| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from A Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne: THE MYSTERY. PARIS.
IF a man knows the heart, he will know it was impossible to go back
instantly to my chamber; - it was touching a cold key with a flat
third to it upon the close of a piece of music, which had call'd
forth my affections: - therefore, when I let go the hand of the
FILLE DE CHAMBRE, I remained at the gate of the hotel for some
time, looking at every one who pass'd by, - and forming conjectures
upon them, till my attention got fix'd upon a single object which
confounded all kind of reasoning upon him.
It was a tall figure of a philosophic, serious, adust look, which
passed and repass'd sedately along the street, making a turn of
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Soul of Man by Oscar Wilde: men who have realised themselves, and in whom all Humanity gains a
partial realisation. Upon the other hand, there are a great many
people who, having no private property of their own, and being
always on the brink of sheer starvation, are compelled to do the
work of beasts of burden, to do work that is quite uncongenial to
them, and to which they are forced by the peremptory, unreasonable,
degrading Tyranny of want. These are the poor, and amongst them
there is no grace of manner, or charm of speech, or civilisation,
or culture, or refinement in pleasures, or joy of life. From their
collective force Humanity gains much in material prosperity. But
it is only the material result that it gains, and the man who is
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Youth by Joseph Conrad: the outside.
"It was January, and the weather was beautiful--the
beautiful sunny winter weather that has more charm
than in the summer-time, because it is unexpected, and
crisp, and you know it won't, it can't, last long. It's
like a windfall, like a godsend, like an unexpected piece
of luck.
"It lasted all down the North Sea, all down Channel;
and it lasted till we were three hundred miles or so to the
westward of the Lizards: then the wind went round to
the sou'west and began to pipe up. In two days it blew
Youth |
