| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Vailima Letters by Robert Louis Stevenson: our house; a little after, a second went; and we sent out
boys with axes and cut down a third, which was too near the
house, and buckling like a fishing rod. At dinner we had the
front door closed and shuttered, the back door open, the lamp
lit. The boys in the cook-house were all out at the cook-
house door, where we could see them looking in and smiling.
Lauilo and Faauma waited on us with smiles. The excitement
was delightful. Some very violent squalls came as we sat
there, and every one rejoiced; it was impossible to help it;
a soul of putty had to sing. All night it blew; the roof was
continually sounding under missiles; in the morning the
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Monster Men by Edgar Rice Burroughs: to be wary, for it was evident that every man's hand was
against him, so he determined to learn at once whether
the noise he heard came from some human enemy lurking
along his trail ready to spring upon him with naked
parang at a moment that he was least prepared,
or merely from some jungle brute.
Cautiously he threaded his way through the matted
vegetation in the direction of the sound. Although a
parang from the body of a vanquished Dyak hung at his
side he grasped his bull whip ready in his right hand,
preferring it to the less accustomed weapon of the
The Monster Men |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from A Distinguished Provincial at Paris by Honore de Balzac: frankly and unrestrainedly. Hector Merlin, alone, did not join in the
laughter. Lucien asked the reason of his reserve.
"You are just entering the world of letters, I can see," he said. "You
are a journalist with all your illusions left. You believe in
friendship. Here we are friends or foes, as it happens; we strike down
a friend with the weapon which by rights should only be turned against
an enemy. You will find out, before very long, that fine sentiments
will do nothing for you. If you are naturally kindly, learn to be ill-
natured, to be consistently spiteful. If you have never heard this
golden rule before, I give it you now in confidence, and it is no
small secret. If you have a mind to be loved, never leave your
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