Philo helps me communicate better

At the beginning of Philo's On the Confusion of Tongues there is a particularly tortured defence of the divine logic behind the Babel incident. In Conf. 33 Philo writes of ...

'those who hate virtue and who love learning, use speech as their ally for the exposition of doctrines which are disapproved; and again, on the other hand, virtuous men employ it for the refutation of such doctrines, and for establishing the irresistible strength of the better and true wisdom'

Step one: Memorise the above Philonic nugget. Step two: Enjoy various social conversations until you are contradicted and opposed by some disagreeable person. Step three: After the expressed disagreement, mutter Philo's words under your breath a few times so that it can just about be heard. Step four: When Philo's bombshell has carved a moment of silence in the conversation, flirt a self-righteous glance in the direction of your detractor. Step five: Walk away feeling rather smug that you quoted Philo from memory.