Anecdote
A short, often autobiographical story used to illustrate a larger point.
An anecdote is a brief narrative — often, but not always, drawn from real life — used to illustrate a point that would feel abstract without it. The classical orator Quintilian recommended them as essential to persuasion: a fact convinces the mind, but a story convinces the gut.
Anecdotes are the connective tissue of memoir, sermon, journalism, and speech-making. They are also the most easily forged form of quotation, because a story 'about' a famous person can spread without anyone checking whether it ever happened.
The honest use of an anecdote acknowledges that one case is not a study. The dishonest use treats it as proof.
“When Diogenes was asked what he would like, he replied, 'Stand out of my sunlight.'”
Keep reading the glossary
A short story that teaches a moral or spiritual lesson — most famously, the parables of Jesus.
An indirect reference to another text, person, event, or work — often quoted.
A quote deliberately invented and attributed to someone for credibility, humour, or harm.
A short, sharp statement that compresses a truth or observation into a single line.