“You can see for what reason I commend the study of eloquence to you—because we can neither explain what we ourselves want, nor understand the surviving writing written by our ancestors, unless we have thoroughly studied a fixed rule for speaking. For my part, I do not see how there could be others who wish neither to explain what they think, nor to understand what is excellently said.”

— Philip Melanchthon

Source: Praise of Eloquence (1523), p. 64

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Philip Melanchthon 11

German reformer 1497–1560

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Philip Melanchthon 11

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