“Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” – President Theodore Roosevelt
You may have heard this phrase in a history class as it relates to propagating the”Roosevelt Corollary” or the “Good Neighbor” foreign policy of policing the western hemisphere through Machiavellianistic political tactics and gunboat diplomacy. The phrase, however, was originally coined to empower the Republican party to do the “right thing” by cutting ties with a corrupt financier trying to influence New York politics.
This phrase by President Roosevelt is a lot like a phrase written by King Solomon two millennia before him:
The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools. (Ecclesiastes 9:17)
King Solomon is teaching us a very valuable life lesson that we should all apply in our lives. That lesson is for us to stop saying meaningless things, and to stop shouting for attention. When we have something worth saying, say it and then let it be because there will be strength in it. As people who want to be wise in the world, we must understand that our opinions and our words carry far more value when we’re not using them to make screeching witch noises as the thunder claps behind us in the background. What we say quietly contains faith in Jesus and effectively empowers the people listening to it. When we speak softly, the weight of our words is relevant and actionable, just like Jesus’.
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