| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Phaedrus by Plato: but not so dear to one another as the others, either at the time of their
love or afterwards. They consider that they have given and taken from each
other the most sacred pledges, and they may not break them and fall into
enmity. At last they pass out of the body, unwinged, but eager to soar,
and thus obtain no mean reward of love and madness. For those who have
once begun the heavenward pilgrimage may not go down again to darkness and
the journey beneath the earth, but they live in light always; happy
companions in their pilgrimage, and when the time comes at which they
receive their wings they have the same plumage because of their love.
Thus great are the heavenly blessings which the friendship of a lover will
confer upon you, my youth. Whereas the attachment of the non-lover, which
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Ursula by Honore de Balzac: insignificant as a tax-collector should be, and as much of a cipher as
a clever woman could wish, hereupon annihilated his co-heir, Massin,
with the words:--"Didn't I tell you so?"
Tricky people always attribute trickiness to others. Massin therefore
looked askance at Monsieur Bongrand, the justice of the peace, who was
at that moment talking near the door of the church with the Marquis du
Rouvre, a former client.
"If I were sure of it!" he said.
"You could neutralize the protection he is now giving to the Marquis
du Rouvre, who is threatened with arrest. Don't you see how Bongrand
is sprinkling him with advice?" said Goupil, slipping an idea of
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Love and Friendship by Jane Austen: Love-letters I ever read."
This made me very happy, and I was excessively pleased with my
conquest. However, I thought it was proper to give myself a few
Airs--so I said to her--
"This is all very pretty Lady Scudamore, but you know that we
young Ladies who are Heiresses must not throw ourselves away upon
Men who have no fortune at all."
"My dear Miss Halton said she, I am as much convinced of that as
you can be, and I do assure you that I should be the last person
to encourage your marrying anyone who had not some pretensions to
expect a fortune with you. Mr Musgrove is so far from being
Love and Friendship |
