Kenneth Burke Quotes & Sayings

“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.”

“We not only interpret the character of events... we may also interpret our interpretations.”

“Dignity belongs to the conquered.”

“Creation implies authority in the sense of originator. The possibility of a 'Fall' is implied in a Covenant insofar as the idea of a Covenant implies the possibility of its being violated.”

“Our purpose is simply to ask how theological principles can be shown to have usable secular analogues that throw light upon the nature of language.”

“For no continuity of social act is possible without a corresponding social status and the many different kinds of act required in an industrial state, with its high degree of specialization, make for corresponding classification of status.”