| The spirits, when once excited, easily receive a change in their direction; and it is natural to imagine this change will come from the prevailing affection. |
| The connexion is in many respects closer betwixt any two passions, than betwixt any passion and indifference. |
| When a person is once heartily in love, the little faults and caprices of his mistress, the jealousies and quarrels, to which that commerce is so subject; however unpleasant and related to anger and hatred; are yet found to give additional force to the prevailing passion. |
| It is a common artifice of politicians, when they would affect any person very much by a matter of fact, of which they intend to inform him, first to excite his curiosity; delay as long as possible the satisfying it; and by that means raise his anxiety and impatience to the utmost, before they give him a full insight into the business. |
| They know that his curiosity will precipitate him into the passion they design to raise, and assist the object in its influence on the mind. |
| A soldier advancing to the battle, is naturally inspired with courage and confidence, when he thinks on his friends and fellow-soldiers; and is struck with fear and terror, when he reflects on the enemy. |
| Whatever new emotion, therefore, proceeds from the former naturally encreases the courage; as the same emotion, proceeding from the latter, augments the fear; by the relation of ideas, and the conversion of the inferior emotion into the predominant. |
| Hence it is that in martial discipline, the uniformity and lustre of our habit, the regularity of our figures and motions, with all the pomp and majesty of war, encourage ourselves and allies; while the same objects in the enemy strike terror into us, though agreeable and beautiful in themselves. |
| Since passions, however independent, are naturally transfused into each other, if they are both present at the same time; it follows, that when good or evil is placed in such a situation, as to cause any particular emotion, beside its direct passion of desire or aversion, that latter passion must acquire new force and violence. |
| This happens, among other cases, whenever any object excites contrary passions. |
| For it is observable that an opposition of passions commonly causes a new emotion in the spirits, and produces more disorder, than the concurrence of any two affections of equal force. |
| This new emotion is easily converted into the predominant passion, and encreases its violence, beyond the pitch it would have arrived at had it met with no opposition. |
| Hence we naturally desire what is forbid, and take a pleasure in performing actions, merely because they are unlawful. |
| The notion of duty, when opposite to the passions, is seldom able to overcome them; and when it fails of that effect, is apt rather to encrease them, by producing an opposition in our motives and principles. |
| The same effect follows whether the opposition arises from internal motives or external obstacles. |
| The passion commonly acquires new force and violence in both cases. |
| The efforts, which the mind makes to surmount the obstacle, excite the spirits and inliven the passion. |
| Uncertainty has the same influence as opposition. |
| The agitation of the thought; the quick turns it makes from one view to another; the variety of passions, which succeed each other, according to the different views; All these produce an agitation in the mind, and transfuse themselves into the predominant passion. |
| There is not in my opinion any other natural cause, why security diminishes the passions, than because it removes that uncertainty, which encreases them. |
| The mind, when left to itself, immediately languishes; and in order to preserve its ardour, must be every moment supported by a new flow of passion. |