| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey: settled into their fleet, long-striding gallop. The wind sweetly
fanned Venters's hot face. From the summit of the first
low-swelling ridge he looked back. Lassiter waved his hand; Jane
waved her scarf. Venters replied by standing in his stirrups and
holding high his sombrero. Then the dip of the ridge hid them.
From the height of the next he turned once more. Lassiter, Jane,
and the burros had disappeared. They had gone down into the Pass.
Venters felt a sensation of irreparable loss.
"Bern--look!" called Bess, pointing up the long slope.
A small, dark, moving dot split the line where purple sage met
blue sky. That dot was a band of riders.
Riders of the Purple Sage |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Apology by Xenophon: at which all men are gifted with prophetic power" (Jowett).
The prophecy proved true. The young man fell a victim to the pleasures
of wine; night and day he never ceased drinking, and at last became a
mere good-for-nothing, worthless alike to his city, his friends, and
himself. As to Anytus, even though the grave has closed upon him, his
evil reputation still survives him, due alike to his son's base
bringing-up and his own want of human feeling.
Socrates did, it is true, by his self-laudation draw down upon him the
jealousy of the court and caused his judges all the more to record
their votes against him. Yet even so I look upon the lot of destiny
which he obtained as providential,[58] chancing as he did upon the
The Apology |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Sportsman by Xenophon: enemy. This training of theirs renders the one set more able to cope
with the foreign foe, the others far less able. The hunting of the one
is carried on with self-restraint, of the others with effrontery. The
one can look down with contempt upon maliciousness and sordid love of
gain, the other cannot. The very speech and intonation of the one has
melody, of the other harshness. And with regard to things divine, the
one set know no obstacle to their impiety, the others are of all men
the most pious. Indeed ancient tales affirm[28] that the very gods
themselves take joy in this work[29] as actors and spectators. So
that,[30] with due reflection on these things, the young who act upon
my admonitions will be found, perchance, beloved of heaven and
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