--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most important guideline when it…" description: "\"The most important guideline when it comes to argument is the golden rule. If someone were addressing your point, what tone, what overall approach woul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/barry-eisler-1009_addressing_the-most-important-guideline-when-it-com_21042.jpg" --- # The most important guideline when it comes to argument is… ![“The most important guideline when it comes to argument is the golden rule. If someone were addressing your point, what tone, what overall approach would you find persuasive and want her to use? Whatever that is, do it yourself.” quote by Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/barry-eisler-1009_addressing_the-most-important-guideline-when-it-com_21042.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/barry-eisler-1009_addressing_the-most-important-guideline-when-it-com_21042.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/barry-eisler-1009_addressing_the-most-important-guideline-when-it-com_21042.jpg) > “The most important guideline when it comes to argument is the golden rule. If someone were addressing your point, what tone, what overall approach would you find persuasive and want her to use? Whatever that is, do it yourself.” [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective persuasion requires mirroring the interlocutor's preferred tone and style, turning empathy into a strategic tool. **In simple terms:** Empathy as a persuasive tactic. Key Takeaway Match the audience's tone. Themes communication persuasion empathy strategy psychology Mood thoughtful strategic Type advice maxim When to use this quote - debates - sales pitches - negotiations - customer support - public speaking Key Concepts tone mirroring persuasive framing Practical Applications - coaching communication - designing persuasive content Questions to Reflect On - How does mirroring affect credibility? - When might mirroring backfire? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addressing/) [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Approach Persuasive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach-persuasive-397210/) [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Argument Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument-golden-397209/) [Comes Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-argument-397211/) [Find](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/find/) [Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golden/) [Golden rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golden-rule/) [Her](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/her/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Overall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overall/) [Persuasive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuasive/) [Point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point/) [Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule/) [Someone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/someone/) [The golden rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-golden-rule/) [The most important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-most-important/) [Tone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tone/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) [Whatever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whatever/) [Would](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) [Yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yourself/) ## Related quotes > [Overall, one of the things that excites me most about self-publishing is that the highest-value use of my time in promoting the books will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/overall-one-of-the-things-that-excites-me-most-about-self-publishing/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“We all have to share this world. The best way to do that is to be nice to each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-marie-baumgartner/we-all-have-to-share-this-world-the-best-way-to-do-that-is-to-be-nice/) [Jessica Marie Baumgartner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-marie-baumgartner/) > [“A Christian's duty is to win souls for Christ. 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If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-reiner/the-most-important-thing-is-that-you-be-a-good-person-and-you-live-by/) [Rob Reiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-reiner/) > [My parents really did believe in the Golden Rule. They really did believe that all people should be treated equally. They had friends of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-farr/my-parents-really-did-believe-in-the-golden-rule-they-really-did/) [Diane Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-farr/) > [The golden rule for playing the bass is that's it all about feel, not just plonking away. You need to feel the sound, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/the-golden-rule-for-playing-the-bass-is-that-s-it-all-about-feel-not/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) > [“I don’t really think the standard of judgment, the missing link, you spoke of that you find in my stories emerges from any religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-don-t-really-think-the-standard-of-judgment-the-missing-link-you/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [I don't believe in the war god of the Israelites. He's a bogeyman. Jesus preached the golden rule, by and large.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-don-t-believe-in-the-war-god-of-the-israelites-he-s-a-bogeyman/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Am I sitting here now, months later, in Los Angeles, writing all this down, because I want my life to matter? Maybe so. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-nelson/am-i-sitting-here-now-months-later-in-los-angeles-writing-all-this/) [Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-nelson/) > [The better life rests less on the prohibitions of the Ten Commandments and more on the parable of the Good Samaritan and the Golden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/the-better-life-rests-less-on-the-prohibitions-of-the-ten/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) > [“She may not be like everyone else, but neither am I.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-marie-baumgartner/she-may-not-be-like-everyone-else-but-neither-am-i/) [Jessica Marie Baumgartner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-marie-baumgartner/) > [My mother was a Bible student, and when I was a youngster, both my mother and father would say, 'If people would only live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monte-irvin/my-mother-was-a-bible-student-and-when-i-was-a-youngster-both-my/) [Monte Irvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monte-irvin/) > [Once the Supreme Court in 1973 decided that infanticide could be legal, it not only ended Americas inalienable right to life, it threw the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/once-the-supreme-court-in-1973-decided-that-infanticide-could-be/) [Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/) ## More by Barry Eisler > [“But, like all indulgences that are valued not just for their product but for their process, the sento will never entirely disappear. For in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/but-like-all-indulgences-that-are-valued-not-just-for-their-product/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“She’s a bargirl. You don’t know where her loyalties lie. That one was unconvincing. No one had directed her against me—I was the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/she-s-a-bargirl-you-don-t-know-where-her-loyalties-lie-that-one-was/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“In my unpleasant experience, unarmed against a knife, you’ve basically got four options. Your best bet is to run like hell, if you can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/in-my-unpleasant-experience-unarmed-against-a-knife-you-ve-basically/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“That I was apparently into body building at all at this stage in my life probably meant affairs with young women, for whom a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/that-i-was-apparently-into-body-building-at-all-at-this-stage-in-my/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“Immediately the sounds of the street below grew detached, distant, the meaningless echoes of urban voices whose urgent notes reached but held no sway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/immediately-the-sounds-of-the-street-below-grew-detached-distant-the/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I heard laughter and looked up. Some kids at the terminal next to me, playing an online game. I wondered for a moment how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-heard-laughter-and-looked-up-some-kids-at-the-terminal-next-to-me/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I shifted my head slightly. The corners of our mouths brushed together. I felt her breath on my cheek. Then we were kissing. Her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-shifted-my-head-slightly-the-corners-of-our-mouths-brushed-together/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I looked at her. Why was it her question seemed suffused with double entendre? She was attractive, of course, more than attractive, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-looked-at-her-why-was-it-her-question-seemed-suffused-with-double/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I realized my knowledge of that potentially damning evidence gave Delilah a reason to want me out of the way. “Out of the way”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-realized-my-knowledge-of-that-potentially-damning-evidence-gave/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I wouldn’t want to try to take this guy out with anything less than a scoped rifle. Which is something that’s hard to confuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-wouldn-t-want-to-try-to-take-this-guy-out-with-anything-less-than-a/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I picked up the earthen cup and went to take a sip. “Not like that,” Miyamoto said. “Let it cool a little. Give yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-picked-up-the-earthen-cup-and-went-to-take-a-sip-not-like-that/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“It seemed he’d recently learned the value of playing up the difficulty of accomplishing whatever he was tasked with, the better to play the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/it-seemed-he-d-recently-learned-the-value-of-playing-up-the/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“Yukiko walked over, her mouth stretching into a feline grin at the sight of Murakami. Naomi followed a moment later. She was wearing another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/yukiko-walked-over-her-mouth-stretching-into-a-feline-grin-at-the/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [It would be awesome to be so impressive that we could sway people to our way of thinking just by declaiming our thoughts, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/it-would-be-awesome-to-be-so-impressive-that-we-could-sway-people-to/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“Unless I’m talking on it,” I said, “I leave this thing turned off.” “Saving the battery?” “Guarding my privacy.” “You’re the poster boy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/unless-i-m-talking-on-it-i-said-i-leave-this-thing-turned-off-saving/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) [Explore all 305 Barry Eisler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) ## More Addressing quotes > [I think that we have a number of different health care challenges in our country, and certainly addressing the uninsured is one, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-stabenow/i-think-that-we-have-a-number-of-different-health-care-challenges-in/) [Debbie Stabenow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-stabenow/) > [There has been, and there will continue to be, vigorous discussions about race in America. I worry that little will come of these discussions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/there-has-been-and-there-will-continue-to-be-vigorous-discussions/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [We depend a lot on the guy upstairs in dire times, in addressing our concerns and looking for help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sweeney/we-depend-a-lot-on-the-guy-upstairs-in-dire-times-in-addressing-our/) [John Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sweeney/) > [The basis on which the Good Friday agreement was constructed was in addressing those problems in the history of Northern Ireland, the social and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-reid/the-basis-on-which-the-good-friday-agreement-was-constructed-was-in/) [John Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-reid/) > [Every day things get better because politicians are addressing the fiscal challenges more aggressively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-whitney/every-day-things-get-better-because-politicians-are-addressing-the/) [Meredith Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-whitney/) > [“It is a good idea to remind clients to address each other rather than addressing the interpreter. Some interpreters in this situation make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-phelan/it-is-a-good-idea-to-remind-clients-to-address-each-other-rather-than/) [Mary Phelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-phelan/) > [For the general public, my work is sometimes easier than a painting because there is someone addressing you; it can actually be a relief.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tino-sehgal/for-the-general-public-my-work-is-sometimes-easier-than-a-painting/) [Tino Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tino-sehgal/) > [My own view would be to let Saddam bluster, let him rant and rave all he wants. 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The security and stability of the Gulf region and that of the Indian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-khurshid/india-considers-saudi-arabia-a-center-of-stability-in-the-region-the/) [Salman Khurshid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-khurshid/) > [As Americans, we have traditionally been the optimists sporting the 'can-do' attitude. 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