| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas: And what did he think of in his last melancholy journey?
Neither of his enemies, nor of his judges, nor of his
executioners.
He thought of the beautiful tulips which he would see from
heaven above, at Ceylon, or Bengal, or elsewhere, when he
would be able to look with pity on this earth, where John
and Cornelius de Witt had been murdered for having thought
too much of politics, and where Cornelius van Baerle was
about to be murdered for having thought too much of tulips.
"It is only one stroke of the axe," said the philosopher to
himself, "and my beautiful dream will begin to be realised."
The Black Tulip |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli: And the first opinion which one forms of a prince, and of his
understanding, is by observing the men he has around him; and when
they are capable and faithful he may always be considered wise,
because he has known how to recognize the capable and to keep them
faithful. But when they are otherwise one cannot form a good opinion
of him, for the prime error which he made was in choosing them.
There were none who knew Messer Antonio da Venafro as the servant of
Pandolfo Petrucci, Prince of Siena, who would not consider Pandolfo to
be a very clever man in having Venafro for his servant. Because there
are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself;
another which appreciates what others comprehended; and a third which
The Prince |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Symposium by Xenophon: bestows upon himself what he desires, and upon his minion things of
dire reproach? or that what he hastens to exact, infallibly must
separate that other from his nearest friends?
[41] Or, "is wholly taken up with." Cf. Plat. "Laws," 831 C.
If it be pleaded that persuasion is his instrument, not violence; is
that no reason rather for a deeper loathing? since he who uses
violence[42] at any rate declares himself in his true colours as a
villain, while the tempter corrupts the soul of him who yields to his
persuasions.
[42] Cf. "Hiero," iii. 3; "Cyrop." III. i. 39.
Ay, and how should he who traffics with his beauty love the purchaser,
The Symposium |
