Attitude Quote by Kenneth Burke
“You persuade a man only insofar as you can talk his language by speech, gesture, tonality, order, image, attitude, idea, identifying your ways with his”
About This Quote
Source Book: A Grammar of Motives, 1945
Effective persuasion requires speaking the audience’s language across multiple dimensions, aligning your communication with theirs.
In simple terms: Persuasion works by matching the audience’s language.
Key Takeaway
Adapt your message to the audience’s modes of expression.
Themes
communication
persuasion
empathy
Mood
analytical
strategic
Type
rhetorical
educational
When to use this quote
- public speaking
- marketing
- conflict resolution
- teaching
Key Concepts
rhetoric
symbolic interaction
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you better understand your audience’s symbols?
- What channels best convey your ideas?
A Different Perspective
May oversimplify complex power dynamics in discourse.
![“The most characteristic concern of rhetoric [is] the manipulation of men's beliefs for political ends…the basic function of rhetoric [is] the use of words by human agents to form attitudes or to induce actions in other human agents.” quote by Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/059/kenneth-burke-22616_action_the-most-characteristic-concern-of-rheto_169251.jpg)
