Date: 1786

"Our minds are like blank paper, as a great philosopher has observed, and the first impressions they receive are generally the most permanent and powerful."

— Anonymous

Date: w. 1782, 1786, 1816

"One of these beneficent Genii, assuming, without delay, the exterior of a shepherd, more renowned for his piety than all the derviches and santons of the region, took his station near a flock of white sheep, on the slope of a hill; and began to pour forth, from his flute, such airs of pathetic m...

— Beckford, William (1760-1844)

Date: 1788

"Painful indeed were the thoughts that now crouded on her mind."

— Smith, Charlotte (1749-1806)

Date: 1788

"Insensible as such a man must be supposed to the charms of the elegant and self-cultivated mind of Emmeline, her personal beauty had made a deep impression on his heart; and he had formed a design of marrying her, before the death of Mrs. Carey, to whom he had once or twice mentioned something l...

— Smith, Charlotte (1749-1806)

Date: 1788

"Impressed with these ideas, he paid his court most assiduously to the housekeeper, who put down all his compliments to the account of her own attractions; and was extremely pleased with her conquest; which she exhausted all her eloquence and all her wardrobe to secure."

— Smith, Charlotte (1749-1806)

Date: 1788

"And as she passed by the village church, which had been formerly the chapel of the monastery, and joined the castle walls, she turned her eyes, filled with tears, towards the spot where the remains of Mrs. Carey were deposited, and sighed deeply; a thousand tender and painful recollections croud...

— Smith, Charlotte (1749-1806)

Date: 1788

"So far were their acquisitions from having made any impression on his heart, that the frivolous turn of their minds, the studied ornaments of their persons, and the affected refinement of their manners, made him only recollect with more passionate admiration, that native elegance of person and m...

— Smith, Charlotte (1749-1806)

Date: 1788

"Miss Mowbray's heart is made of softer materials."

— Smith, Charlotte (1749-1806)

Date: 1788

"The charms of her conversation, the purity of her heart, and the softness of her temper, made her altogether a character which could not be known without being beloved; and Emmeline, whose heart was open to all the enchanting impressions of early friendship, loved her with the truest affection."

— Smith, Charlotte (1749-1806)

Date: 1788

"Having procured from her these assurances, which he knew she would not violate, and having obtained her consent to see him early the next morning, he at her request agreed to take his leave; which he did with less pain than he had ever before felt at quitting her; carrying with him the delightfu...

— Smith, Charlotte (1749-1806)