The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword (Meaning & Origin!)

“The pen is mightier than the sword” is a common English idiom which means that the written word have more power than violent actions. The written word is a more powerful medium for social change. It’s what’s called a metonymic adage. It was coined by a 19^th Century English author and playwright.

The phrase is very widely used and understood today, even if the person who originally coined it is not very widely known by name.

It’s a very useful and salient adage which is just as relevant to our modern times as it was to the man who coined it.

Let’s find out more.

What does “the pen is mightier than the sword” mean?

To say that “the pen is mightier than the sword” simply means that the written word is a more powerful and relevant tool than is any kind of violence.

There might be many contexts in which this is used, but it’s usually used in the sense of social, political and economic reform.

When we want to change something for the better, especially on a very large scale, the best way you can do that is through writing and the written word.

Violence takes us backwards, and the “sword” is not a good means for driving positive change.

This can be associated with any kind of writing.

Whether it’s journalists and reporters or novelists and authors, the written word is one of if not the most powerful tool we have for driving the change we want to see in the world.

Unfortunately, humanity throughout its past has tended to opt for the violent option—for using the “sword”.

Whether through the individual desires of many people or the manipulation and coercion of the powerful few, the sword has too often played a bigger role in deciding our futures.

Some interpret the phrase in a somewhat broader way, meaning that written communication can just refer to the activities of administrative power or indeed any independent news media.

They are the ones with the true power in the world to change things for the better.

As I mentioned, this is what’s known as a metonymic adage.

I’ll get into more detail on what that means shortly, but broadly it’s simply a kind of widely used philosophical aphorism about the methods of power administrative bodies have at their disposal.

It’s similar to a proverb, in that way, though it’s a bit wordier than those tend to be.

Where does “the pen is mightier than the sword” come from?

The history of this phrase is somewhat muddled.

That said, as we use the phrase today, it descends directly from the work of English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton.

His play Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy of 1839 is the first example of the aphorism phrased exactly as we use it today.

However, he was not the first to use a phrase that carried this meaning.

The Assyrian sage Ahiqar, who may have lived as early as the 7^th Century BCE, is the earliest known source we have for the phrase.

We have supposed teachings of his which date from around 500 BCE, which contain the phrase “the word is mightier than the word”.

Later, we have narrations of the Prophet Muhammad in which he mentions tribulations that will wipe out large numbers of people.

“In that time,” he is quoted, “the spoken word will be stronger than the sword”.

We have a variety of other sources, such as the Spanish bishop Antonio de Guevara, where he compared a pen to a lance in 1529.

Even Shakespeare himself, in Act II of Hamlet, writes “many wearing rapiers are afraid of goosequills”.

In other words, it’s been a very common adage across languages and cultures thousands of years—its true origin is utterly lost to time.

What is a metonymic adage?

Let’s first break down what these two terms mean.

Metonymy is a figure of speech where one thing is referred to by the name of something else which is closely connected with that concept or thing.

This sounds complex but it’s actually a very common part of speech in English which you probably use yourself daily.

Take the example of how punctuation is used in speech.

“I don’t know. That event is a big question mark for me,” for example.

The “question mark” here refers to the uncertainty. Equally, the “sword” is standing in for the entire concept of violence.

An adage is simply a memorable aphorism, like a proverb.

So, a metonymic adage is a simple aphorism in which one thing stands in for another.

The pen stands in for communication as a whole—the sword for violence.

How would you use “the pen is mightier than the sword”?

To use the pen is mightier than the sword, you would simply have to find a relevant situation in which to use it.

“The pen is mightier than the sword” is a grammatically complete English sentence, so it can be used entirely on its own without saying anything else.

It’s just about context, then.

There are countless situations in which most of us would advocate for peaceful negotiation over violence.

It’s a very simple, if brilliantly coined, adage which again is relevant to virtually every point of human history.

Violence seems to be something we are constantly on the brink of—and yet at all times there are those among us who try to guide us away from this self-destructive madness.

Such is the meaning of the phrase “the pen is mightier than the sword”.

More in Phrase Meanings

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• As Thick As Two Short Planks
• Bigger Fish To Fry
• Bob’s Your Uncle
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• Dressed To The Nines
• The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword