| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from An Inland Voyage by Robert Louis Stevenson: Indeed, that was what the honest fellow could not do. On the most
trifling matter his eyes kindled, his fist visited the table, and
his voice rolled abroad in changeful thunder. I never saw such a
petard of a man; I think the devil was in him. He had two
favourite expressions: 'it is logical,' or illogical, as the case
might be: and this other, thrown out with a certain bravado, as a
man might unfurl a banner, at the beginning of many a long and
sonorous story: 'I am a proletarian, you see.' Indeed, we saw it
very well. God forbid that ever I should find him handling a gun
in Paris streets! That will not be a good moment for the general
public.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Mansfield Park by Jane Austen: of an age to be treated better; I think she is behaving
better already; and when you are her only companion,
you _must_ be important to her."
"I can never be important to any one."
"What is to prevent you?"
"Everything. My situation, my foolishness and awkwardness."
"As to your foolishness and awkwardness, my dear Fanny,
believe me, you never have a shadow of either, but in using
the words so improperly. There is no reason in the world
why you should not be important where you are known.
You have good sense, and a sweet temper, and I am sure you
Mansfield Park |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Golden Sayings of Epictetus by Epictetus: wouldst bethink thee both of thyself and thine artificer; and
hadst thou any sense, thou wouldst strive to do no dishonour to
thyself or him that fashioned thee, nor appear to beholders in
unbefitting guise. But now, because God is thy Maker, is that why
thou carest not of what sort thou shalt show thyself to be? Yet
how different the artists and their workmanship! What human
artist's work, for example, has in it the faculties that are
displayed in fashioning it? Is it aught but marble, bronze, gold,
or ivory? Nay, when the Athena of Phidias has put forth her hand
and received therein a Victory, in that attitude she stands for
evermore. But God's works move and breathe; they use and judge
The Golden Sayings of Epictetus |
