| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin: he conduct the affairs of his country that when he finally returned
he received a place only second to that of Washington as the champion
of American independence. He died on April 17, 1790.
The first five chapters of the Autobiography were composed in
England in 1771, continued in 1784-5, and again in 1788, at which
date he brought it down to 1757. After a most extraordinary series
of adventures, the original form of the manuscript was finally printed
by Mr. John Bigelow, and is here reproduced in recognition of its
value as a picture of one of the most notable personalities of Colonial
times, and of its acknowledged rank as one of the great autobiographies
of the world.
 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Koran: upon the earth firm mountains lest it should move with you; and He
dispersed thereon every sort of beast; and we send down from the
heavens water, and we caused to grow therein of every noble kind.
This is God's creation; show me what others beside Him have
created;-nay, the unjust are in obvious error!
We did give unto Loqman wisdom, saying, 'Thank God; for he who
thanks God is only thankful for his own soul; and he who is
ungrateful- verily, God is independent, worthy of praise!'
And when Loqman said to his son while admonishing him, 'O my boy!
associate none with God, for, verily, such association is a mighty
wrong.'-
 The Koran |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne: "Sketched and Studies," 1883.
Hawthorne's contributions to magazines were numerous, and most of
his tales appeared first in periodicals, chiefly in "The Token,"
1831-1838, "New England Magazine," 1834,1835; "Knickerbocker,"
1837-1839; "Democratic Review," 1838-1846; "Atlantic Monthly,"
1860-1872 (scenes from the Dolliver Romance, Septimius Felton,
and passages from Hawthorne's Note-Books).
Works: in 24 volumes, 1879; in 12 volumes, with introductory
notes by Lathrop, Riverside Edition, 1883.
 The Scarlet Letter |