Date: 1773

"The figure of his father venerable in virtue, of his sister lovely in innocence, were imprinted on his mind; and the variety of public places of entertainment, to which sir Thomas conducted him, could not immediately efface the impression."

— Mackenzie, Henry (1745-1831)

Date: 1774, rev. 1787, 1779 in English

"Oh! that I could express, that I could describe, these great conceptions, with the same warmth, with the same energy, that they are impressed on my soul!" [Literal translation: "Oh could you only express, could you the breathe forth upon this paper all that lives so warm and full, that it might ...

— Goethe, Johann Wolfgang (1749-1832)

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)

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)