| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Hiero by Xenophon: is to hinder all attempts at evil-doing; whereby they exercise a
kindly providence and bear the brunt of danger on behalf of the
community, I say it must needs be, the citizens will rejoice to pay
the expenses which the force entails. At any rate, it is for objects
of far less importance that at present guards[9] are kept in private
life.
[9] "Police or other."
XI
But, Hiero, you must not grudge to spend a portion of your private
substance for the common weal. For myself, I hold to the opinion that
the sums expended by the monarch on the state form items of
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde: sweet herbs, or filling his pockets with plums and cherries if it
was the fruit season.
"'Real friends should have everything in common,' the Miller used
to say, and little Hans nodded and smiled, and felt very proud of
having a friend with such noble ideas.
"Sometimes, indeed, the neighbours thought it strange that the rich
Miller never gave little Hans anything in return, though he had a
hundred sacks of flour stored away in his mill, and six milch cows,
and a large flock of woolly sheep; but Hans never troubled his head
about these things, and nothing gave him greater pleasure than to
listen to all the wonderful things the Miller used to say about the
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Golden Sayings of Epictetus by Epictetus: to succeed; some move and some abide: yet all is full of friends--
first God, then Men, whom Nature hath bound by ties of kindred
each to each.
CXXIV
Nor did the hero weep and lament at leaving his children
orphans. For he knew that no man is an orphan, but it is the
Father that careth for all continually and for evermore. Not by
mere report had he heard that the Supreme God is the Father of
men: seeing that he called Him Father believing Him so to be, and
in all that he did had ever his eyes fixed upon Him. Wherefore in
whatsoever place he was, there is was given him to live happily.
The Golden Sayings of Epictetus |
