| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum: Just then Polychrome danced in, and Ozma rose to greet the Rainbow's
Daughter in her sweetest and most cordial manner.
Dorothy thought she had never seen two prettier creatures together
than these lovely maidens; but Polly knew at once her own dainty
beauty could not match that of Ozma, yet was not a bit jealous because
this was so.
The Wizard of Oz was announced, and a dried-up, little, old man, clothed
all in black, entered the drawing-room. His face was cheery and his
eyes twinkling with humor, so Polly and Button-Bright were not at all
afraid of the wonderful personage whose fame as a humbug magician had
spread throughout the world. After greeting Dorothy with much
The Road to Oz |
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: surely that is no reason why the pick-pocket or cut-throat should be
accepted by you as a God. This omnividence, as you call it --
it is not a common word in Spaceland -- does it make you more just,
more merciful, less selfish, more loving? Not in the least.
Then how does it make you more divine?
I. "More merciful, more loving!" But these are the qualities
of women! And we know that a Circle is a higher Being
than a Straight Line, in so far as knowledge and wisdom
are more to be esteemed than mere affection.
SPHERE. It is not for me to classify human faculties according
to merit. Yet many of the best and wisest in Spaceland think more
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln by Helen Nicolay: of experienced officers of the army and navy; and since these
differed greatly, Mr. Lincoln's powerful mind was as able to
reach true conclusions as were men who had been governors and
senators. Yet the idea lingered that because he had never before
held high office, and because a large part of his life had been
passed in the rude surroundings of the frontier, he must of
necessity be lacking in power to govern--be weaker in will,
without tact or culture--must in every way be less fitted to cope
with the difficult problems so rapidly coming upon the
administration.
At the beginning even Secretary Seward shared this view. Mr.
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