Date: 1774

"A strong perception, like a deep shade of colouring, seems to decay more slowly than one that is faint and delicate; and though it should decay as fast, it would be longer before it were effaced."

— Gerard, Alexander (1728-1795)

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

"If it were not employed in this, genius must go on like a mere machine, and a person should have no power over it after it were once set in motion."

— 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)

Date: 1774

"In this case, the separate perceptions are faintly impressed upon the mind, their experienced connexions strongly; and these are the only connexions which influence it, the relations conferred by imagination have none; the subject likewise is not clearly understood."

— Gerard, Alexander (1728-1795)