Today, the word “rhetoric” is typically used to criticize language that is empty or misleading. But the study of rhetoric was originally designed to drain false speech of its power. Rhetoric grew up in ancient Athens alongside the first democracy because the arguments of citizens were needed to replace the diktats of kings and the demagoguery of tyrants. In How to Be Persuasive, Robin Reames presents a vivid new translation of essential passages from Aristotle’s Rhetoric—a work filled with insights about how words move our hearts and minds. Featuring illuminating commentary and the original Greek on facing pages, How to Be Persuasive offers a concise and accessible introduction to Aristotle’s timeless classic.

How to Be Persuasive includes at least one selection from nearly every chapter of Aristotle’s Rhetoric, covering the importance of a speaker’s character and an audience’s emotions; common topics that can be used in every kind of argument; style and delivery; and more. Aristotle instills a keen awareness of what makes words compelling—precisely what Athenians needed to defend themselves against the linguistic distortions that led to their devastating war with Sparta two generations before. Indeed, he may have been the first to argue that the less we know about rhetoric—including how to spot the difference between good and bad arguments—the more vulnerable we are to tyranny.

The result is an enlightening introduction to how persuasion works—and how we can resist its abuse.