| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Hellenica by Xenophon: the object of his visit: he wished, if possible, to cement a peace
between the state he represented and the king--a peace, moreover,
exactly suited to the aspirations of the king himself; in other words,
the Lacedaemonians gave up all claim to the Hellenic cities in Asia as
against the king, while for their own part they were content that all
the islands and other cities should be independent. "Such being our
unbiassed wishes," he continued, "for what earthly reason should [the
Hellenes or] the king go to war with us? or why should he expend his
money? The king is guaranteed against attack on the part of Hellas,
since the Athenians are powerless apart from our hegemony, and we are
powerless so long as the separate states are independent." The
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Illustrious Gaudissart by Honore de Balzac: met of the provinces. He is the link which connects the village with
the capital; though essentially he is neither Parisian nor provincial,
--he is a traveller. He sees nothing to the core: men and places he
knows by their names; as for things, he looks merely at their surface,
and he has his own little tape-line with which to measure them. His
glance shoots over all things and penetrates none. He occupies himself
with a great deal, yet nothing occupies him.
Jester and jolly fellow, he keeps on good terms with all political
opinions, and is patriotic to the bottom of his soul. A capital mimic,
he knows how to put on, turn and turn about, the smiles of persuasion,
satisfaction, and good-nature, or drop them for the normal expression
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Blix by Frank Norris:
And they heard it, they two heard it, standing there face to face,
looking into each other's eyes, that unanswered question yet
between them, the question that had come to them with the turning
of the year. It was the old year yet when Condy had asked that
question. In that moment's pause, while Blix hesitated to answer
him, the New Year had come. And while the huge, vast note of the
city swelled and vibrated, she still kept silent. But only for a
moment. Then she came closer to him, and put a hand on each of
his shoulders.
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