Persuasiveness Quotes

“I hope we can inaugurate a new humility in our use of religious language, which for me is the very proof that it is authentic.”
― Richard Rohr, Adam's Return: The Five Promises of Male Initiation

“Physical force, especially the ability to kill, is the ultimate form of coercive leverage. While there are other sources of influence, such as wealth, persuasiveness, and charisma, they are all dominated by the power to kill. One with the ability to kill another can, if willing, escalate any dispute to that level and thus prevail. Although hard power is not the only for of power, it is dominant if effectively employed; hard power always has the capacity to dominate soft power. Left unaddressed, might trumps right. Therefore, to protect its interests, the United States must be especially concerned about the use of physical force.”
― Elbridge A. Colby, The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict