| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane: dimly saw men on his right and on his left, and
he heard footsteps behind him. He thought that
all the regiment was fleeing, pursued by these
ominous crashes.
In his flight the sound of these following foot-
steps gave him his one meager relief. He felt
vaguely that death must make a first choice of
the men who were nearest; the initial morsels for
the dragons would be then those who were fol-
lowing him. So he displayed the zeal of an insane
sprinter in his purpose to keep them in the rear.
 The Red Badge of Courage |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: more congenial to your own temper.
Henry wished to dissuade me, but seeing me bent on this plan,
ceased to remonstrate. He entreated me to write often.
"I had rather be with you," he said, "in your solitary rambles,
than with these Scotch people, whom I do not know; hasten, then,
my dear friend, to return, that I may again feel myself
somewhat at home, which I cannot do in your absence."
Having parted from my friend, I determined to visit some remote
spot of Scotland and finish my work in solitude. I did not doubt
but that the monster followed me and would discover himself to me
when I should have finished, that he might receive his companion.
 Frankenstein |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from At the Sign of the Cat & Racket by Honore de Balzac: crown-pieces, without its ever entering the brain of these laborious
ants to ask--"To what end?"
Favored by this annual turmoil, the happy Augustine escaped the
investigations of her Argus-eyed relations. At last, one Saturday
evening, the stock-taking was finished. The figures of the sum-total
showed a row of 0's long enough to allow Guillaume for once to relax
the stern rule as to dessert which reigned throughout the year. The
shrewd old draper rubbed his hands, and allowed his assistants to
remain at table. The members of the crew had hardly swallowed their
thimbleful of some home-made liqueur, when the rumble of a carriage
was heard. The family party were going to see /Cendrillon/ at the
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