“Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American politician, 26th president of the United States
“A good many of you are probably acquainted with the old proverb: "Speak softly and carry a big stick—you will go far." If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility, a big stick will not save him from trouble; and neither will speaking softly avail, if back of the softness there does not lie strength, power.”
1900s, The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses (1900), National Duties
Context: Right here let me make as vigorous a plea as I know how in favor of saying nothing that we do not mean, and of acting without hesitation up to whatever we say. A good many of you are probably acquainted with the old proverb: "Speak softly and carry a big stick—you will go far." If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility, a big stick will not save him from trouble; and neither will speaking softly avail, if back of the softness there does not lie strength, power.
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American politician, 26th president of the United States 1858–1919Related quotes
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American politician, 26th president of the United States
Ch. XV : The Peace of Righteousness http://books.google.com/books?id=Io4fAAAAIAAJ&q=%22The+only+safe+rule+is+to+promise+little+and+faithfully+to+keep+every+promise+to+speak+softly+and+carry+a+big+stick%22&pg=PA537#v=onepage <br class="br">1910s, Theodore Roosevelt — An Autobiography (1913)
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Susan Cain (1968) self-help writer
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“Speak more softly to be better heard by a deaf public.”
Joseph Joubert (1754–1824) French moralist and essayist
Alphonse Daudet book Tartarin of Tarascon
L'homme du Midi ne ment pas, il se trompe. Il ne dit pas toujours la vérité, mais il croit la dire.
Source: Tartarin de Tarascon (1872), P. 40; translation p. 17.