Date: 1759

"[S]he had no Food from outward Objects, to employ her animal Spirits, and they therefore prey'd at home; and oppressed her own Mind."

— Fielding, Sarah (1710-1768)

Date: 1759

The passions may "rebel against their proper Guide, and forcibly snatch the Reins out of the Hands of that Governor appointed to restrain and keep them within their own prescribed Bounds"

— Fielding, Sarah (1710-1768)

Date: 1759

"This [her own Mind] being haunted with Ghosts, dejected with an unaccountable Melancholy, and afflicted with a Variety of Distempers, tho' we are at a Loss to discover what Appellation to give them, is very often the Result of nothing more than a strong Imagination unimployed, which could be all...

— Fielding, Sarah (1710-1768)

Date: 1763

"If you now refuse, you have the heart of a tygress, and delight in the misery of others."

— Brooke [née Moore], Frances (bap. 1724, d. 1789)

Date: 1766

"[A] little cunning is sufficient to enable us to take advantage of the discovery; for cunning attains its little ends more surely than wisdom; like the despicable mole which works its way through the greatest mountains, while the noble lion cannot penetrate one foot deep into the earth"

— Scott [née Robinson], Sarah (1720-1795)

Date: 1778, 1779

"Young, animated, entirely off your guard, and thoughtless of consequences, imagination took the reins, and reason, slow-paced, though sure-footed, was unequal to a race with so eccentric and flighty a companion."

— Burney [married name D'Arblay], Frances (1752-1840)

Date: 1782

"His present situation, however, was little calculated to contribute to his recovery; the dismission of the surgeon, the precipitation of his removal, the inconveniencies of his lodgings, and the unseasonable deprivation of long customary indulgencies, were unavoidable delays of his amendment; wh...

— Burney [married name D'Arblay], Frances (1752-1840)

Date: 1783

"I weave nets for insects; and if I suit my toil, for my game am I to be derided?"

— Fenn [née Frere], Ellenor (1744-1813)

Date: 1788

"Unconscious therefore of the anguish which preyed upon the heart of her unhappy lover, Emmeline gave her whole attention to Lady Adelina, and she saw with infinite concern the encreasing weakness of her frame; with still greater pain she observed, that by suffering her mind to dwell continually ...

— Smith, Charlotte (1749-1806)

Date: 1788

"Pensive, yet always kind; melancholy, and at times visibly unhappy; yet ever gentle, considerate, and attentive to me; always ready to blame himself for yielding to that despondence which he cannot without an effort conquer; trying to alleviate the anguish of my mind by subduing that which frequ...

— Smith, Charlotte (1749-1806)