Merchants Quote by Knut Hamsun
““I have no respect to merchants and preachers; as far as I’m concerned, their only talent is coming up with the right word at the right time. What is a professional preacher, really? He is a kind of middleman who for the wrong reasons tries to make people buy his goods. The more he sells, the more his stock rises. The louder he hawks his wares, the larger his business grows.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Pan by Knut Hamsun, 1894
Critiques merchants and preachers as manipulative middlemen exploiting language for profit.
In simple terms: Preachers and merchants manipulate with words.
Key Takeaway
Beware of persuasive rhetoric.
Themes
manipulation
ethics
language
power
Mood
critical
skeptical
Type
analysis
philosophical
When to use this quote
- political speeches
- advertising
- religious sermons
Key Concepts
rhetoric
capitalism
morality
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you discern genuine intent?
- When is persuasive language justified?
A Different Perspective
Not all persuasive speech is malicious.
![“I imagined I had discovered a new word. I rise up in bed and say, "It is not in the language; I have discovered it. 'Kuboa.' It has letters as a word has. By the benign God, Man you have discovered a word!... 'Kuboa' ... a word of profound import. [...] Some minutes pass over, and I wax nervous…” quote by Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bd0/knut-hamsun-1203_language_i-imagined-i-had-discovered-a-new-word-i_170312.jpg)
![“I cursed [Larry Merchant] out once, and I told him that he was a phony.” quote by Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/869/larry-holmes-7529_cursed_i-cursed-larry-merchant-out-once-and-i-t_51764.jpg)
