--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hence the uselessness of logic: no one…" description: "\"“Hence the uselessness of logic: no one ever convinced anybody by logic; and even logicians use logic only as a source of income. To convince a man, yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c39/will-durant-948_logic_hence-the-uselessness-of-logic-no-one-ev_78998.png" --- # Hence the uselessness of logic: no one ever convinced… ![“Hence the uselessness of logic: no one ever convinced anybody by logic; and even logicians use logic only as a source of income. To convince a man, you must appeal to his self-interest, his desires, his will.” quote by Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c39/will-durant-948_logic_hence-the-uselessness-of-logic-no-one-ev_78998.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c39/will-durant-948_logic_hence-the-uselessness-of-logic-no-one-ev_78998.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c39/will-durant-948_logic_hence-the-uselessness-of-logic-no-one-ev_78998.png) > ““Hence the uselessness of logic: no one ever convinced anybody by logic; and even logicians use logic only as a source of income. To convince a man, you must appeal to his self-interest, his desires, his will.”” [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Logic alone fails to persuade; people respond to personal motives and desires rather than abstract reasoning. **In simple terms:** Persuasion hinges on self‑interest, not logic. Key Takeaway Appeal to desire, not argument. Themes Persuasion Human motivation Logic vs emotion Rhetoric Self‑interest Mood Strategic Analytical Motivational Type aphilosophical Practical When to use this quote - Negotiations - Marketing pitches - Political speeches - Personal relationships - Leadership coaching Key Concepts Motivation Cognitive bias Communication Practical Applications - Crafting persuasive messages - Designing influence strategies Questions to Reflect On - What drives a person's decisions more: logic or desire? - How can you balance ethical appeal with self‑interest? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Convince Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convince-man-1013785/) [Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic/) [Logic Convinced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic-convinced-1013788/) [Logicians Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logicians-use-1013786/) [Use Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-logic-1013784/) [Uselessness Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uselessness-logic-1013787/) ## Related quotes > [You can sway a thousand men by appealing to their prejudices quicker than you can convince one man by logic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/you-can-sway-a-thousand-men-by-appealing-to-their-prejudices-quicker/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-you-would-convince-a-man-that-he-does-wrong-do-right-but-do-not/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“You can be an expert on anything if you just use logic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-carolla/you-can-be-an-expert-on-anything-if-you-just-use-logic/) [Adam Carolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-carolla/) > [you can’t use logic on human behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/you-can-t-use-logic-on-human-behavior/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [Use logic instead of emotions to make important decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/use-logic-instead-of-emotions-to-make-important-decisions/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Please help keep the world clean: others may wish to use it. 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Simply understand her and save yourself stress.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khuliso-mamathoni/when-dealing-with-your-wife-never-use-logic-otherwise-you-will-go/) [Khuliso Mamathoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khuliso-mamathoni/) > [Logic is invincible, because in order to combat logic it is necessary to use logic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-boutroux/logic-is-invincible-because-in-order-to-combat-logic-it-is-necessary/) [Pierre Boutroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-boutroux/) > [First, in your sermons, use your logic, and then your rhetoric; Rhetoric without logic, is like a tree with leaves and blossoms, but no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/first-in-your-sermons-use-your-logic-and-then-your-rhetoric-rhetoric/) [John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/) > [“People do not take actions based on logic. We make choices based on emotion. Every one of us. 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I certainly don't use logic when I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-asked-me-how-to-get-out-of-the-finite-dimensions-when-i-feel-like/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Once I accumulated a bunch of sounds and learned how to use Logic, I was like, 'Wait a second, I don't need to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-mark/once-i-accumulated-a-bunch-of-sounds-and-learned-how-to-use-logic-i/) [Amber Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-mark/) ## More by Will Durant > [I came to think of myself, not as a dance and chaos of molecules, but as a brief and minute portion of that majestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/i-came-to-think-of-myself-not-as-a-dance-and-chaos-of-molecules-but/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“This is the tragedy of almost every civilization—that its soul is in its faith, and seldom survives philosophy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/this-is-the-tragedy-of-almost-every-civilization-that-its-soul-is-in/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/education-is-a-progressive-discovery-of-our-own-ignorance/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [In philosophy, as in politics, the longest distance between two points is a straight line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/in-philosophy-as-in-politics-the-longest-distance-between-two-points/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [As long as there is poverty there will be gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/as-long-as-there-is-poverty-there-will-be-gods/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“It is a mistake to think that the past is dead. 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