| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Art of War by Sun Tzu: position, some scheme must be devised which will suit the
circumstances, and if we can succeed in deluding the enemy, the
peril may be escaped." This is exactly what happened on the
famous occasion when Hannibal was hemmed in among the mountains
on the road to Casilinum, and to all appearances entrapped by the
dictator Fabius. The stratagem which Hannibal devised to baffle
his foes was remarkably like that which T`ien Tan had also
employed with success exactly 62 years before. [See IX. ss. 24,
note.] When night came on, bundles of twigs were fastened to the
horns of some 2000 oxen and set on fire, the terrified animals
being then quickly driven along the mountain side towards the
The Art of War |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Four Arthurian Romances by Chretien DeTroyes: Gawain; (25) with him no one could be compared. But next after
him, he prized Erec most, and held him more dear than any other
knight.
(Vv. 2293-2764.) Erec wished to delay no longer. As soon as he
had the King's leave, he bid his wife make her preparations, and
he retained as his escort sixty knights of merit with horses and
with dappled and grey furs. As soon as he was ready for his
journey, he tarried little further at court, but took leave of
the Queen and commended the knights to God. The Queen grants him
leave to depart. At the hour of prime he set out from the royal
palace. In the presence of them all he mounted his steed, and
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Father Goriot by Honore de Balzac: "No; let us stay here," answered Eugene; he sat down on the sofa
before the fire, and boldly took Mme. de Nucingen's hand in his.
She surrendered it to him; he even felt the pressure of her
fingers in one of the spasmodic clutches that betray terrible
agitation.
"Listen," said Rastignac; "if you are in trouble, you ought to
tell me about it. I want to prove to you that I love you for
yourself alone. You must speak to me frankly about your troubles,
so that I can put an end to them, even if I have to kill half-a-
dozen men; or I shall go, never to return."
"Very well," she cried, putting her hand to her forehead in an
Father Goriot |
