Through the invocation of a proverb, quotation, or witty turn of phrase during a presentation or conversation one may be able to gain the assent of the listener, who will hear a kind of non-logical, but agreed-upon truth in what one is saying.
[2] The use of sententiae has been explained by Aristotle[3] (when he discusses the γνώμη gnomê, or sententious maxim, as a form of enthymeme), Quintilian,[4] and other classical authorities.
Early modern English writers, heavily influenced by various humanist educational practices, such as harvesting commonplaces, were especially attracted to sententiae.
[5] Sometimes in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama the sententious lines appear at the end of scenes in rhymed couplets (for instance, John Webster's Duchess of Malfi).
In some early modern dramatic texts and other writings, sententiae are often flagged by marginal notes or special marks.