| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from La Grande Breteche by Honore de Balzac: out his snuffbox, opened it, and offered me a pinch; on my refusing,
he took a large one. He was happy! A man who has no hobby does not
know all the good to be got out of life. A hobby is the happy medium
between a passion and a monomania. At this moment I understood the
whole bearing of Sterne's charming passion, and had a perfect idea of
the delight with which my uncle Toby, encouraged by Trim, bestrode his
hobby-horse.
" 'Monsieur,' said Monsieur Regnault, 'I was head-clerk in Monsieur
Roguin's office, in Paris. A first-rate house, which you may have
heard mentioned? No! An unfortunate bankruptcy made it famous.--Not
having money enough to purchase a practice in Paris at the price to
La Grande Breteche |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbot: ^ ^
The KING'S eyes
much larger than the reality
shewing that HIS MAJESTY
could see nothing but a point.
"I am no Woman," replied the small Line. "I am the Monarch
of the world. But thou, whence intrudest thou into my realm
of Lineland?" Receiving this abrupt reply, I begged pardon
if I had in any way startled or molested his Royal Highness;
and describing myself as a stranger I besought the King to give me
some account of his dominions. But I had the greatest possible
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Enemies of Books by William Blades: from each shelf to keep out the dust, was just like tinder,
and in some parts actually fell to the ground by its own weight;
while the backs of the books upon the top shelves were perished,
and crumbled away when touched, being reduced to the consistency
of Scotch snuff. This was, of course, due to the sulphur in
the gas fumes, which attack russia quickest, while calf and morocco
suffer not quite so much. I remember having a book some years
ago from the top shelf in the library of the London Institution,
where gas is used, and the whole of the back fell off in my hands,
although the volume in other respects seemed quite uninjured.
Thousands more were in a similar plight.
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