--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In an argument, you may silence your…" description: "\"In an argument, you may silence your opponent by pressing an advantage of strength or of wealth, or of education. But you do not really convince him. T..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/kano-jigoro-23116_accepting_in-an-argument-you-may-silence-your-oppo_1330541.jpg" --- # In an argument, you may silence your opponent by pressing… ![“In an argument, you may silence your opponent by pressing an advantage of strength or of wealth, or of education. But you do not really convince him. Though he is no longer saying anything, in his heart he still keeps to his opinion, the only way to make him change that opinion is to speak quietly…” quote by Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/kano-jigoro-23116_accepting_in-an-argument-you-may-silence-your-oppo_1330541.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/kano-jigoro-23116_accepting_in-an-argument-you-may-silence-your-oppo_1330541.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/kano-jigoro-23116_accepting_in-an-argument-you-may-silence-your-oppo_1330541.jpg) > “In an argument, you may silence your opponent by pressing an advantage of strength or of wealth, or of education. But you do not really convince him. Though he is no longer saying anything, in his heart he still keeps to his opinion, the only way to make him change that opinion is to speak quietly and reasonably. When he understands that you are not trying to defeat him, but only to find the truth, he will listen to you and perhaps accept what you tell him.” [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Forceful tactics may silence opposition but do not change beliefs; respectful dialogue can open minds to truth. **In simple terms:** Dominance silences, reason convinces. Key Takeaway Speak calmly and seek shared understanding. Themes dialogue respect persuasion Mood calm inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - debates - negotiations - teaching - leadership Key Concepts power dynamics psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you create a safe space for honest exchange? - What language fosters mutual respect? A Different Perspective Power alone rarely changes hearts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accepting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/) [Advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advantage/) [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Argument Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument-silence-1624228/) [Change Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-opinion/) [Convince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convince/) [Convince Longer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convince-longer-4463749/) [Defeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Opponents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opponents/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Silence Opponent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-opponent-4463748/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [If you admit that to silence your opponent by force is to win an intellectual argument, then you admit the right to silence people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-eysenck/if-you-admit-that-to-silence-your-opponent-by-force-is-to-win-an/) [Hans Eysenck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-eysenck/) > [“Mine is not, however, so much an argument from silence as an argument for silence: a silence that can open up other spaces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-quinn/mine-is-not-however-so-much-an-argument-from-silence-as-an-argument/) [Josephine Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-quinn/) > [After an argument, silence may mean acceptance or the continuation of resistance by other means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/after-an-argument-silence-may-mean-acceptance-or-the-continuation-of/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Small groups of persons can, and do, make the rest of us think what they please about a given subject. But there are usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bernays/small-groups-of-persons-can-and-do-make-the-rest-of-us-think-what/) [Edward Bernays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bernays/) > [The first duty of a wise advocate is to convince his opponents that he understands their arguments, and sympathies with their just feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-first-duty-of-a-wise-advocate-is-to-convince-his-opponents-that/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [I ceased in the year 1764 to believe that one can convince one’s opponents with arguments printed in books. It is not to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/i-ceased-in-the-year-1764-to-believe-that-one-can-convince-one-s/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [“It is better to change an opinion than to persist in a wrong one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/it-is-better-to-change-an-opinion-than-to-persist-in-a-wrong-one/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [I lived in Japan for eight years before moving to New York, but I was looking forward to a place like America to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cai-guo-qiang/i-lived-in-japan-for-eight-years-before-moving-to-new-york-but-i-was/) [Cai Guo-Qiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cai-guo-qiang/) > [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/) > [To change an opinion without a mental process is the mark of the uneducated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-madan/to-change-an-opinion-without-a-mental-process-is-the-mark-of-the/) [Geoffrey Madan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-madan/) > [It often takes more courage to change one's opinion than to keep it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willy-brandt/it-often-takes-more-courage-to-change-one-s-opinion-than-to-keep-it/) [Willy Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willy-brandt/) > [I'm not a fan of facts. You see, facts can change, but my opinion will never change, no matter what the facts are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-m-not-a-fan-of-facts-you-see-facts-can-change-but-my-opinion-will/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [People are quick to form opinions online, but they're also quick to change them. If you have an opinion, stand by it and see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-gambhir/people-are-quick-to-form-opinions-online-but-they-re-also-quick-to/) [Gautam Gambhir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-gambhir/) > [No well-informed person has declared a change of opinion to be inconstancy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/no-well-informed-person-has-declared-a-change-of-opinion-to-be/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [I've learned I can't change every opinion or have everyone's approval. If I get caught up in that, I'm worried about the wrong things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baker-mayfield/i-ve-learned-i-can-t-change-every-opinion-or-have-everyone-s-approval/) [Baker Mayfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baker-mayfield/) ## More by Kano Jigoro > [Walk a single path, becoming neither cocky with victory nor broken with defeat, without forgetting caution when all is quiet or becoming frightened when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/walk-a-single-path-becoming-neither-cocky-with-victory-nor-broken/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) > [There are people who are excitable by nature and allow themselves to become angry for the most trivial of reasons. Judo can help such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/there-are-people-who-are-excitable-by-nature-and-allow-themselves-to/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) > [Before and after practicing Judo or engaging in a match, opponents bow to each other. Bowing is an expression of gratitude and respect. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/before-and-after-practicing-judo-or-engaging-in-a-match-opponents-bow/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) > [In randori, one must search out the opponent's weaknesses and be ready to attack with all the resources at his disposal the moment the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/in-randori-one-must-search-out-the-opponent-s-weaknesses-and-be-ready/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) > [Judo is the way to the most effective use of both physical and spiritual strength. By training you in attacks and defenses it refines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/judo-is-the-way-to-the-most-effective-use-of-both-physical-and/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) > [Judo is a study of techniques with which you may kill if you wish to kill, injure if you wish to injure, subdue if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/judo-is-a-study-of-techniques-with-which-you-may-kill-if-you-wish-to/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) > [Judo should be free as art and science from any external influences, political, national, racial, and financial or any other organized interest. And all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/judo-should-be-free-as-art-and-science-from-any-external-influences/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) > [Nothing under the sun is greater than education. By educating one person and sending him into the society of his generation, we make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/nothing-under-the-sun-is-greater-than-education-by-educating-one/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) > [Judo helps us to understand that worry is a waste of energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/judo-helps-us-to-understand-that-worry-is-a-waste-of-energy/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) > [Face your fear, empty yourself, trust your own voice, let go of control, have faith in outcomes, connect with a larger purpose, derive meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/face-your-fear-empty-yourself-trust-your-own-voice-let-go-of-control/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) > [In Randori we teach the pupil to act on the fundamental principles of Judo, no matter how physically inferior his opponent may seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/in-randori-we-teach-the-pupil-to-act-on-the-fundamental-principles-of/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) > [Apply just the right amount of force — never too much, never too little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/apply-just-the-right-amount-of-force-never-too-much-never-too-little/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) > [Paradoxically, the man who has failed and one who is at the peak of success are in exactly the same position. Each must decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/paradoxically-the-man-who-has-failed-and-one-who-is-at-the-peak-of/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) > [The purpose of the study of judo is to perfect yourself and to contribute to society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/the-purpose-of-the-study-of-judo-is-to-perfect-yourself-and-to/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) > [To ask may be but a moment's shame, not to ask and remain ignorant is a lifelong shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano-jigoro/to-ask-may-be-but-a-moment-s-shame-not-to-ask-and-remain-ignorant-is/) [Kano Jigoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) [Explore all 26 Kano Jigoro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano-jigoro/) ## More Accepting quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/) [Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/) [Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In an argument, you may silence your opponent by pressing an advantage of strength or of wealth, or of education. But you do not really convince him. Though he is no longer saying anything, in his heart he still keeps to his opinion, the only way to make him change that opinion is to speak quietly and reasonably. 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