--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rhetoric, which is the use of language to…" description: "\"Rhetoric, which is the use of language to inform or persuade, is very important in shaping public opinion. We are very easily fooled by language and ho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/ray-comfort-8768_eloquence_rhetoric-which-is-the-use-of-language-to_2257163.jpg" --- # Rhetoric, which is the use of language to inform or… ![“Rhetoric, which is the use of language to inform or persuade, is very important in shaping public opinion. We are very easily fooled by language and how it is used by others.” quote by Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/ray-comfort-8768_eloquence_rhetoric-which-is-the-use-of-language-to_2257163.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/ray-comfort-8768_eloquence_rhetoric-which-is-the-use-of-language-to_2257163.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/ray-comfort-8768_eloquence_rhetoric-which-is-the-use-of-language-to_2257163.jpg) > “Rhetoric, which is the use of language to inform or persuade, is very important in shaping public opinion. We are very easily fooled by language and how it is used by others.” [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rhetoric shapes opinions; awareness of persuasive language guards against deception. **In simple terms:** Watch language influence. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate messages. Themes communication persuasion critical thinking Mood cautious inquisitive Type educational analytical When to use this quote - political speeches - advertising - media consumption Key Concepts rhetoric cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - How often do you question what you hear? - What strategies help you spot manipulation? A Different Perspective Persuasive tactics can be subtle and hard to detect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eloquence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eloquence/) [Fooled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fooled/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Inform Persuade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inform-persuade-5178984/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Persuade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuade/) [Persuade Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuade-important-5178983/) [Public opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-opinion/) [Rhetoric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhetoric/) [Rhetoric Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhetoric-use-1835210/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) ## Related quotes > [ 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/) > [Honesty is one part of eloquence. We persuade others by being in earnest ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/honesty-is-one-part-of-eloquence-we-persuade-others-by-being-in/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [E? loquence quipersuade par douceur, non par empire, en tyran, non en roi. Eloquence should persuade gently, not by force or like a tyrant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/e-loquence-quipersuade-par-douceur-non-par-empire-en-tyran-non-en-roi/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [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/) > [I know people who will gently persuade you to be forthcoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-know-people-who-will-gently-persuade-you-to-be-forthcoming/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [For thousands of years, humans have used the art of storytelling to motivate and persuade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/for-thousands-of-years-humans-have-used-the-art-of-storytelling-to/) [Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/) > [I have noticed that no sooner do people embark on a course of action which they do not find wholly satisfactory than they muster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morice/i-have-noticed-that-no-sooner-do-people-embark-on-a-course-of-action/) [Anne Morice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morice/) > [ I like \[Barak\] Obama. I like him. So how far does rationality help to persuade anybody? You know, I'm not so sure. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-like-barak-obama-i-like-him-so-how-far-does-rationality-help-to/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Convince is for thought; persuade is for action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-wood/convince-is-for-thought-persuade-is-for-action/) [Monica Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-wood/) > [One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears by listening to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-rusk/one-of-the-best-ways-to-persuade-others-is-with-your-ears-by/) [Dean Rusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-rusk/) > [Presidents are evaluated not by what they did by the stroke of their own pen; it's what they persuade Congress to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/presidents-are-evaluated-not-by-what-they-did-by-the-stroke-of-their/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [“And if I am asked today to advise a young writer who has not yet made up his mind what way to go, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/and-if-i-am-asked-today-to-advise-a-young-writer-who-has-not-yet-made/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [To design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit: it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rand/to-design-is-much-more-than-simply-to-assemble-to-order-or-even-to/) [Paul Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rand/) > [I always believed as a speechwriter that if you could persuade the president to commit himself to certain words, he would feel himself committed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/i-always-believed-as-a-speechwriter-that-if-you-could-persuade-the/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [“Don't think you can persuade me with appeals to my intellectual vanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/don-t-think-you-can-persuade-me-with-appeals-to-my-intellectual-vanity/) [Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/) ## More by Ray Comfort > [So, I'm not the only one who believes that there is such a thing as "the law of gravity," and if it's a law,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/so-i-m-not-the-only-one-who-believes-that-there-is-such-a-thing-as/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [I am surprised that anyone can profess to be an atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/i-am-surprised-that-anyone-can-profess-to-be-an-atheist/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [One of Dawkins' major gripes is against religion. I am in total agreement on that one. I abhor religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/one-of-dawkins-major-gripes-is-against-religion-i-am-in-total/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [“Darwin theorized that mankind (both male and female) evolved alongside each other over millions of years, both reproducing after their own kind before the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/darwin-theorized-that-mankind-both-male-and-female-evolved-alongside/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [Darwin theorized that mankind (both male and female) evolved alongside each other over millions of years, both reproducing after their own kind before the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/darwin-theorized-that-mankind-both-male-and-female-evolved-alongside-2/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [The problem when arguing with those who believe in atheistic evolution is that they move goal posts by redefining atheism or evolution or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/the-problem-when-arguing-with-those-who-believe-in-atheistic/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [Atheists don't hate fairies, leprechauns, or unicorns because they don't exist. It is impossible to hate something that doesn't exist. Atheists, like the painting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/atheists-don-t-hate-fairies-leprechauns-or-unicorns-because-they-don/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [Kirk Cameron pulls no punches in his exploration of mankind's greatest dilemma. Unstoppable is a captivating, raw, and candid journey that gracefully delivers hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/kirk-cameron-pulls-no-punches-in-his-exploration-of-mankind-s/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [George Harrison was known as the quiet Beatle. Quiet people are often quiet because they are deep thinkers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/george-harrison-was-known-as-the-quiet-beatle-quiet-people-are-often/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [Atheism is spreading like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/atheism-is-spreading-like-wildfire/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [I think the key to passion, to zeal, is gratitude. Or to put it another way, the fuel to motivate is gratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/i-think-the-key-to-passion-to-zeal-is-gratitude-or-to-put-it-another/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [John Lennon was a musical genius. All I have to do is think of some of his songs and even the titles make me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/john-lennon-was-a-musical-genius-all-i-have-to-do-is-think-of-some-of/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [I think that the theory of evolution is the most unscientific, faith-based, fundamentally brainless idea that ever had the misfortune to come out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/i-think-that-the-theory-of-evolution-is-the-most-unscientific-faith/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [Atheists who keep asking for evidence of God's existence are like a fish in the ocean wanting evidence of water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/atheists-who-keep-asking-for-evidence-of-god-s-existence-are-like-a/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [A blind, anemic, weak-kneed flea on crutches would have a greater chance of defeating a herd of a thousand wild stampeding elephants, than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/a-blind-anemic-weak-kneed-flea-on-crutches-would-have-a-greater/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) [Explore all 78 Ray Comfort quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) ## More Eloquence quotes > [There should be in eloquence that which is pleasing and that which is real; but that which is pleasing should itself be real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/there-should-be-in-eloquence-that-which-is-pleasing-and-that-which-is/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [Fie on the eloquence that leaves us craving itself, not things!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/fie-on-the-eloquence-that-leaves-us-craving-itself-not-things/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [ \[T\]here are, at bottom, basically two ways to order social affairs, Coercively, through the mechanisms of the state - what we can call political… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-crane/t-here-are-at-bottom-basically-two-ways-to-order-social-affairs/) [Ed Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-crane/) > [Drudgery, calamity, exasperation, want, are instructors in eloquence and wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/drudgery-calamity-exasperation-want-are-instructors-in-eloquence-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Among all the valuable things of this world, the word is the most precious. For in the word one can find a light which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/among-all-the-valuable-things-of-this-world-the-word-is-the-most/) [Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/) > [“Your goodness must have some edge to it -- else it is none.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/your-goodness-must-have-some-edge-to-it-else-it-is-none/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Forensics is eloquence and reduction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/forensics-is-eloquence-and-reduction/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [“What is called eloquence in the forum is commonly found to be rhetoric in the study.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/what-is-called-eloquence-in-the-forum-is-commonly-found-to-be/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Eloquence is the appropriate organ of the highest personal energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/eloquence-is-the-appropriate-organ-of-the-highest-personal-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Philosophy may be dodged, eloquence cannot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-quinet/philosophy-may-be-dodged-eloquence-cannot/) [Edgar Quinet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-quinet/) > [Eloquence is a painting of thought; and thus those who, after having painted it, add something more, make a picture instead of a portrait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/eloquence-is-a-painting-of-thought-and-thus-those-who-after-having/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [The notion of directing a film is the invention of critics - the whole eloquence of cinema is achieved in the editing room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-notion-of-directing-a-film-is-the-invention-of-critics-the-whole/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Your eloquence should be the servant of the ideas in your head. Your rule might be this: If a sentence, no matter how excellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/your-eloquence-should-be-the-servant-of-the-ideas-in-your-head-your/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Eloquence is relative. One can no more pronounce on the eloquence of any composition than the wholesomeness of a medicine, without knowing for whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/eloquence-is-relative-one-can-no-more-pronounce-on-the-eloquence-of/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [ It is true that despite occasional gleams of Churchillian eloquence he \[Gen. Douglas MacArthur\] usually spoke poorly. He was far more effective in conversations… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-manchester/it-is-true-that-despite-occasional-gleams-of-churchillian-eloquence/) [William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-manchester/) [Browse all 439 Eloquence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eloquence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Rhetoric, which is the use of language to inform or persuade, is very important in shaping public opinion. We are very easily fooled by language and how it is used by others.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ray Comfort" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/rhetoric-which-is-the-use-of-language-to-inform-or-persuade-is-very/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eloquence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/rhetoric-which-is-the-use-of-language-to-inform-or-persuade-is-very/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/ray-comfort-8768_eloquence_rhetoric-which-is-the-use-of-language-to_2257163.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/ray-comfort-8768_eloquence_rhetoric-which-is-the-use-of-language-to_2257163.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/ray-comfort-8768_eloquence_rhetoric-which-is-the-use-of-language-to_2257163.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Rhetoric, which is the use of language to inform or persuade, is very important in shaping public opinion…” — Ray Comfort", "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": "Ray Comfort", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Rhetoric, which is the use of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/rhetoric-which-is-the-use-of-language-to-inform-or-persuade-is-very/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/rhetoric-which-is-the-use-of-language-to-inform-or-persuade-is-very/#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 } } ] } ```