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Kenneth Burke Quotes

Author

A renowned American literary theorist, critic, and rhetorician. Kenneth Burke is known for his unique rhetorical analysis and contributions to semiotics. His theories have had a profound impact on modern literary criticism and rhetoric.

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All Men Language Function Attitude Humans Rhetoric Selection Use Way Agents Authority Creation Deflection Ends Fall Form Ideas Ifs Order Perfection

Famous Kenneth Burke Quotes

“Man is rotten with perfection.”

Men Perfection Rotten

Author:Kenneth Burke

“The universe would appear to be something like a piece of cheese; it can be sliced in an infinite number of ways- and when one has chosen his own pattern of slicing, he finds that other men's cuts fall at the wrong places.”

Men Way Fall Universe Numbers Pieces Cutting Infinite Patterns Chosen Cheese

Book:Permanence and Change: An Anatomy of Purpose

Source: Permanence and Change: An Anatomy of Purpose

“Men seek for vocabularies that are reflections of reality. To this end, they must develop vocabularies that are selections of reality. And any selection of reality must, in certain circumstances, function as a deflection of reality.”

Men Ends Reality Certain Circumstances Reflection Function Vocabulary Selection Deflection

Book:On Symbols and Society

Source: On Symbols and Society

“Man is/the symbol-using (symbol making, symbol-misusing) animal/inventor of the negative (or moralized by the negative)/separated from his natural condition by instruments of his own making/goaded by the spirit of hierarchy (or moved by the sense of order)/and rotten with perfection.”

Men Spirit Order Natural Animal Conditions Negative Perfection Instruments Moved Symbols Hierarchy Inventor Rotten

Book:Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature and Method

Source: Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature and Method

“The most characteristic concern of rhetoric [is] the manipulation of men's beliefs for political ends....the basic function of rhetoric [is] the use of words by human agents to form attitudes or to induce actions in other human agents.”

Men Humans Ends Use Action Form Political Belief Attitude Concern Function Agents Characteristics Manipulation Rhetoric

Author:Kenneth Burke

“You persuade a man only insofar as you can talk his language by speech, gesture, tonality, order, image, attitude, idea, identifying your ways with his”

Men Way Ideas Order Language Attitude Speech Gestures Identifying

Book:A Rhetoric of Motives

Source: A Rhetoric of Motives

About the Author

Born: May 5, 1897
Died: November 19, 1993
Known for: Author
Quotes: 22

Books & Sources

The Rhetoric of Religion: Studies in LogologyRelated source material

A Rhetoric of MotivesRelated source material

Permanence and Change: An Anatomy of PurposeRelated source material

A grammar of motives, and A rhetoric of motivesRelated source material

Here & Elsewhere: The Collected Fiction of Kenneth BurkeRelated source material

Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature and MethodRelated source material

Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature, and MethodRelated source material

On Symbols and SocietyRelated source material

The Legacy of Kenneth BurkeRelated source material

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