Idiom
the pen is mightier than the sword
Meaning
More influence and power can be usurped by writing than by fighting.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The pen is mightier than the sword in many arguments.”
“The journalist exposed the corruption through her articles, proving once again that the pen is mightier than the sword.”
“History shows that while armies may conquer land, the pen is mightier than the sword when it comes to changing the hearts and minds of a nation.”
Examples
simple
“The pen is mightier than the sword in many arguments.”
contextual
“The journalist exposed the corruption through her articles, proving once again that the pen is mightier than the sword.”
complex
“History shows that while armies may conquer land, the pen is mightier than the sword when it comes to changing the hearts and minds of a nation.”
Origin
This phrasing due to Bulwer-Lytton, 1839. The sentiment is traditional, and has many antecedents; see Wikipedia.
Key words
Related idioms
- Updated