Your corn is ripe today; mine will be so tomorrow. 'Tis profitable for us both, that I should labour with you today, and that you should aid me tomorrow.
David HumeRead
Eloquence, at its highest pitch, leaves little room for reason or reflection, but addresses itself entirely to the desires and affections, captivating the willing hearers, and subduing their understanding.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Eloquent speech can persuade emotions more than reason, capturing the audience's feelings and diminishing critical thinking.
In this quote, David Hume suggests that the power of eloquence lies in its ability to engage and stimulate the audience's emotions and desires rather than relying solely on rational argumentation. He warns that this form of persuasion can overshadow logical reasoning, leading listeners to be captivated by their feelings instead of engaging in thoughtful reflection.
Themes
EloquencePersuasionEmotionUnderstandingCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of community service, one might use this quote to emphasize the emotional impact of persuasive language.
More from David Hume
All quotes →All that belongs to human understanding, in this deep ignorance and obscurity, is to be sceptical, or at least cautious, and not to admit of any hypothesis whatever, much less of any which is supported by no appearance of probability.
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There is a very remarkable inclination in human nature to bestow on external objects the same emotions which it observes in itself, and to find every where those ideas which are most present to it.
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To have recourse to the veracity of the supreme Being, in order to prove the veracity of our senses, is surely making a very unexpected circuit.
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... The idea of God, as meaning an infinitely intelligent, wise and good Being, arises from reflecting on the operations of our own mind, and augmenting, without limit, those qualities of goodness and wisdom.
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