| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad: earnestly as he left, one of the last, when the proceedings came
to a close. He was not certain. Still, if they believed only
for a night, he would put Dain beyond their reach and feel safe
himself. He walked away fast, looking from time to time over his
shoulder in the fear of being followed, but he saw and heard
nothing.
"Ten o'clock," said the lieutenant, looking at his watch and
yawning. "I shall hear some of the captain's complimentary
remarks when we get back. Miserable business, this."
"Do you think all this is true?" asked the younger man.
"True! It is just possible. But if it isn't true what can we do?
 Almayer's Folly |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Virginian by Owen Wister: please me no more. Afteh she was gone, I told my brothers and
sisters good-by. We like each other well enough, but I reckon
I'll not go back."
We found Em'ly seated upon a collection of green California
peaches, which the Judge had brought from the railroad.
"I don't mind her any more," I said; "I'm sorry for her."
"I've been sorry for her right along," said the Virginian. "She
does hate the roosters so." And he said that he was making a
collection of every class of object which he found her treating
as eggs.
But Em'ly's egg-industry was terminated abruptly one morning, and
 The Virginian |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli: men on the wings of the army; whereupon he did exactly the opposite,
putting his most valiant men on the flanks, while those on whom he
could not so strongly rely he moved to the centre. Observing this
order of battle, he drew out of his lines and quickly came in sight of
the hostile army, who, as usual, had come in their insolence to defy
him. He then commanded his centre squadrons to march slowly, whilst he
moved rapidly forward those on the wings. Thus, when they came into
contact with the enemy, only the wings of the two armies became
engaged, whilst the center battalions remained out of action, for
these two portions of the line of battle were separated from each
other by a long interval and thus unable to reach each other. By this
 The Prince |