| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia by Samuel Johnson: call our own condition the condition of life."
Imlac, who had no desire to see them depressed, smiled at the
comforts which they could so readily procure to themselves; and
remembered that at the same age he was equally confident of
unmingled prosperity, and equally fertile of consolatory
expedients. He forbore to force upon them unwelcome knowledge,
which time itself would too soon impress. The Princess and her
lady retired; the madness of the astronomer hung upon their minds;
and they desired Imlac to enter upon his office, and delay next
morning the rising of the sun.
CHAPTER XLVI - THE PRINCESS AND PEKUAH VISIT THE ASTRONOMER.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare: Enter Thisbie.
Pat as I told you; yonder she comes
This. O wall, full often hast thou heard my mones,
For parting my faire Piramus, and me
My cherry lips haue often kist thy stones;
Thy stones with Lime and Haire knit vp in thee
Pyra. I see a voyce; now will I to the chinke,
To spy and I can heare my Thisbies face. Thisbie?
This. My Loue thou art, my Loue I thinke
Pir. Thinke what thou wilt, I am thy Louers grace,
And like Limander am I trusty still
 A Midsummer Night's Dream |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Little Rivers by Henry van Dyke: woodland questions do, as if some silent force of Nature had the
casting-vote. "Sautez, sautez!" cried Ferdinand, "envoyez au
large!" In a moment we were sliding down the smooth back of the
rapid, directly toward the first big wave. The rocky shore went by
us like a dream; we could feel the motion of the earth whirling
around with us. The crest of the billow in front curled above the
bow of the canoe. "Arret', arret', doucement!" A swift stroke of
the paddle checked the canoe, quivering and prancing like a horse
suddenly reined in. The wave ahead, as if surprised, sank and
flattened for a second. The canoe leaped through the edge of it,
swerved to one side, and ran gayly down along the fringe of the
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