--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You persuade a man only insofar as you…" description: "\"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..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/kenneth-burke-22616_attitude_you-persuade-a-man-only-insofar-as-you-c_1200819.jpg" --- # You persuade a man only insofar as you can talk his… ![“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” quote by Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/kenneth-burke-22616_attitude_you-persuade-a-man-only-insofar-as-you-c_1200819.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/kenneth-burke-22616_attitude_you-persuade-a-man-only-insofar-as-you-c_1200819.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/kenneth-burke-22616_attitude_you-persuade-a-man-only-insofar-as-you-c_1200819.jpg) > “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” [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) ## 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 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. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Gestures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gestures/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Identifying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identifying/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Language Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-speech-3600161/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Persuade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuade/) [Persuade Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuade-man-1292790/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Talk Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-language-458492/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [You can persuade a man to believe almost anything provided he is clever enough, but it is much more difficult to persuade someone less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-can-persuade-a-man-to-believe-almost-anything-provided-he-is/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I would rather try to persuade a man to go along, because once I have persuaded him, he will stick. If I scare him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/i-would-rather-try-to-persuade-a-man-to-go-along-because-once-i-have/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [Leadership is a word and a concept that has been more argued than almost any other I know. I am not one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-david-eisenhower/leadership-is-a-word-and-a-concept-that-has-been-more-argued-than/) [Dwight David Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-david-eisenhower/) > [It is impossible to persuade a man who does not disagree, but smiles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-spark/it-is-impossible-to-persuade-a-man-who-does-not-disagree-but-smiles/) [Muriel Spark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-spark/) > [“thither I went, and sought to persuade every man among you that he must look to himself, and seek virtue and wisdom before he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/thither-i-went-and-sought-to-persuade-every-man-among-you-that-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [If you talk to a man in a language he understands, it goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/if-you-talk-to-a-man-in-a-language-he-understands-it-goes-to-his-head/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [“I wish I could go visit them and talk in my own language, the English I knew before I grew thorns on my tongue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-wish-i-could-go-visit-them-and-talk-in-my-own-language-the-english/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Quiet talk is the language of love. It is the language of peace. It is the language of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/quiet-talk-is-the-language-of-love-it-is-the-language-of-peace-it-is/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [We were all one, all the languages and all the people and all the states. We are one country and we have the freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/we-were-all-one-all-the-languages-and-all-the-people-and-all-the/) [Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/) > [If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/if-you-talk-to-a-man-in-a-language-he-understands-that-goes-to-his/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [''sometimes people talk in the same language and yet don't understand each other completely''](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-people-talk-in-the-same-language-and-yet-don-t-understand/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Because everyone uses language to talk, everyone thinks he can talk about language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/because-everyone-uses-language-to-talk-everyone-thinks-he-can-talk/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [If I could talk in only one language for the rest of my life, it'd be Tamil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautham-menon/if-i-could-talk-in-only-one-language-for-the-rest-of-my-life-it-d-be/) [Gautham Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautham-menon/) > [I want to make a film that can reach as many as possible so I want to talk in a language which I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/i-want-to-make-a-film-that-can-reach-as-many-as-possible-so-i-want-to/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [“folks don’t like to have somebody around knowin’ more than they do. It aggravates ’em. You’re not gonna change any of them by talkin’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/folks-don-t-like-to-have-somebody-around-knowin-more-than-they-do-it/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) ## More by Kenneth Burke > [ 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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/the-most-characteristic-concern-of-rhetoric-is-the-manipulation-of/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [Man is rotten with perfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/man-is-rotten-with-perfection/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [“It's more complicated than that." TL in "The Rhetoric of Religion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/it-s-more-complicated-than-that-tl-in-the-rhetoric-of-religion/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [“With my book in one hand And my drink in the other What more could I want But fame, Better health, And ten million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/with-my-book-in-one-hand-and-my-drink-in-the-other-what-more-could-i/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [Creation implies authority in the sense of originator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/creation-implies-authority-in-the-sense-of-originator/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [If decisions were a choice between alternatives, decisions would come easy. Decision is the selection and formulation of alternatives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/if-decisions-were-a-choice-between-alternatives-decisions-would-come/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [For no continuity of social act is possible without a corresponding social status and the many different kinds of act required in an industrial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/for-no-continuity-of-social-act-is-possible-without-a-corresponding/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [Man is/the symbol-using (symbol making, symbol-misusing) animal/inventor of the negative (or moralized by the negative)/separated from his natural condition by instruments of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/man-is-the-symbol-using-symbol-making-symbol-misusing-animal-inventor/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [The use of words by human agents to form attitudes or induce actionsin other human agents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/the-use-of-words-by-human-agents-to-form-attitudes-or-induce/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [Rhetoric is rooted in an essential function of language itself, a function that is wholly realistic and continually born anew: the use of language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/rhetoric-is-rooted-in-an-essential-function-of-language-itself-a/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [We not only interpret the character of events... we may also interpret our interpretations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/we-not-only-interpret-the-character-of-events-we-may-also-interpret/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [Language does our thinking for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/language-does-our-thinking-for-us/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [“Ecology teaches us “that the total economy of the planet cannot be guided by an efficient rationale of exploitation alone,” wrote Burke more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/ecology-teaches-us-that-the-total-economy-of-the-planet-cannot-be/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [A way of seeing is also a way of not seeing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/a-way-of-seeing-is-also-a-way-of-not-seeing/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [“Imagine that you enter a parlor. You come late. When you arrive, others have long preceded you, and they are engaged in a heated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/imagine-that-you-enter-a-parlor-you-come-late-when-you-arrive-others/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) [Explore all 27 Kenneth Burke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) ## More Attitude quotes > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [Vow to be valiant. Resolve to be radiant. Determine to be dynamic. Strive to be sincere. Aspire to be attuned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/vow-to-be-valiant-resolve-to-be-radiant-determine-to-be-dynamic/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Don't judge me because I'm stupid. Don't judge me because I'm, mean. Don't judge me because I'm weird. Don't judge me for mistakes. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-stupid-don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-mean-don/) [Isaiah Harden (Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-harden-me/) > [Your feelings (mood) dictate your thought, your thought determines your attitude (reactions) and your attitude describes your lifestyle, so: be careful how you feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheye-hassan/your-feelings-mood-dictate-your-thought-your-thought-determines-your/) [Sheye Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheye-hassan/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [“Good Seeds! Gratitude is the Greatest Attitude that has no Substitute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/good-seeds-gratitude-is-the-greatest-attitude-that-has-no-substitute/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [One genuine reason to feel jealous of my parents:-) I will never ever have a kid as awesome as their's...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-genuine-reason-to-feel-jealous-of-my-parents-i-will-never-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm optimistic Hong Kong will achieve universal suffrage - no matter the attitude of Beijing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-m-optimistic-hong-kong-will-achieve-universal-suffrage-no-matter/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [My attitude it that you don't give in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-taylor/my-attitude-it-that-you-don-t-give-in/) [Phil Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-taylor/) > [Transparency pertains to impartial behavior, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Inculcate transparency in attitude and experience a life free of controversy and blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/transparency-pertains-to-impartial-behavior-implies-openness/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) [Browse all 9,543 Attitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kenneth Burke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/you-persuade-a-man-only-insofar-as-you-can-talk-his-language-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attitude" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/you-persuade-a-man-only-insofar-as-you-can-talk-his-language-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/kenneth-burke-22616_attitude_you-persuade-a-man-only-insofar-as-you-c_1200819.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/kenneth-burke-22616_attitude_you-persuade-a-man-only-insofar-as-you-c_1200819.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/kenneth-burke-22616_attitude_you-persuade-a-man-only-insofar-as-you-c_1200819.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You persuade a man only insofar as you can talk his language by speech, gesture, tonality, order, image…” — Kenneth Burke", "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": "Kenneth Burke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You persuade a man only insofar...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/you-persuade-a-man-only-insofar-as-you-can-talk-his-language-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/you-persuade-a-man-only-insofar-as-you-can-talk-his-language-by/#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 } } ] } ```