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The article considers what can be deduced about a speaker from the frequency with which he or she uses the pronoun "I." Details are presented about five studies conducted by psychology professor James W. Pennebaker and colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin. Their work shows people who are less sure of themselves and have relatively lower status are more apt to use "I" than those they are conversing with.

The author explains how good dialogue is constructed not from epigrammatic quotes, but from simple, illuminating text that reveals the character, and cites quotes from the play "Othello," the film "The Wild Bunch," and the book "Clockers" by Richard Price as examples of great dialog.