--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reason that persuasive messages are…" description: "\"“The reason that persuasive messages are short, pithy, and digestible in seconds is that we process them so quickly that they become familiar without u..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/661/david-disalvo-3662_persuasive_the-reason-that-persuasive-messages-are_257522.jpg" --- # The reason that persuasive messages are short, pithy, and… ![“The reason that persuasive messages are short, pithy, and digestible in seconds is that we process them so quickly that they become familiar without us even noticing.” quote by David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/661/david-disalvo-3662_persuasive_the-reason-that-persuasive-messages-are_257522.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/661/david-disalvo-3662_persuasive_the-reason-that-persuasive-messages-are_257522.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/661/david-disalvo-3662_persuasive_the-reason-that-persuasive-messages-are_257522.jpg) > ““The reason that persuasive messages are short, pithy, and digestible in seconds is that we process them so quickly that they become familiar without us even noticing.”” [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Brief, catchy messages stick because rapid processing creates unconscious familiarity. **In simple terms:** Short messages become familiar quickly. Key Takeaway Craft concise, memorable messages. Themes communication psychology marketing Mood analytical pragmatic Type marketing educational When to use this quote - advertising - social media posts - public announcements Key Concepts cognitive fluency message design Questions to Reflect On - What makes a message both short and clear? - How does familiarity affect persuasion? A Different Perspective Over‑simplicity can lead to misinterpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Digestible Seconds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digestible-seconds-2545396/) [Messages Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages-short-2545397/) [Persuasive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuasive/) [Persuasive Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuasive-messages-2545395/) [Reason Persuasive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-persuasive-2545398/) [Without u](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without-u/) ## Related quotes > [“Indeed, there is evidence that people are more likely to be influenced by empty persuasive messages, such as commercials, when they are tired and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/indeed-there-is-evidence-that-people-are-more-likely-to-be-influenced/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [A genuinely persuasive argument does not merely tell you that you are wrong about everything. It doesn't just beat on you from the outside.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/a-genuinely-persuasive-argument-does-not-merely-tell-you-that-you-are/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Edward Conard’s book represents the most cogent and persuasive analysis of the Financial Crisis to date. It is deeper and likely more accurate than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-shleifer/edward-conard-s-book-represents-the-most-cogent-and-persuasive/) [Andrei Shleifer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-shleifer/) > [Modern literary theory sees a similarity between walking and writing that I find persuasive: words inscribe a text in the same way that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-nicholson/modern-literary-theory-sees-a-similarity-between-walking-and-writing/) [Geoff Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-nicholson/) > [Knowing things halfway is a greater success than knowing things completely: it takes things to be simpler than they really are andso makes its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/knowing-things-halfway-is-a-greater-success-than-knowing-things/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I am not unconscious of the persuasive power exerted by these considerations to drag men along in the current; but I am not at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-f-wade/i-am-not-unconscious-of-the-persuasive-power-exerted-by-these/) [Benjamin F. Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-f-wade/) > [We like to imagine that in history, truth will prevail through sheer persuasive power. Sadly, this is not the case. Truth needs champions...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/llewellyn-rockwell/we-like-to-imagine-that-in-history-truth-will-prevail-through-sheer/) [Llewellyn Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/llewellyn-rockwell/) > [While the distance between the United States and Iraq is great, Saddam Hussein's ability to use his chemical and biological weapons against us is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-feinstein/while-the-distance-between-the-united-states-and-iraq-is-great-saddam/) [Dianne Feinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-feinstein/) > [The strength of a theory is not what it allows, but what it prohibits; if you can invent an equally persuasive explanation for any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/the-strength-of-a-theory-is-not-what-it-allows-but-what-it-prohibits/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [An oyster, that marvel of delicacy, that concentration of sapid excellence, that mouthful bwefore all other mouthfuls, who first had faith to believe it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/an-oyster-that-marvel-of-delicacy-that-concentration-of-sapid/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [American traditions and the American ethic require us to be truthful, but the most important reason is that truth is the best propaganda and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/american-traditions-and-the-american-ethic-require-us-to-be-truthful/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [Also, and this may sound naïve, but since my early days in journalism, I've felt that getting as close as possible to truth, revealing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-fink/also-and-this-may-sound-na-ve-but-since-my-early-days-in-journalism-i/) [Sheri Fink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-fink/) > [You must attach yourself spiritually to what you have placed in your imagination as a future fact, and never allow anyone, anything, any circumstance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-must-attach-yourself-spiritually-to-what-you-have-placed-in-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The most important guideline when it comes to argument is the golden rule. If someone were addressing your point, what tone, what overall approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/the-most-important-guideline-when-it-comes-to-argument-is-the-golden/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [Keep the corners of your mouth turned up. Speak in a low, persuasive tone. Listen; be teachable. Laugh at good stories and learn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/keep-the-corners-of-your-mouth-turned-up-speak-in-a-low-persuasive/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) ## More by David DiSalvo > [“The flip side of this reality is that our big brains, advanced as they are, come with an array of complex shortcomings and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/the-flip-side-of-this-reality-is-that-our-big-brains-advanced-as-they/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“Participants who anticipated more rapid feedback scored the highest on the test.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/participants-who-anticipated-more-rapid-feedback-scored-the-highest/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“The best way to think of how our brains frame information is to imagine a picture frame, except unlike a normal frame, this one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/the-best-way-to-think-of-how-our-brains-frame-information-is-to/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“the amPFC and PCC were shown to play a large role in self-referential thinking and autobiographical memory (essentially, the “me” part of your brain).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/the-ampfc-and-pcc-were-shown-to-play-a-large-role-in-self-referential/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“those who ask themselves whether they will perform a task generally do better than those who tell themselves that they will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/those-who-ask-themselves-whether-they-will-perform-a-task-generally/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“words, for our brains, reality equals relevance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/words-for-our-brains-reality-equals-relevance/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“In German, bridge (die brucke) is a feminine noun; in Spanish, bridge (el puente) is a masculine noun. Boroditsky found that when asked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/in-german-bridge-die-brucke-is-a-feminine-noun-in-spanish-bridge-el/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“selective attention,” also called “selectivity bias”—the tendency to orient oneself toward and process information from only one part of our environment to the exclusion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/selective-attention-also-called-selectivity-bias-the-tendency-to/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“great deal of “green” marketing is predicated on the assumption that people will buy a green product to make themselves feel better about moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/great-deal-of-green-marketing-is-predicated-on-the-assumption-that/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“appears that our first instinct is for idleness, but when given an excuse to be busy (even a meaningless one), we're liable to act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/appears-that-our-first-instinct-is-for-idleness-but-when-given-an/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“schema (singular form of schemata) is like a mental map of concepts that hangs together by association.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/schema-singular-form-of-schemata-is-like-a-mental-map-of-concepts/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“Specifically, a web of neurons—dubbed the “default network”—spanning three brain regions (the medial prefrontal cortex, the posterior cingulate cortex, and the parietal cortex) are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/specifically-a-web-of-neurons-dubbed-the-default-network-spanning/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“it's always on in the background but only takes first chair in our brains when we're not focused on anything in particular.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/it-s-always-on-in-the-background-but-only-takes-first-chair-in-our/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“Our expectations for what we should be able to recall are hardly in line with what our brains are capable of processing—which, by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/our-expectations-for-what-we-should-be-able-to-recall-are-hardly-in/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“As a social animal, we have a deeply rooted desire to belong to a social group—a preferred tribe, if you will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/as-a-social-animal-we-have-a-deeply-rooted-desire-to-belong-to-a/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) [Explore all 125 David DiSalvo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) ## More Persuasive quotes > [Keep the corners of your mouth turned up. Speak in a low, persuasive tone. Listen; be teachable. Laugh at good stories and learn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/keep-the-corners-of-your-mouth-turned-up-speak-in-a-low-persuasive/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [The most important guideline when it comes to argument is the golden rule. If someone were addressing your point, what tone, what overall approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/the-most-important-guideline-when-it-comes-to-argument-is-the-golden/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [You must attach yourself spiritually to what you have placed in your imagination as a future fact, and never allow anyone, anything, any circumstance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-must-attach-yourself-spiritually-to-what-you-have-placed-in-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Also, and this may sound naïve, but since my early days in journalism, I've felt that getting as close as possible to truth, revealing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-fink/also-and-this-may-sound-na-ve-but-since-my-early-days-in-journalism-i/) [Sheri Fink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-fink/) > [American traditions and the American ethic require us to be truthful, but the most important reason is that truth is the best propaganda and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/american-traditions-and-the-american-ethic-require-us-to-be-truthful/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [An oyster, that marvel of delicacy, that concentration of sapid excellence, that mouthful bwefore all other mouthfuls, who first had faith to believe it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/an-oyster-that-marvel-of-delicacy-that-concentration-of-sapid/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The strength of a theory is not what it allows, but what it prohibits; if you can invent an equally persuasive explanation for any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/the-strength-of-a-theory-is-not-what-it-allows-but-what-it-prohibits/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [While the distance between the United States and Iraq is great, Saddam Hussein's ability to use his chemical and biological weapons against us is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-feinstein/while-the-distance-between-the-united-states-and-iraq-is-great-saddam/) [Dianne Feinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-feinstein/) > [We like to imagine that in history, truth will prevail through sheer persuasive power. Sadly, this is not the case. Truth needs champions...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/llewellyn-rockwell/we-like-to-imagine-that-in-history-truth-will-prevail-through-sheer/) [Llewellyn Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/llewellyn-rockwell/) > [I am not unconscious of the persuasive power exerted by these considerations to drag men along in the current; but I am not at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-f-wade/i-am-not-unconscious-of-the-persuasive-power-exerted-by-these/) [Benjamin F. Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-f-wade/) > [Knowing things halfway is a greater success than knowing things completely: it takes things to be simpler than they really are andso makes its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/knowing-things-halfway-is-a-greater-success-than-knowing-things/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Modern literary theory sees a similarity between walking and writing that I find persuasive: words inscribe a text in the same way that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-nicholson/modern-literary-theory-sees-a-similarity-between-walking-and-writing/) [Geoff Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-nicholson/) > [Edward Conard’s book represents the most cogent and persuasive analysis of the Financial Crisis to date. It is deeper and likely more accurate than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-shleifer/edward-conard-s-book-represents-the-most-cogent-and-persuasive/) [Andrei Shleifer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-shleifer/) > [A genuinely persuasive argument does not merely tell you that you are wrong about everything. It doesn't just beat on you from the outside.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/a-genuinely-persuasive-argument-does-not-merely-tell-you-that-you-are/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [I can be pretty persuasive if I believe in something strongly enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/i-can-be-pretty-persuasive-if-i-believe-in-something-strongly-enough/) [Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/) [Browse all 207 Persuasive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuasive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The reason that persuasive messages are short, pithy, and digestible in seconds is that we process them so quickly that they become familiar without us even noticing.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David DiSalvo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/the-reason-that-persuasive-messages-are-short-pithy-and-digestible-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Persuasive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/the-reason-that-persuasive-messages-are-short-pithy-and-digestible-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/661/david-disalvo-3662_persuasive_the-reason-that-persuasive-messages-are_257522.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/661/david-disalvo-3662_persuasive_the-reason-that-persuasive-messages-are_257522.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/661/david-disalvo-3662_persuasive_the-reason-that-persuasive-messages-are_257522.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The reason that persuasive messages are short, pithy, and digestible in seconds is that we process them so…” — David DiSalvo", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David DiSalvo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The reason that persuasive messages are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/the-reason-that-persuasive-messages-are-short-pithy-and-digestible-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/the-reason-that-persuasive-messages-are-short-pithy-and-digestible-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```