Literary notes about Influence (AI summary)
The word "influence" appears in literature as a chameleon-like concept, capable of expressing both concrete and abstract forces. In some works it describes a tangible power—like that which molds societal dynamics [1] or confers personal advantage through family connections and social status [2, 3, 4]—while in others it embodies an almost mystical quality, shaping emotions or the perception of nature, art, and truth [5, 6, 7]. It can denote the persuasive effect of ideas and institutions on both individual behavior and cultural evolution, as seen in discussions of moral sway and the shaping of public will [8, 9, 10]. This versatility in usage underscores the term’s broad applicability, ranging from the measurable impact of one’s actions to the subtle, pervasive currents that inform creative expression and human character [11, 12, 13, 14].
- The influence of all these tacit or formal associations causes by the influence of their will as many modifications of the public will.
— from The Social Contract & Discourses by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - I never knew a wife's family features have such undue influence.
— from The Letters of Jane Austen by Jane Austen - I was now on a fair footing with them, and soon acquir'd considerable influence.
— from Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin - He became a Bencher in 1795, and was made a Master in Chancery in 1815, through the influence of the Prince Regent.
— from The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 2 by Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb - The influence from innate sensuous experiences rises into consciousness as the life of every normal child and youth
— from The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries by W. Y. Evans-Wentz - The reason can only know ; perception remains free from its influence and belongs to the understanding alone. § 7.
— from The World as Will and Idea (Vol. 1 of 3) by Arthur Schopenhauer - Nothing is small, in fact; any one who is subject to the profound and penetrating influence of nature knows this.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - He thought that the moral influence of those votes would go a great ways, and it is quite possible that they would have that effect.
— from History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I - The nations beneath their influence bowed their heads, and died.
— from The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - The influence of Chaucer is conspicuous in all our early literature; and, more recently, not only Pope
— from Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson - By its influence, time has no longer measure, space has no longer distance.
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - It is not only you—some fatal influence seems to have shut up her heart against her fellow-creatures.
— from Adam Bede by George Eliot - I did not want any external influence in my life.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - It is true that what we believe always MAY influence action.
— from The Analysis of Mind by Bertrand Russell