: their pretensions; and this also gives him a ridiculous appearance. A king
or tyrant appears to him to be a kind of swine-herd or cow-herd, milking
away at an animal who is much more troublesome and dangerous than cows or
sheep; like the cow-herd, he has no time to be educated, and the pen in
which he keeps his flock in the mountains is surrounded by a wall. When he
hears of large landed properties of ten thousand acres or more, he thinks
of the whole earth; or if he is told of the antiquity of a family, he
remembers that every one has had myriads of progenitors, rich and poor,
Greeks and barbarians, kings and slaves. And he who boasts of his descent
from Amphitryon in the twenty-fifth generation, may, if he pleases, add as
many more, and double that again, and our philosopher only laughs at his
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Study of a Woman by Honore de Balzac: many young women are thoughtless enough to commit).
"Dear angel of love," said the letter, "treasure of my life and
happiness--"
At these words the marquise was about to fling the letter in the fire;
but there came into her head a fancy--which all virtuous women will
readily understand--to see how a man who began a letter in that style
could possibly end it. When she had turned the fourth page and read
it, she let her arms drop like a person much fatigued.
"Caroline, go and ask who left this letter."
"Madame, I received it myself from the valet of Monsieur le Baron de
Rastignac."
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Desert Gold by Zane Grey: Mercedes's letter in yours. Take care of her, Dick, and may the
future hold in store for you some of the sweetness I know now!
Faithfully yours,
Thorne.
Dick reread the letter, then folded it and placed it under his pillow.
"Never cared for pretty girls, huh?" he soliloquized.
"George, I never saw any till I struck Southern Arizona! Guess
I'd better make up for lost time."
While he was eating his supper, with appetite rapidly returning
to normal, Ladd and Jim cam in, bowing their tall heads to enter
the door. Their friendly advances were singularly welcome to
Desert Gold |
