Many know the saying, ‘Speak softly but carry a big stick.’
I was doing this before I heard or learned about the proverb. When I was a teenager, I was fearful of dogs. Whenever I walked past this house where a German Shepherd lived and roamed, I walked softly, said nothing, and carried a big stick.
You may think this is not exactly the optic of the big stick, speak softly, saying. The proverb also doesn’t drum up the image of a lumberjack wielding an ax or a felled tree in one hand or Thor, the Marvel hero, who carries an iron hammer. Nope, neither fit the profile.
Surely, the creator of this proverb can help with its contextual use and meaning. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, who later became the president of the U.S., liked and used the proverb. Although many attribute President Roosevelt as being the proverb’s creator, Roosevelt stated that the proverb originated in West Africa.
So, what does this proverb that portrays a soft-speaking person with a big stick mean? The following is one of President Roosevelt’s quotes using the saying.
Theodore Roosevelt was vice president when he spoke in Minneapolis at the 1901 Minnesota State Fair on September 2. With thousands in attendance, his speech, now called the National Duties, referenced pioneers and the typical Americans who were striving to make a good life for themselves and their families. It was a life of hard and honest work that helped build the state. Roosevelt credited and thought well of hard-working pioneers and ordinary Americans not afraid of work.
Roosevelt said, “Right here, let me make a 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.”
In the first sentence, President Roosevelt implores people to say what they mean and do what they say without hesitation. In doing this, one must be confident, secure, and prepared to act upon what they say.
In other words, he said that it’s not necessary to speak with a lion’s roar or with a clap of thunder; speak softly and carry a big stick. The big stick represents being able to back up one’s words with action. If peaceful means or mutual negotiations devolve, one must be prepared to use the alternative or force.
Many believe this was Roosevelt’s approach to foreign policy when he became the U.S. president.
We’re not talking about being a pushover, but one who knows who they are, their options, and is prepared and equipped to defend their stance. It’s like having ‘an iron fist in a velvet glove.’
Roosevelt knew if one didn’t mean what they said, carrying a big stick was useless. A wimp with a big stick is still a wimp. Roosevelt likened life to being about bold choices and courageous actions as opposed to one of restraint and ease.
‘Speak softly and carry a big stick—you will go far’ is one of President Theodore Roosevelt’s best-known quotes.
Today, there’s still value in this West African proverb.
I hope that you are happy and well.