| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Art of War by Sun Tzu: at the investment and occupation of Ying, and witnessed Wu's
sudden collapse in the following year. Yueh's attack at this
critical juncture, when her rival was embarrassed on every side,
seems to have convinced him that this upstart kingdom was the
great enemy against whom every effort would henceforth have to be
directed. Sun Wu was thus a well-seasoned warrior when he sat
down to write his famous book, which according to my reckoning
must have appeared towards the end, rather than the beginning of
Ho Lu's reign. The story of the women may possibly have grown
out of some real incident occurring about the same time. As we
hear no more of Sun Wu after this from any source, he is hardly
The Art of War |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy: for your sake. Everybody is going there now, she says. At
Easters we shall fly to town for the usual three months--I shall
have a curate of course by that time. Elfride, I am past love,
you know, and I honestly confess that I married her for your sake.
Why a woman of her standing should have thrown herself away upon
me, God knows. But I suppose her age and plainness were too
pronounced for a town man. With your good looks, if you now play
your cards well, you may marry anybody. Of course, a little
contrivance will be necessary; but there's nothing to stand
between you and a husband with a title, that I can see. Lady
Luxellian was only a squire's daughter. Now, don't you see how
A Pair of Blue Eyes |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Little Rivers by Henry van Dyke: horses, as our luggage seemed too formidable for a single pair.
But in effect our concession to apparent necessity turned out to be
a mere display of superfluous luxury, for the two white leaders did
little more than show their feeble paces, leaving the gray wheelers
to do the work. We had the elevating sense of traveling four-in-
hand, however--a satisfaction to which I do not believe any human
being is altogether insensible.
At Longarone we breakfasted for the second time, and entered the
narrow gorge of the Piave. The road was cut out of the face of the
rock. Below us the long lumber-rafts went shooting down the swift
river. Above, on the right, were the jagged crests of Monte Furlon
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