| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Protagoras by Plato: and a wiser man.' 'But in what will he be better?'--Socrates desires to
have a more precise answer. Protagoras replies, 'That he will teach him
prudence in affairs private and public; in short, the science or knowledge
of human life.'
This, as Socrates admits, is a noble profession; but he is or rather would
have been doubtful, whether such knowledge can be taught, if Protagoras had
not assured him of the fact, for two reasons: (1) Because the Athenian
people, who recognize in their assemblies the distinction between the
skilled and the unskilled in the arts, do not distinguish between the
trained politician and the untrained; (2) Because the wisest and best
Athenian citizens do not teach their sons political virtue. Will
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Duchesse de Langeais by Honore de Balzac: for several days the children of the sheikh of the tribe amused
themselves by putting him up for a mark and flinging horses'
knuckle-bones at his head.
Montriveau came back to Paris in 1818 a ruined man. He had no
interest, and wished for none. He would have died twenty times
over sooner than ask a favour of anyone; he would not even press
the recognition of his claims. Adversity and hardship had
developed his energy even in trifles, while the habit of
preserving his self-respect before that spiritual self which we
call conscience led him to attach consequence to the most
apparently trivial actions. His merits and adventures became
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Black Beauty by Anna Sewell: were both of one mind, and so angry that we could not have gone slower.
The house stood close by the roadside. Joe knocked at the door,
and shouted, "Halloo! Is Mr. Clay at home?" The door was opened,
and Mr. Clay himself came out.
"Halloo, young man! You seem in a hurry; any orders from the squire
this morning?"
"No, Mr. Clay, but there's a fellow in your brick-yard
flogging two horses to death. I told him to stop, and he wouldn't;
I said I'd help him to lighten the cart, and he wouldn't; so I have come
to tell you. Pray, sir, go." Joe's voice shook with excitement.
"Thank ye, my lad," said the man, running in for his hat;
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