| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Burning Daylight by Jack London: panic, short-lived, it was true, but sharp enough while it lasted
to make him remember Holdsworthy and the brick-yard, and to
impel him to cancel all buying orders while he rushed to a
telephone.
"Nothing in it--only a rumor," came Leon Guggenhammer's throaty
voice in the receiver. "As you know," said Nathaniel Letton, "I
am one of the directors, and I should certainly be aware of it
were such action contemplated. And John Dowsett: "I warned you
against just such rumors. There is not an iota of truth in
it--certainly not. I tell you on my honor as a gentleman."
Heartily ashamed of himself for his temporary loss of nerve,
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Unseen World and Other Essays by John Fiske: absence of hostile criticism might get accepted by the unthinking
reader along with the truths which they accompany. Most
scientific and philosophical works have their defects; and it is
fortunate that there is such a thing as dogmatic ardour in the
world, ever sharpening its wits to the utmost, that it may spy
each lurking inaccuracy and ruthlessly drag it to light. But this
useful spirit is wont to lead those who are inspired by it to
shoot beyond the mark, and after pointing out the errors of
others, to commit fresh mistakes of their own. In the skilful
criticism of M. Renan's work on the Apostles, in No. 29 of the
"Fortnightly Review" there is now and then a vulnerable spot
The Unseen World and Other Essays |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Fantastic Fables by Ambrose Bierce: hundred and fifty thousand miles to the place of rendezvous, when
the President of the Big Nation received the following note from
the President of the Little Nation:
"My great and good friend, I hear that you are going to show us
your navy, in order to impress us with a sense of your power. How
needless the expense! To prove to you that we already know all
about it, I inclose herewith a list and description of all the
ships you have."
The great and good friend was so struck by the hard sense of the
letter that he kept his navy at home, and saved one thousand
million dollars. This economy enabled him to buy a satisfactory
Fantastic Fables |
