---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Argument is the worst sort of conversation."
description: "\"Argument is the worst sort of conversation.\" — Jonathan Swift"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/jonathan-swift-433_argument_argument-is-the-worst-sort-of-conversati_1644931.jpg"
---

#  Argument is the worst sort of conversation.

![“Argument is the worst sort of conversation.” quote by Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/jonathan-swift-433_argument_argument-is-the-worst-sort-of-conversati_1644931.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/jonathan-swift-433_argument_argument-is-the-worst-sort-of-conversati_1644931.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/jonathan-swift-433_argument_argument-is-the-worst-sort-of-conversati_1644931.jpg)

> “Argument is the worst sort of conversation.”

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He critiques unproductive arguments, suggesting they degrade conversation quality and hinder progress.

**In simple terms:** Bad arguments ruin discussions.

Key Takeaway

Avoid pointless disputes.

Themes

communication logic debate

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

- team meetings
- public forums
- online discussions
- negotiations

Key Concepts

critical thinking rhetoric argumentation

Questions to Reflect On

- When is disagreement productive?
- How can you steer conversations constructively?

A Different Perspective

Some topics may be inherently contentious.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Argument Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument-worst-600309/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) [Worst Sort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-sort-600310/)

## Related quotes

> [The argument is the worst sort of conversation. Fanaticism is the worst of destructive words. If you nothing to say , say nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/the-argument-is-the-worst-sort-of-conversation-fanaticism-is-the/)

[Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/)

> [“or, worst of all, that we’re the sort of people other people just don’t like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/or-worst-of-all-that-we-re-the-sort-of-people-other-people-just-don-t/)

[Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/)

> [And surely one of the best rules in conversation is, never to say a thing which any of the company can reasonably wish had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/and-surely-one-of-the-best-rules-in-conversation-is-never-to-say-a/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [I remember it was with extreme difficulty that I could bring my master to understand the meaning of the word opinion, or how a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-remember-it-was-with-extreme-difficulty-that-i-could-bring-my/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [I come from an Italian family. One of the greatest and most profound expressions we would ever use in conversations or arguments was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/i-come-from-an-italian-family-one-of-the-greatest-and-most-profound/)

[Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/)

> [Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that - or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/writing-is-what-s-important-to-me-and-anything-that-helps-me-do-that/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [She will look at you as women look at men, and she will judge you as a woman judge men...not on the strength of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/she-will-look-at-you-as-women-look-at-men-and-she-will-judge-you-as-a/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [I was an adult before I began to learn that there is a difference between a conversation and an argument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-dane-bauer/i-was-an-adult-before-i-began-to-learn-that-there-is-a-difference/)

[Marion Dane Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-dane-bauer/)

> [What good the prophet in the wilderness may do is incremental and personal. It's good for us to hear someone speak the irrational truth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-good-the-prophet-in-the-wilderness-may-do-is-incremental-and/)

[George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/)

> [Accurate knowledge is the basis of correct opinions; the want of it makes the opinions of most people of little value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-simmons/accurate-knowledge-is-the-basis-of-correct-opinions-the-want-of-it/)

[Charles Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-simmons/)

> [People who reject transcendent authority can no longer persuade one another through rational arguments; everything is reduced to personal opinion. Debates about ideas thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-colson/people-who-reject-transcendent-authority-can-no-longer-persuade-one/)

[Charles Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-colson/)

> [Always win fools first. They talk much, and what they have once uttered they will stick to; whereas there is always time, up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/always-win-fools-first-they-talk-much-and-what-they-have-once-uttered/)

[Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/)

> [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/)

[Anthony W. Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-w-ivins/)

> [I have what I call an iron prescription that helps me keep sane when I naturally drift toward preferring one ideology over another and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-have-what-i-call-an-iron-prescription-that-helps-me-keep-sane-when/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

> [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/)

[John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/)

## More by Jonathan Swift

> [Time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, signifying thereby that we must take time by the forelock; for, when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/time-is-painted-with-a-lock-before-and-bald-behind-signifying-thereby/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [“He said, he knew no reason why those who entertain opinions prejudicial to the public should be obliged to change, or should not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/he-said-he-knew-no-reason-why-those-who-entertain-opinions/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [I with borrow'd silver shine, What you see is none of mine. First I show you but a quarter, Like the bow that guards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-with-borrow-d-silver-shine-what-you-see-is-none-of-mine-first-i/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [A favor is half granted, when graciously refused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/a-favor-is-half-granted-when-graciously-refused/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-never-wonder-to-see-men-wicked-but-i-often-wonder-to-see-them-not/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [The best Maxim I know in this life is, to drink your Coffee when you can, and when you cannot, to be easy without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/the-best-maxim-i-know-in-this-life-is-to-drink-your-coffee-when-you/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [A lie is an excuse guarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/a-lie-is-an-excuse-guarded/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [A forward critic often dupes us With sham quotations peri hupsos, And if we have not read Longinus, Will magisterially outshine us. Then, lest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/a-forward-critic-often-dupes-us-with-sham-quotations-peri-hupsos-and/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [May you live every day of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/may-you-live-every-day-of-your-life/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [Ale is meat, drink and cloth; it will make a cat speak and a wise man dumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/ale-is-meat-drink-and-cloth-it-will-make-a-cat-speak-and-a-wise-man/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [All fits of pleasure are balanced by an equal degree of pain or languor; it is like spending this year part of the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/all-fits-of-pleasure-are-balanced-by-an-equal-degree-of-pain-or/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [Satire is a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/satire-is-a-sort-of-glass-wherein-beholders-do-generally-discover/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [“When a great genius appears in the world you may know him by this sign; that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/when-a-great-genius-appears-in-the-world-you-may-know-him-by-this/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [I have ever hated all nations, professions, and communities, and all my love is toward individuals: for instance, I hate the tribe of lawyers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-have-ever-hated-all-nations-professions-and-communities-and-all-my/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [So endless and exorbitant are the desires of men that they will grasp at all, and can form no scheme of perfect happiness with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/so-endless-and-exorbitant-are-the-desires-of-men-that-they-will-grasp/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

[Explore all 535 Jonathan Swift quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

## More Argument quotes

> [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

> [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/)

[Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/)

> [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/)

[John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/)

> [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/)

[Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/)

> [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/)

[Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/)

> [“Arguments led by subjectivity are a waste of time. And, if they take place online, add to that, a waste of one’s keyboard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/arguments-led-by-subjectivity-are-a-waste-of-time-and-if-they-take/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [If in the middle of an argument I suddenly fall silent it does not mean you have won... No it means you should probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/if-in-the-middle-of-an-argument-i-suddenly-fall-silent-it-does-not/)

[Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/)

> [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/)

[Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/)

> [“The motive behind my arguments have always been to come at truth. I am not interested in conquering anyone with my ideologies or seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-evans/the-motive-behind-my-arguments-have-always-been-to-come-at-truth-i-am/)

[Crystal Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-evans/)

> [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/)

[John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/)

[Browse all 3,479 Argument quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Argument is the worst sort of conversation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Swift"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/argument-is-the-worst-sort-of-conversation/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Argument"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/argument-is-the-worst-sort-of-conversation/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/jonathan-swift-433_argument_argument-is-the-worst-sort-of-conversati_1644931.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/jonathan-swift-433_argument_argument-is-the-worst-sort-of-conversati_1644931.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/jonathan-swift-433_argument_argument-is-the-worst-sort-of-conversati_1644931.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Argument is the worst sort of conversation.” — Jonathan Swift",
                "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": "Jonathan Swift",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Argument is the worst sort of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/argument-is-the-worst-sort-of-conversation/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/argument-is-the-worst-sort-of-conversation/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```