| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from In a German Pension by Katherine Mansfield: Leicester Square," cried the Herr Rat. "It was a good hotel, but they
could not make tea--now--"
"Ah, that's one thing I CAN do," said I, laughing brightly. "I can make
very good tea. The great secret is to warm the teapot."
"Warm the teapot," interrupted the Herr Rat, pushing away his soup plate.
"What do you warm the teapot for? Ha! ha! that's very good! One does not
eat the teapot, I suppose?"
He fixed his cold blue eyes upon me with an expression which suggested a
thousand premeditated invasions.
"So that is the great secret of your English tea? All you do is to warm
the teapot."
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Art of War by Sun Tzu: When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too
weak, the result is COLLAPSE.
[Ts`ao Kung says: "The officers are energetic and want to
press on, the common soldiers are feeble and suddenly collapse."]
17. When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate,
and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account from a
feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief can tell
whether or no he is in a position to fight, the result is RUIN.
[Wang Hsi`s note is: "This means, the general is angry
without cause, and at the same time does not appreciate the
ability of his subordinate officers; thus he arouses fierce
The Art of War |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Secrets of the Princesse de Cadignan by Honore de Balzac: conduct with a brilliant varnish; a man of charming manners and
satanic mind. He inspired all who knew him with equal contempt and
fear; but as no one was bold enough to show him any sentiments but
those of the utmost courtesy he saw nothing of this public opinion, or
else he accepted and shared the general dissimulation. He owed to the
Comte de Marsay the greatest degree of elevation to which he could
attain. De Marsay, whose knowledge of Maxime was of long-standing,
judged him capable of fulfilling certain secret and diplomatic
functions which he confided to him and of which de Trailles acquitted
himself admirably. D'Arthez had for some time past mingled
sufficiently in political matters to know the man for what he was, and
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