| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Symposium by Plato: you, Agathon, suggested (supra), I must speak first of the being and nature
of Love, and then of his works. First I said to her in nearly the same
words which he used to me, that Love was a mighty god, and likewise fair;
and she proved to me as I proved to him that, by my own showing, Love was
neither fair nor good. 'What do you mean, Diotima,' I said, 'is love then
evil and foul?' 'Hush,' she cried; 'must that be foul which is not fair?'
'Certainly,' I said. 'And is that which is not wise, ignorant? do you not
see that there is a mean between wisdom and ignorance?' 'And what may that
be?' I said. 'Right opinion,' she replied; 'which, as you know, being
incapable of giving a reason, is not knowledge (for how can knowledge be
devoid of reason? nor again, ignorance, for neither can ignorance attain
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte: pleasure, to the contemplation of the new life upon which I was
entering. But though it was not far past the middle of September,
the heavy clouds and strong north-easterly wind combined to render
the day extremely cold and dreary; and the journey seemed a very
long one, for, as Smith observed, the roads were 'very heavy'; and
certainly, his horse was very heavy too: it crawled up the hills,
and crept down them, and only condescended to shake its sides in a
trot where the road was at a dead level or a very gentle slope,
which was rarely the case in those rugged regions; so that it was
nearly one o'clock before we reached the place of our destination.
Yet, after all, when we entered the lofty iron gateway, when we
Agnes Grey |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Golden Sayings of Epictetus by Epictetus: out what places are most pleasant; but rather to return to that
wherein thou wast born and where wert appointed to ba a citizen."
III
Try to enjoy the great festival of life with other men.
IV
But I have one whom I must please, to whom I must be
subject, whom I must obey:-- God, and those who come next to Him.
He hath entrusted me with myself: He hath made my will subject to
myself alone and given me rules for the right use thereof.
V
Rufus used to say, If you have leisure to praise me, what I
The Golden Sayings of Epictetus |
