Literary notes about assert (AI summary)
The term “assert” is used in literature to convey a firm, confident declaration of fact or opinion. Authors employ it to emphasize both the strength of an argument and the speaker’s or character’s conviction, whether boldly claiming rights or carefully qualifying truths. In historical or philosophical contexts, it often functions as the backbone of reasoning—stating, for example, that one may assert a fact simply by using the indicative mood [1] or declaring a right as when citizens assert their entitlements [2]. At times, however, writers use the word with a note of reservation, as when they acknowledge limits to their assertions or challenge established beliefs [3][4]. In narrative and dialogue alike, “assert” becomes a versatile tool, highlighting a moment of self-affirmation or critical analysis, whether it is the assertion of personal will or the disputing of widely held opinions [5][6].
- If, then, we wish to assert something as a fact or to inquire after a fact, we use the indicative.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - The people know their rights, and they are never slow to assert and maintain them when they are invaded.
— from McClure's Magazine, Vol. 6, No. 4, March, 1896 by Various - We will not assert that Cromwell was an immaculate man; that he fell into no faults, no insincerities among the rest.
— from On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History by Thomas Carlyle - I am not conscious that I have left any variant unrecorded, but I should not like to assert that this is the case.
— from The Early Poems of Alfred Lord Tennyson by Baron Alfred Tennyson Tennyson - I suspected that he was longing to assert himself again, to come forth from his seclusion, to show fight, to struggle to the last.
— from The possessed : by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - 'Since you presume to contradict me, I'll assert myself a little.
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
