Excerpts from the novel Phineas Finn, 1868 by Anthony Trollope:
“It is no loss of time,” said Phineas, “to have taken the first great step in making it.”
“The first great step was taken long ago,” said Mr. Monk,–”taken by
men who were looked upon as revolutionary demagogues, almost as
traitors, because they took it. But it is a great thing to take any step
that leads us onwards.”
“There is nothing in the world so difficult as that task of making up
one’s mind. Who is there that has not longed that the power and
privilege of selection among alternatives should be taken away from him
in some important crisis of his life, and that his conduct should be
arranged for him, either this way or that, by some divine power if it
were possible, – by some patriarchal power in the absence of divinity, –
or by chance, even, if nothing better than chance could be found to do
it? But no one dares to cast the die, and to go honestly by the hazard.
There must be the actual necessity of obeying the die, before even the
die can be of any use.”
Full work: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18000/18000-h/18000-h.htm
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