| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: futility of pride.
"Alas! My father," said I, "how little do you know me. Human beings,
their feelings and passions, would indeed be degraded if such a wretch
as I felt pride. Justine, poor unhappy Justine, was as innocent as I,
and she suffered the same charge; she died for it; and I am the cause
of this--I murdered her. William, Justine, and Henry--they all died
by my hands."
My father had often, during my imprisonment, heard me make the same
assertion; when I thus accused myself, he sometimes seemed to desire
an explanation, and at others he appeared to consider it as the offspring
of delirium, and that, during my illness, some idea of this kind had
Frankenstein |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbot: in districts remote from towns, the customary formula for
a Flatland introduction. But in the towns, and among men of business,
the words "be felt by" are omitted and the sentence is abbreviated to,
"Let me ask you to feel Mr. So-and-so"; although it is assumed,
of course, that the "feeling" is to be reciprocal.
Among our still more modern and dashing young gentlemen -- who are
extremely averse to superfluous effort and supremely indifferent
to the purity of their native language -- the formula is still
further curtailed by the use of "to feel" in a technical sense,
meaning, "to recommend-for-the-purposes-of-feeling-and-being-felt";
and at this moment the "slang" of polite or fast society
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Smalcald Articles by Dr. Martin Luther: is not lawful], etc. And let this be preached, that such
pilgrimages are not necessary, but dangerous; and then see
what will become of them. [For thus they will perish of their
own accord.]
Fourthly. Fraternities [or societies], in which cloisters,
chapters, vicars have assigned and communicated (by a legal
contract and sale) all masses and good works, etc., both for
the living and the dead. This is not only altogether a human
bauble, without the Word of God, entirely unnecessary and not
commanded, but also contrary to the chief article, Of
Redemption. Therefore it is in no way to be tolerated.
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