Date: 1778

"Do you think the public opinion, his various doubts of himself, and of her, the pride of his family, and the loud claims of avarice, his ruling passion 'till now, won't prove near an equipoise to his love?"

— Foote, Samuel (1720-1777)

Date: 1780

"Once love gets into a man's head, poor reason is brought before a court-martial of the passions, and cashiered without a hearing"

— Pilon, Frederick (1750-1788)

Date: 1782

"Perish the barb'rous maxims of the East, / Which basely wou'd enslave the free-born mind, / And plunder it of the best gift of Heav'n, / Its liberty!"

— More, Hannah (1745-1833)

Date: 1784

Vanity is more a man's ruling passion than a woman's

— Cowley [née Parkhouse], Hannah (1743-1809)

Date: 1785

Play [gambling] may be a ruling passion

— MacNally, Leonard (1752-1820)

Date: 1785

"I was surpriz'd, taken unawares, passion ran away with me like an unbroke horse: but I have got him under now; I can govern him with a twine of thread."

— Cumberland, Richard (1732-1811)

Date: 1786

Love of admiration may be a ruling passion

— Pilon, Frederick (1750-1788)

Date: 1787

Money may be a ruling passion

— Holcroft, Thomas (1745-1809)

Date: 1788

Lovers are governed by Cupid and must obey the "laws of a monarch, whose throne is the heart"

— Cobb, James (1756-1818)

Date: 1789

"A passion like mine, makes the heart rebellious--it will love on--it will hope, in spite of the rules cold reason dictates"

— Inchbald [née Simpson], Elizabeth (1753-1821)