Date: 1760-1761, 1762

"The soul may be compared to a field of battle, where two armies are ready every moment to encounter; not a single vice but has a more powerful opponent; and not one virtue but may be overborne by a combination of vices."

— Goldsmith, Oliver (1728?-1774)

Date: 1760-1761, 1762

"Reason guides the bands of either host, nor can it subdue one passion but by the assistance of another."

— Goldsmith, Oliver (1728?-1774)

Date: 1764

"For when the hostile army rushes in at the windows of the body, and certain battalions of perturbations have so entered the castle of the mind, that the soul is taken captive, as it were, and oppressed beyond measure, sure, by troops of affections proceeding from the senses of seeing, hearing, s...

— Anonymous

Date: 1766

"Each of these words, implies, resistance; but, that of 'conquer', refers to victory over enemies; and is, generally, used in the literal sense: that of 'subdue', is more applicable to our passions; being, oftener, used in a figurative; and means, a bringing under subjection: that of 'overcome', ...

— Trusler, John (1735-1820)

Date: 1770

"When Reason invades the rights of Common Sense, and presumes to arraign that authority by which she herself acts, nonsense and confusion must of necessity ensue; science will soon come to have neither head nor tail, beginning nor end; philosophy will grow contemptible; and its adherents, far fro...

— Beattie, James (1735-1803)

Date: 1773

"By accustoming yourself thus to conquer and disappoint your anger, you will, by degrees, find it grow weak and manageable, so as to leave your reason at liberty."

— Mulso [later Chapone], Hester (1727-1801)

Date: 1773

"Another method of conquering this enemy [the passions], is to abstract our minds from that attention to trifling circumstances, which usually creates this uneasiness."

— Mulso [later Chapone], Hester (1727-1801)

Date: 1774

"By means of it, these ideas, like a well-disciplined army, fall, of their own accord, into rank and order, and divide themselves into different classes according to their different relations."

— Gerard, Alexander (1728-1795)

Date: 1774

"Opposite forces in mechanics tend to destroy one another. This is analogous to the case before us. The objects strictly connected with a passion are naturally fit for introducing ideas related to themselves; the passion acts in a contrary direction, and endeavours to keep the mind from running o...

— Gerard, Alexander (1728-1795)

Date: 1774

"As in madness, the senses, from struggling with the imagination, are at length forced to submit, so, in sleep, they seem for a while soothed into the like submission: the smallest violence exerted upon any one of them, however, rouzes all the rest in their mutual defence; and the imagination, th...

— Goldsmith, Oliver (1728?-1774)