“The only safe rule is to promise little, and faithfully to keep every promise; to "speak softly and carry a big stick."”

—  Theodore Roosevelt

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
1910s, Theodore Roosevelt — An Autobiography (1913)

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Theodore Roosevelt 445
American politician, 26th president of the United States 1858–1919

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“Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”

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