A lot of good arguments are spoiled by some fool who knows what he is talking about.
Miguel De UnamunoRead
At times to be silent is to lie. You will win because you have enough brute force. But you will not convince. For to convince you need to persuade. And in order to persuade you would need what you lack: Reason and Right
Interpretation
What this quote means
Silence can be deceptive, and true persuasion requires reason and morality, not just power.
This quote emphasizes the importance of honesty and the role of reason in effective communication. While brute force or silence might lead to temporary victories, true persuasion and convincing others require a foundation of reason and ethical consideration, which the speaker suggests is often lacking in forceful arguments.
Themes
SilencePersuasionReasonTruthPower
In practice
Example use cases
During a public debate about ethics, you might cite this quote to emphasize the importance of reasoning over mere force.
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If it is nothingness that awaits us, let us make an injustice of it, let us fight against destiny, even without hope of victory.
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Spiritual Love is born of sorrow. . . . For men love one another with spiritual love only when they have suffered the same sorrow together, when through long days they have ploughed the stony ground buried beneath the common yoke of a common grief. It is then that they know one another and feel one another and feel with one another in their common anguish, and so they pity one another and love one another.
Miguel De UnamunoRead
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