Date: 1771

"As the Wax would not be adequate to its business of Signature, had it not a Power to retain, as well as to receive; the same holds of the SOUL, with respect to Sense and Imagination."

— Harris, James (1709-1780)

Date: 1771

"If they had made no impression upon his heart"

— Franklin, Benjamin (1706-1790)

Date: 1773

"When the soul is engrossed by any violent passion, when the imagination forms a lively picture of the charms of a favourite object, represents it as the idol of the heart, adorns it with every attractive grace, and suffers it to make a deep impression on the mind; by degrees the charms, in which...

— Marat, Jean-Paul (1743-1793)

Date: 1774

"By bestowing attention, the mind as it were embraces the objects exhibited to it, and lays itself open to a strong impression from them, which makes them both affect it much while they are present, and keep firm possession of the memory afterwards."

— Gerard, Alexander (1728-1795)

Date: 1774

"It is observed, that every thing is well remembered, which is impressed on the mind when free and disengaged."

— Gerard, Alexander (1728-1795)

Date: 1774

"Without this, the exercise of memory would be much more difficult than it is: for our remembering any series of thoughts, it would be necessary to impress them all vigorously on the mind; if any of them were faint, it would necessarily be forgotten."

— Gerard, Alexander (1728-1795)

Date: 1774

"Memory is weak in very young children, and in very old men; but the weakness proceeds from dissimilar causes. The former are not capable either of bestowing so close attention upon things, or of comprehending them so perfectly, as would be necessary for their making a strong or lasting impressio...

— Gerard, Alexander (1728-1795)

Date: 1774

"It is a perfection of memory to be susceptible, to receive an impression quickly: it is likewise a perfection of memory to be tenacious."

— Gerard, Alexander (1728-1795)

Date: 1774

"Because the impression is made quickly, it does not follow that it is strong: a susceptible memory, like a soft body, receives some impression at once, and because this impression is perceivable at once, we are at no pains to deepen it, we allow it to continue slight: when the memory is, as it ...

— Gerard, Alexander (1728-1795)

Date: 1774

"Sometimes these perfections are united: the memory is of such a happy temperature as may be compared to wax, which receives the seal easily and strongly when it is melted, and immediately hardens and suffers it not to be effaced."

— Gerard, Alexander (1728-1795)