Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, “Eat, Pray, Love.”
The Three Musketeers
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Friends, Romans, Countrymen
“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right…
These are just a few examples of the rule of three, a literary and rhetorical device used for centuries to engage readers and audiences.
It works because it establishes a sort of rhythm in our ears;two of something being not-quite-sufficient and four or more being too much to take in. “Three” works for a number of reasons: we can remember more easily, it is brief yet can be rich with meaning, is simple yet catchy.
Some sources say that the rule of three came out of the ancient traditions of oral storytelling, which makes sense because this is how we’ve communicated for eons.
I like to think of storytelling and speech-making as a form of music, composed of themes, cadences, rhythms, high notes and low ones.
So…add some “music” to your speaking, using the rule of three!