How to Win an Argument: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Persuasion
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- Create Date：2021-10-12 06:51:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Marcus Tullius Cicero
- ISBN：0691164339
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Summary
All of us are faced countless times with the challenge of persuading others， whether we're trying to win a trivial argument with a friend or convince our coworkers about an important decision。 Instead of relying on untrained instinct--and often floundering or failing as a result--we'd win more arguments if we learned the timeless art of verbal persuasion， rhetoric。 How to Win an Argument gathers the rhetorical wisdom of Cicero， ancient Rome's greatest orator， from across his works and combines it with passages from his legal and political speeches to show his powerful techniques in action。 The result is an enlightening and entertaining practical introduction to the secrets of persuasive speaking and writing--including strategies that are just as effective in today's offices， schools， courts， and political debates as they were in the Roman forum。
How to Win an Argument addresses proof based on rational argumentation， character， and emotion; the parts of a speech; the plain， middle， and grand styles; how to persuade no matter what audience or circumstances you face; and more。 Cicero's words are presented in lively translations， with illuminating introductions; the book also features a brief biography of Cicero， a glossary， suggestions for further reading， and an appendix of the original Latin texts。
Astonishingly relevant， this unique anthology of Cicero's rhetorical and oratorical wisdom will be enjoyed by anyone who ever needs to win arguments and influence people--in other words， all of us。
How to Win an Argument addresses proof based on rational argumentation， character， and emotion; the parts of a speech; the plain， middle， and grand styles; how to persuade no matter what audience or circumstances you face; and more。 Cicero's words are presented in lively translations， with illuminating introductions; the book also features a brief biography of Cicero， a glossary， suggestions for further reading， and an appendix of the original Latin texts。
Astonishingly relevant， this unique anthology of Cicero's rhetorical and oratorical wisdom will be enjoyed by anyone who ever needs to win arguments and influence people--in other words， all of us。
Reviews
Syeollin
，
“It is at least in my opinion that it’ll be impossible for anyone to be an orator endowed with all praised worthy qualities unless he has gained a knowledge of all the important subject and arts， for it is certainly from knowledge that a speech should blossom under fullness。 If not， his speech will be deemed empty like a childish exercise。Grasp the subject， the words will follow。”
Heather-Lin
，
Oh excellent！I quite enjoyed the brief overview of Cicero's life， as it gave context to the culture and government he was operating within。I also enjoyed the exploration of the different levels of making a convincing argument: logically， ethically， emotionally。 I didn't expect the examples of him arguing as an attorney to be as engaging as they were。 There was one case in particular， a murder plot that spells and the intended victim was accused of murder himself， that had me completely riveted！T Oh excellent！I quite enjoyed the brief overview of Cicero's life， as it gave context to the culture and government he was operating within。I also enjoyed the exploration of the different levels of making a convincing argument: logically， ethically， emotionally。 I didn't expect the examples of him arguing as an attorney to be as engaging as they were。 There was one case in particular， a murder plot that spells and the intended victim was accused of murder himself， that had me completely riveted！There was also a brief reference to seeking out mentors， and cultivating a robust memory using the mind palace technique。Overall， interesting as well as still relevant。 And the audio narration by Simon Vance is as always superb。 。。。more
Ostreaf
，
A fun read， but felt that I already knew most of what was in the book as it seems obvious。 Also， the book is more about "how to do a speech" than how to win an argument。 A fun read， but felt that I already knew most of what was in the book as it seems obvious。 Also， the book is more about "how to do a speech" than how to win an argument。 。。。more
Tim Plett
，
This is a valuable resource for anyone wishing to grow as a speaker。 The principles developed more than 2，000 years ago still apply today。
Richard Mulholland
，
You can't beat the classics。 In this case that isn't hyperbolic， this was a fantastic listen。 So good in fact I have immediately bought the Kindle version to make more notes。 You can't beat the classics。 In this case that isn't hyperbolic， this was a fantastic listen。 So good in fact I have immediately bought the Kindle version to make more notes。 。。。more
Illiterate
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Extracts from Cicero on rhetoric。 （This PUP series reprints widely available ancient texts under snazzy but misleading titles。）
Eduardo
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More like: How to deliver a speech。 Good book but nothing surprising。 If you are completely new to public speaking this book will provide useful advice。
Mulva
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Go for Aristotle's Art of rhetoric for a more in depth approach on the subject。 Go for Aristotle's Art of rhetoric for a more in depth approach on the subject。 。。。more
Ari Stillman
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While the points made were good， the entire book could have been condensed into a 1-pager of the "Ciceronian cheat sheet for effective speaking" at the very end。 The excerpts were suitable though might have been better served as a weblink to someone uttering the speeches given the emphasis on delivery。 While the points made were good， the entire book could have been condensed into a 1-pager of the "Ciceronian cheat sheet for effective speaking" at the very end。 The excerpts were suitable though might have been better served as a weblink to someone uttering the speeches given the emphasis on delivery。 。。。more
Kelley
，
This book won’t help you win an argument unless you are planning to present that argument in the Roman forum two millennia ago， but it’s Cicero so yes I enjoyed reading it。
The_J
，
In a tome of wisdom， I think that the best was to move a jury or audience reflect their essence so that you are moved by the message。 In addition this pearl: If we consider our leisure time， what can be more pleasant or more properly human than to be able to engage in elegant conversation and show oneself a stranger to no subject？
Nathan Albright
，
This book is a strange and interesting small volume。 It appears as if this book is being aimed simultaneously at two very different audiences。 One of these audiences is made of people who do not want to read the entirety of Cicero's various writings on rhetoric， both those that discuss him dealing with his approach in a theoretical manner as well as the recorded speeches and other writings of his that demonstrate his rhetorical approach in action， especially in his letters as well as his speeche This book is a strange and interesting small volume。 It appears as if this book is being aimed simultaneously at two very different audiences。 One of these audiences is made of people who do not want to read the entirety of Cicero's various writings on rhetoric， both those that discuss him dealing with his approach in a theoretical manner as well as the recorded speeches and other writings of his that demonstrate his rhetorical approach in action， especially in his letters as well as his speeches in front of the Senate on behalf of various people and laws and the cause of republican virtue in general and in particular。 The other audience is made of people who are willing and able to read， in Latin， Cicero's writings on matters of rhetoric for themselves。 Strangely， this book seems to miss an entire （and presumably large） audience of people who would need Cicero in translation because their Latin isn't very strong but at the same time are willing to read more detailed discussion of Cicero's rhetoric explained with some complexity。This book is about 250 pages， but it feels both shorter and longer at the same time。 The book begins with a preface and a brief sketch of Cicero's life to set the context for his material on rhetoric。 After that the book discusses how to win an argument。 This begins with the origins of eloquent and persuasive speech in nature， art， and practice on the one hand， and rhetoric and truth on the other。 After this the author talks about the parts of rhetoric， including invention， arrangement， style， memory， and delivery。 After this comes a look at the value of imitating good models of speaking， the value of writing in order to prepare for effective speaking， as well as the requirements and education of the ideal speaker， who is supposed to be able to address the common person but also be knowledgeable about a great many subjects in order to effectively bring up useful material to prove one's point or refute one's opponents。 This takes up a bit less than 150 pages， and it is clear that a book this short would not be published， at least in the contemporary publishing climate， and so at this point there is a brief cheat sheet for effective speaking from Cicero's writings， and then the rest of the book is mostly made up of Latin texts without translation that go on for about 80 pages。 Then， at this point， we have the glossary， suggestions for further reading， and text credits。All in all， this book is a relatively short one and an easy enough one to appreciate， even if its appeal is rather limited and divided。 I find it hard to imagine that the same readers who will love the book's focus on Latin are going to be as enamored with the fact that the book's quotations from Cicero are so limited in nature and the depth of discussion about them is so surface-level as well。 Likewise， it seems hard to imagine those whose interest in this book is most focused on the superficial discussion of rhetoric are going to be interested in reading the lengthy Latin quotations that make up the second part of the book。 It just seems as if this book needs a third section in the middle to bridge the gap between the material that seems made for politicians who can only read short things and Latin classicists who want to tear into the subtlety of Cicero's language。 Perhaps other readers can help me to figure out how these two very different reading audiences are being served and whether the whole book can be appreciated easily by the same people。 It is puzzling to see a book that switches so abruptly from one sort of book to another without any warning。 。。。more
Andy Dollahite
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James May adroitly guides us through the highlights of Cicero’s instruction on rhetoric。 It also affirms the absolute necessity of a vibrant education in the liberal arts。 Wonderfully edited and without fluff。 This would be a great text for discussion in high school or early university speech & composition courses。 It’s also revenant for pastoral homiletics。
Keno Castro
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Hard to read and to listen （english is my 2nd language） but has many great contents
Alexandre Pires
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Muito bom。 Todo advogado ou estudante de direito deveria ler。 Começar da base。
Lumpen_Proletariat
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This was a decent little book。 The provocative title is in reference to it being a treatise on rhetoric， and more specifically， Cicero's masterful oratory skills。 For anyone who might have read Aristotle's 'Rhetoric' you will recognise its influence here in the ideas Cicero espouses。 Cicero was a cunning chap with an evidently Machiavellian bent - arguably a prerequisite for any lawyer。 He was， therefore， predisposed to a bit of verbal chicanery and perhaps not as strictly deferential to the pri This was a decent little book。 The provocative title is in reference to it being a treatise on rhetoric， and more specifically， Cicero's masterful oratory skills。 For anyone who might have read Aristotle's 'Rhetoric' you will recognise its influence here in the ideas Cicero espouses。 Cicero was a cunning chap with an evidently Machiavellian bent - arguably a prerequisite for any lawyer。 He was， therefore， predisposed to a bit of verbal chicanery and perhaps not as strictly deferential to the principals of virtue unlike his philosophic ancestors。 By this I mean， Cicero appears to have learned his craft from all the great minds of Ancient Greece - including the sophists; to whom prevarication was considered an art form， notwithstanding the questionable ethics of their trade。This influence is evident in the way Cicero outlines his methods of persuasion， which comprise of three key modalities: Logos - the rational method of argumentation involving inductive and deductive syllogistic reasoning。 Ethos - persuasion through presentation of oneself; manipulation or embellishment of one’s character - feigning virtue， emphasising one’s reputation and prestige to elevate one’s credibility is considered as being efficacious to elicit the sympathy of the jury。Pathos - the arousal/stirring of emotions in the audience。 Using heartfelt， relatable narratives which resonate to garner sympathy for the defendant/plaintiff。I would have given more than three stars - as I was half way through （so I thought） and was really starting to enjoy the book - only to discover that the remaining 150 pages were written entirely in Latin！ I felt let down like a cheap pair of braces from Camden Market！ 。。。more
Brad Balderson
，
This is a good book - so why 3 stars？ The reason is because it could have been GREAT。 I learnt a few important things from this book - the most important being the relationship between writing， reading， and speech。 Cicero believed - and practised with great success - that writing is the gateway to better and clearer articulate speech。 He also believed that - while being aware of and familiar with pedagogical rules of rhetoric is somewhat helpful - the foremost important thing was to actually hav This is a good book - so why 3 stars？ The reason is because it could have been GREAT。 I learnt a few important things from this book - the most important being the relationship between writing， reading， and speech。 Cicero believed - and practised with great success - that writing is the gateway to better and clearer articulate speech。 He also believed that - while being aware of and familiar with pedagogical rules of rhetoric is somewhat helpful - the foremost important thing was to actually have knowledge。 Anyone who has written anything or tried to explain something will know that the difficulty lies in what you DON'T know- where you get caught up， where you fumble - THAT'S where you lack understanding - as Richard Feynman taught us。 Cicero also figured this out。 Therefore， to truly be able to speak and to write you need to understand - but the best way to understand is to and explain。 So it follows - like any other skill - the capacity for persuasive writing and speech comes as a natural result of dedicated study， practice， and reading across a wide range of subjects。 Cicero also discusses the rarity with which this faculty - the faculty of speech and persuasive written word - develops。 He discusses that the reason is few people studying for understanding。 He also discusses the necessity for mnemonic techniques in order to remember vast amounts of information， and also the power of speech for both good and for evil （both Hitler and Churchill were great Rhetoricians）。The final important thing - which was mentioned quite early in the book - is the iterative creation of persuasive argument。 First there is invention， then arrangement， then style， memorisation and delivery。 There is also discussion of the different techniques of rhetoric - the Ethos， relying on the ethical character and trust in the orator as a means of persuasion; the Logos， persuasion through the logical cohesiveness of the argument， and the Pathos， persuasion through the appeal to the emotions and passions of the audience。The reader of this review can see perhaps how profound and powerful the above ideas are， and how they clearly only just scratch the surface of what is clearly an extremely important discipline of study - rhetoric。 This is why I think the book is only worth 3 stars - it barely scratches the surface; just as I was really getting into it， and was really excited for more - it ended。 Turns out that half the book is the original latin text， so the book is actually not a book - but a pamphlet of 172 pages。 Anyhow， you don't need to read this book - there is probably much better books on rhetoric which won't end having barely begun。 。。。more
Abraham M
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Received this book as a gift。 If you don't have much experience with certain modes of persuasion， the advice in this book--collated from one of the giants of "the canon" could be useful。 However， if you've been exposed to any amount of debate-type training， or courses on persuasive writing， the insights distilled from Cicero may feel a bit basic。 This does not reflect on the advice in this book by itself， just that the advice is so fundamental to western rhetoric that you've probably heard it in Received this book as a gift。 If you don't have much experience with certain modes of persuasion， the advice in this book--collated from one of the giants of "the canon" could be useful。 However， if you've been exposed to any amount of debate-type training， or courses on persuasive writing， the insights distilled from Cicero may feel a bit basic。 This does not reflect on the advice in this book by itself， just that the advice is so fundamental to western rhetoric that you've probably heard it in some other form before。 It's like watching an episode of a TV show from decades ago that was stylistically groundbreaking at the time and finding it derivative。 It probably was groundbreaking！ But its elements got integrated so deeply into the years of pop culture afterward that watching the source text feels repetitive。 。。。more
jay
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useful， practical advice from Cicero。 well worth the read。
Tarek Masri
，
This book is a great collection of selections from Cicero's works regarding the art of rhetoric。 The editor's choices and the connections he draws between them make up a very connected and fluid continuity; it feels like the book was originally written as a single text。 This makes the text very accessible and easy to read。The editor uses actual anecdotes and speeches delivered by notable ancient orators （mainly Cicero） to highlight different aspects of the art of rhetoric。 These increase the his This book is a great collection of selections from Cicero's works regarding the art of rhetoric。 The editor's choices and the connections he draws between them make up a very connected and fluid continuity; it feels like the book was originally written as a single text。 This makes the text very accessible and easy to read。The editor uses actual anecdotes and speeches delivered by notable ancient orators （mainly Cicero） to highlight different aspects of the art of rhetoric。 These increase the historical value of this text and make the text an effective window into the courtrooms and courtyards of ancient times。 Cicero is famous for being one of history's greatest orators， so these speeches and anecdotes are mostly very interesting to read。 The actual content of the book is nothing spectacular though， so do not expect detailed or unusual strategies。 In retrospect， most of the information would seem "obvious"， since the book mainly covers the general aspects of proper speaking and writing that have found their way into modern language and philosophy education。 However， the historical value and the fluidity of the text make it a nice read， nonetheless。 The rest of this review is dedicated to a general outline of what Cicero covers in the selections found in this book， for those interested:The book highlights Cicero's views regarding the importance of rhetoric and outlines the different "canons" of rhetoric; i。e。 of proper persuasion and oration。 It starts with what he calls the "invention" of proofs， which can be either non-artistic or artistic proofs。 The latter type falls under one of the 3 Aristotelian modes of persuasion: the logos dealing with facts （involving induction and deduction）， pathos dealing with emotional appeal， and ethos dealing with ethical appeal （winning over the audience through character）。The next stage is that of arranging our proofs。 The famous arrangement used in philosophy is outlined here， with an introduction， presentation of arguments， response to potential counterarguments， and finally a conclusion。 The next stage is that of style， which focuses on correct use of language， clarity， distinction （use of figures of speech， etc。。）， and appropriateness。 Appropriateness involves choosing the scale of the "speech"， its tone， and its overall approach in a way suitable to the context and audience。Next comes the stage of memory: memorising the speech。 Though this is not as important in modern times （as mentioned by the editor）， it was a key skill for ancient orators。 The editor includes some of Cicero's tips for developing our "artificial" （as opposed to natural） memory。 These tips include the use of mnemonics and writing our speech down。Finally comes the stage of delivery。 This stage deals with how a speech is delivered in terms of voice， facial expressions， gestures， and overall body language。 Cicero regarded this stage as extremely important， since great content needs proper delivery to reach an audience， while dull content can be masked with great delivery。 The editor concludes the book with Cicero's views on general traits an exceptional orator must have， most importantly being well-rounded and knowledgeable in all the liberal arts。 。。。more
Gonzalo Escribano
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Good book， James May's compilation of Cicero's work on rhetoric。 I will use as textbook in class。 Good book， James May's compilation of Cicero's work on rhetoric。 I will use as textbook in class。 。。。more
Arden Meissner
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He， Cicero， as a politician understood substance wasn't important。 "The Ciceronian Cheat Sheet For Effective Speaking" is about the only thing one really needs to read in this self-help book。 He， Cicero， as a politician understood substance wasn't important。 "The Ciceronian Cheat Sheet For Effective Speaking" is about the only thing one really needs to read in this self-help book。 。。。more
Ryan
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Excellent overview of Cicero， and useful as a reference book。
Nazrul Kamsol
，
This book tells you on the art of persuasion。 How one would be able to convince their argument， from proof based on characteristics of a person， emotional appeal， not only on rational argumentation。 This book tells you there's more than simply arguing logically。 This book tells you on the art of persuasion。 How one would be able to convince their argument， from proof based on characteristics of a person， emotional appeal， not only on rational argumentation。 This book tells you there's more than simply arguing logically。 。。。more
Lauren
，
A somewhat misleading title – the book is more about the art of rhetoric – and too many short， choppy excerpts of Cicero’s writing interspersed with explanatory paragraphs derail this book。 Honestly， I finished reading it， got to the closing summary， and realized I could have saved myself the trouble of reading the whole book and gained everything I needed to know from the ending summary。 I’ve overall enjoyed this series and am disappointed I found this one so lackluster （especially because I wa A somewhat misleading title – the book is more about the art of rhetoric – and too many short， choppy excerpts of Cicero’s writing interspersed with explanatory paragraphs derail this book。 Honestly， I finished reading it， got to the closing summary， and realized I could have saved myself the trouble of reading the whole book and gained everything I needed to know from the ending summary。 I’ve overall enjoyed this series and am disappointed I found this one so lackluster （especially because I was really looking forward to reading it）。 Quasi-recommended。 。。。more
Cyn Ro
，
Well done， this book is excerpts with commentary and interpretation from the original text by Cicero Rhetoric。 Cicero （3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC） was and is still considered one of the greatest orators in Ancient Rome。 How to win an argument probably would have saved my ass numerous times if I would have read it in my proposing and presenting class in grad school instead of whatever I did to survive that living nightmare。 Not only does this little handbook have helpful information abou Well done， this book is excerpts with commentary and interpretation from the original text by Cicero Rhetoric。 Cicero （3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC） was and is still considered one of the greatest orators in Ancient Rome。 How to win an argument probably would have saved my ass numerous times if I would have read it in my proposing and presenting class in grad school instead of whatever I did to survive that living nightmare。 Not only does this little handbook have helpful information about how to give a speech and avoid looking like an ant set under a magnifying glass in the hot sun， it’s another intriguing look into how the ancient people and civilizations thought and conducted their daily lives。 For the record， I’m still mad at Mark Anthony for Cicero and his family; fuck that trader， thank you Octavian。 。。。more
Petrina Binney
，
When I was in my mid-twenties， a friend bought me a metal sign to hang in my house。 It read， ‘I don’t need other people around to have an argument。’She knew me so well。I will say， for those who might think this book is a guide to winning any argument - it is， but under very specific circumstances。 There is no winning one-liner to finish the opposition and have them scurrying back to some unknown spot， for a vigorous round of wound-licking， contained within these pages。In fact， what Cicero does i When I was in my mid-twenties， a friend bought me a metal sign to hang in my house。 It read， ‘I don’t need other people around to have an argument。’She knew me so well。I will say， for those who might think this book is a guide to winning any argument - it is， but under very specific circumstances。 There is no winning one-liner to finish the opposition and have them scurrying back to some unknown spot， for a vigorous round of wound-licking， contained within these pages。In fact， what Cicero does is break down every aspect of a good speech - whether it is used for a summing up for the jury， or a difference of opinion with a friend。 A great speaker must have some natural talent， the ability to sprinkle some glitter on his words， and charm。 A great speaker must practise his skills in order to make his performance flawless。 He must have a world-beating memory， a working understanding of any number of subjects - not limited to the one he is speaking about， but encompassing pretty much everything that may or may not come up。 Each of the skills a great speaker must possess would take a lifetime to learn， and there are many of them to master。I would have thought this book should be recommended reading for every would-be lawyer， politician and business leader in the world。 I’m not any of those things but， now that I’ve read the book， I suppose anything is possible。 。。。more
Nick
，
This is a gentle introduction to the life， works， and strategies of Cicero， one of the greatest orators and rhetoricians of antiquity。 You don't learn a huge amount about any of those things; just enough to whet the appetite。 But I imagine the author was strictly instructed not to make the book too difficult to digest。 The only real failing of the book is that you don't learn how to win an argument。 Instead， you learn a little about how Cicero went at it。 But don't be surprised if times have cha This is a gentle introduction to the life， works， and strategies of Cicero， one of the greatest orators and rhetoricians of antiquity。 You don't learn a huge amount about any of those things; just enough to whet the appetite。 But I imagine the author was strictly instructed not to make the book too difficult to digest。 The only real failing of the book is that you don't learn how to win an argument。 Instead， you learn a little about how Cicero went at it。 But don't be surprised if times have changed， and so if you try Cicero's approach （of saying dark things about the personal lives of the people you're arguing with） it doesn't actually help much to win any arguments in the modern era。 You might get a libel suit out of using Cicero's approach today， but not much else。 。。。more
Alex Pizzoni
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Interesting book and includes quotes from the time of Marcus Tullius Cicero; excerpts from stories are shown to help in winning arguments。 I found it a hard read and the last 1/3 of the book has scripts from stories in Latin。Great for someone who is an avid reader of classical civilization books。
Abegail
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