| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Art of Writing by Robert Louis Stevenson: what is without him, that he may be kind to others. It can
never be wrong to tell him the truth; for, in his disputable
state, weaving as he goes his theory of life, steering
himself, cheering or reproving others, all facts are of the
first importance to his conduct; and even if a fact shall
discourage or corrupt him, it is still best that he should
know it; for it is in this world as it is, and not in a world
made easy by educational suppressions, that he must win his
way to shame or glory. In one word, it must always be foul
to tell what is false; and it can never be safe to suppress
what is true. The very fact that you omit may be the fact
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Underground City by Jules Verne: years in the remote and most solitary depths of the mine.
I say WITH my grandfather, but I can scarcely use the expression,
for I seldom saw him. When he disappeared from Old Aberfoyle,
he concealed himself in caverns known only to himself.
In his way he was kind to me, dreadful as he was; he fed me
with whatever he could procure from outside the mine; but I can
dimly recollect that in my earliest years I was the nursling
of a goat, the death of which was a bitter grief to me.
My grandfather, seeing my distress, brought me another animal--
a dog he said it was. But, unluckily, this dog was lively,
and barked. Grandfather did not like anything cheerful.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Charmides by Plato: these gentlemen, and I heartily thank them for the pains and time which
they have bestowed on my work.
I have further to explain how far I have received help from other labourers
in the same field. The books which I have found of most use are Steinhart
and Muller's German Translation of Plato with Introductions; Zeller's
'Philosophie der Griechen,' and 'Platonische Studien;' Susemihl's
'Genetische Entwickelung der Paltonischen Philosophie;' Hermann's
'Geschichte der Platonischen Philosophie;' Bonitz, 'Platonische Studien;'
Stallbaum's Notes and Introductions; Professor Campbell's editions of the
'Theaetetus,' the 'Sophist,' and the 'Politicus;' Professor Thompson's
'Phaedrus;' Th. Martin's 'Etudes sur le Timee;' Mr. Poste's edition and
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