Walter Isaacson Quotes

The reality distortion field was a confounding mélange of a charismatic rhetorical style, indomitable will, and eagerness to bend any fact to fit the purpose at hand.

I consider myself a persuasive person. With the ability to persuade comes a certain level of power.

It was said that Mr. Gladstone could persuade most people of most things, and himself of anything.

I am a very persuasive man.

Men are apt to be much more influenced by words than by the actual facts of the surrounding reality

Power can shape 'truth,' but not forever.

People appreciate and follow the person who can persuade them properly. Make that person you.

God and my dad gave me the gift of gab. I know how to finagle.

People buy into my agenda. I don't buy into anyone's agenda.

Charlatanism of some degree is indispensable to effective leadership.

I want people to be able to influence themselves. We convince ourselves, and that allows us to convince others.

I know how to win people over if things aren't going my way.

I spent the majority of my adult life in a business where the object is to make people believe that you believe what you say. I was good at that, right?

The 'Rule of Three' is simply getting the other guy to agree to the same thing three times in the same conversation, it's really hard to repeatedly lie or fake conviction.

I learned from Roger Rabbit that if you make people laugh, they'll do anything for you - which is almost true.

You have seen it: You can put something into the world, and all of a sudden, everybody believes that. Like throwing a fishing rod and the fish bite into.

I do not know how anyone can mould anyone.

It turns out we are all quite easily swayed if someone knows what they are doing - which is a great thing and a dangerous thing.

Persuasiveness takes finesse; it takes an understanding of human psychology. And intention is everything.

Persuasion is not a science but an art

Charm was a scheme for making strangers like and trust a person immediately, no matter what the charmer had in mind.

I'm not trying to twist people's heads around. I'm not trying to say, "Believe in me."

Force a hand, the voice warned, and it will fight you. But convince a mind to think as you want it to think, and you have an ally.

Politics and acting are very closely tied. The job is to convince.

Once I can talk to people, I switch them over on my side.