ProverbCommunication
English origin1839
English origin1839The pen is mightier than the sword
Meaning: Writing and ideas have more influence than violence.
Origin: The line comes from Edward Bulwer-Lytton's play Richelieu (1839). The Cardinal, a churchman who cannot take up arms, discovers a plot against him and realizes his signature can do what soldiers cannot: "Beneath the rule of men entirely great, / The pen is mightier than the sword." Writers had long set the power of words against the power of weapons, but Bulwer-Lytton's wording is the one that stuck.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
French: La plume est plus forte que l'épée (literally: The pen is stronger than the sword)
Spanish: La pluma es más poderosa que la espada (literally: The pen is more powerful than the sword)
Japanese: ペンは剣よりも強し (Pen wa ken yori mo tsuyoshi) (literally: The pen is stronger than the sword)
German: Die Feder ist mächtiger als das Schwert (literally: The pen is mightier than the sword)
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