Quotes About Eloquence

Thousands of pulpit orators have swayed their audiences as a wind sways standing corn; but in the result, those who were most affected differed nothing from their former selves. An effect of eloquence is sufficient to account for a vast amount of feeling at the moment; but to trace to this a moral power, by which a man, for his life long, overcomes his besetting sins, and adorns his name with Christian virtues, is to make sport of human nature.

"Any man who makes a speech more than six times a year is bound to repeat himself, not because he has little to say, but because he wants applause and the old stuff gets it"

Thy language will not be so trim and gaudy but thy soul and spirit may be as sound yea more upright, than many of those will be found who charm the ears of those that join with them by the music their words make.

Of all eloquence a nickname is the most concise; of all arguments the most unanswerable.

One has no notion of him [William Cobbett] as making use of a fine pen, but a great mutton-fist; his style stuns readers…. He is too much for any single newspaper antagonist; "lays waste" a city orator or Member of Parliament, and bears hard upon the government itself. He is a kind of fourth estate in the politics of the country.

To write a genuine familiar or truly English style, is to write as any one would speak in common conversation who had a thorough command and choice of words, or who could discourse with ease, force, and perspicuity, setting aside all pedantic and oratorical flourishes.

Von Kerssenbrock, a loyal Catholic, sniffed that Rothmann preached "not so much with solid arguments as with clumsy aspersions. The ignorant commoners, however, who cannot distinguish eloquence from bombast, thought that he had spoken excellently."107

An orator is a man who says what he thinks and feels what he says.

You don't have to speak much if you speak well," Meloux replied.

The men who rule have practiced keepin' their tongues still, not exercisin' them. So you want to drop the orator idea unless you mean to go into politics just to perform the skyrocket act.

He was "more passionate than most intelligent men, and more intelligent and reasoned than most passionate men.

He never, even in the most casual conversation with friends, spoke a sentence which did not sound as if it was ready for the air.

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.

Amidst all this bustle it is not reason, which carries the prize, but eloquence; and no man needs ever despair of gaining proselytes to the most extravagant hypothesis, who has art enough to represent it in any favourable colours. The victory is not gained by the men at arms, who manage the pike and the sword; but by the trumpeters, drummers, and musicians of the army.

If God has given you a message, go and give it to the people as God has given it to you. It is a stupid thing to try to be eloquent.

To become a lawyer you must discard your ethics and become an eloquent devil that views justice as god.

God is speaking. He is, by His nature, continuously articulate. He fills the world with His speaking voice.

I wish to God," said Gideon with mild exasperation, "that you'd talk—just once—in prose like other people.

The next best thing to saying a good thing yourself is to quote one.

Being deeply learned and skilled, being well trained and using well spoken words; This is good luck.

Bill Clinton was a very, very good speaker. But like many people who are great speakers and great thinkers and have a lot of energy and ambition, he talked too much.

Truthful words are not beautiful beautiful words are not truthful. Good words are not persuasive persuasive words are not good.

Government is not reason it is not eloquence - it is force.

As it is the mark of great minds to say many things in a few words, so it is that of little minds to use many words to say nothing.