Barry Eisler Quotes

Invariably, it is this for which I write: the joy ... of an argument firmly made, like a nail straightly driven, its head flush to the plank.

You can win more arguments then you might think as a writer, even though you legally have no recourse, and your script can get muddied and altered in any way possible. You can use reason, logic, and passion to argue persuasively for a case in your favor.

Writing's a great skill, but thinking's a better one.

People who think well, write well

I had inherited what my father called the art of the advocate, or the irritating habit of looking for the flaw in any argument.

Chess first of all teaches you to be objective.

Reason can be used only when looking critically back.

Crystal-clear thinking is one of the things we look for - not a fancy slide pitch, but crystal-clear thinking.

The power of real debate is in the language and intellectual honesty of the debaters, alongside the engagement of spectators.

Academics don't normally manage to alter people's way of thinking through their strength of argument.

Philosophy likes to keen common sense on the run.

I'm against sloppy, emotional thinking.

First, he must hold rational values, and to do this he must be a thinker.

Whether you're a newspaper journalist, a lawyer, a doctor. You have to organize your thoughts.

The times call for clear, lucid thinking rather than Clare Luceish thought.

Ron Paul is very smart, so I don't want to talk to him too long for fear that he will convince me.

Don't raise your voice, improve your argument.

When you're writing criticism or thinking critically, to draw a very limited minor conclusion from solid evidence is really not thinking.

I am attracted to arguments that have a certain plausible originality to them.

The practice of narrative and argument does not lead to invention, but it compels a certain coherence of thought.

While driving to work, I'll choose to think about a particular subject rather than just have random thought streams landing on one subject or another. For example, I might think about the structure of an opinion. Or I might think about the first sentence of an opinion, refining it.

But even the people who don't like my opinions must admit that I always have a reason behind what I say.

I have come to this conclusion: if 'sentimentality' is lazy emotion, then the term itself is lazy criticism.

I enjoy a good reasoned argument. I love the power of logic.

Asking the right questions is as important as answering them