I have always been fond of the West African proverb "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
— Theodore Roosevelt
About this Quote
Quote Source Information
• Letter to Henry L. Sprague (26 January 1900); this is the first known use of this phrase, which became a signature motto of Roosevelt's after he used it in a speech as Vice-President at the Minnesota State Fair:
There is a homely adage which runs "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." If the American nation will speak softly and yet build and keep at a pitch of highest training a thoroughly efficient Navy, the Monroe Doctrine will go far. (2 September 1901)
(Accounts of the precise wording with which he introduced this proverb vary. Another version is given below, within a more extensive transcript of the speech.)
• Source: Wikiquote: "Theodore Roosevelt" (Quotes, 1900s)
About this Picture
Name: Theodore Roosevelt by John Singer Sargent, 1903
Description: American-British painter
Date: 1903date QS:P571,+1903-00-00T00:00:00Z/9
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