| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Mirror of the Sea by Joseph Conrad: fellowship, this subtle bond of association remains between brave
men - that the final testimony to the value of victory must be
received at the hands of the vanquished.
Those who from the heat of that battle sank together to their
repose in the cool depths of the ocean would not understand the
watchwords of our day, would gaze with amazed eyes at the engines
of our strife. All passes, all changes: the animosity of peoples,
the handling of fleets, the forms of ships; and even the sea itself
seems to wear a different and diminished aspect from the sea of
Lord Nelson's day. In this ceaseless rush of shadows and shades,
that, like the fantastic forms of clouds cast darkly upon the
The Mirror of the Sea |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving: and perseverance in his nature; he was in form and spirit like a
supple-jackÄyielding, but tough; though he bent, he never broke;
and though he bowed beneath the slightest pressure, yet, the
moment it was away--jerk!--he was as erect, and carried his
head as high as ever.
To have taken the field openly against his rival would have
been madness; for he was not a man to be thwarted in his amours,
any more than that stormy lover, Achilles. Ichabod, therefore,
made his advances in a quiet and gently insinuating manner. Under
cover of his character of singing-master, he made frequent visits
at the farmhouse; not that he had anything to apprehend from the
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy: the end the punishment will fall on your own shoulders. Oh! my
child, it would be better for you to attend to your work on the
farm and train your boys to become good farmers and honest men.
If any one offend you forgive him for Christ's sake, and then
prosperity will smile on your work and a light and happy feeling
will fill your heart."
Ivan still remained silent.
The old father in a pleading voice continued: "Take an old man's
advice. Go and harness your horse, drive back to the court, and
withdraw all these complaints against your neighbor. To-morrow
go to him, offer to make peace in Christ's name, and invite him
The Kreutzer Sonata |
