Post #18 My top 5 uses of chiasmus in popular quotes

Welcome back to Elliott's Quarantine Quintet! We made it another week!

Chiasmus is "a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or modified form."

For some reason, the use of chiasmus makes the speaker or author sound incredibly clever and creative and helps strengthen the message being conveyed (which is probably the reason why it has been a popular technique for thousands of years).

1. We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing." - Benjamin Franklin.

This was my senior yearbook quote and is a perfect example of the power of chiasmus. I happen to be a strong believer in the idea that Franklin is conveying about the importance of play not diminishing as we get older.

2. "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." - Walt Disney

Like Franklin above, Disney uses chiasmus to get across a philosophical statement. The use of the technique really helps get the idea across.

3. "It is nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." - John Templeton

Just as with the prior examples, the use of chiasmus emphasizes the key words to drive home the point being made. And, once again, the message being conveyed is a deep philosophical statement with which I strongly agree.

4. "And, so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." - John F. Kennedy

Even Kennedy used the power of chiasmus to get across the idea of patriotism and sacrifice in his 1961 inaugural address. He uses the reversal of words to contrast two different ideas.

5. "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss 

If he had said, "act naturally. If people care about you, it won't bother them" it would not have been nearly as powerful a rhetorical statement.


Winners never quit, and quitters never win.


One day, I will work a great use of chiasmus into one of my articles.

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