English Explanatory Dictionary

speak softly and carry a big stick

English dictionary entry

Meanings

proverb
  1. Do not boast or utter verbal threats, but do make others aware that you are prepared to use physical or military force if necessary.

Word forms

speak softly and carry a big stick talk softly and carry a big stick walk softly and carry a big stick

Etymology

Popularized by and often attributed to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) as an expression of his view of foreign policy, possibly of earlier, West African origin according to his account, but with a probability of he himself having coined it. The full version is “speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”

Related words

big stick you get more with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone
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