I was thinking about what my next blog was going to be about and for some time now I had the idea to write something about famous proverbs people use, especially when they don’t quite know what to say to a friend or family member, who might be going through a difficult time.
“The pen is mightier than the sword,” is a phrase coined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, in 1839. Apparently it was a line in his play. Richlieu.
In Act ll of the play Cardinal Richlieu says,
“Beneath the rule of men entirely great, the pen is mightier than the sword.”
You can interpret this as meaning, you can change a person’s point of view or attitude in a profound way, without an act of violence, whereas the sword can change a person’s attitude by extreme force, thus killing them but words can persuade an individual, a group, a community, a nation to change their perspective. ‘I have a dream’ speech, by Martin Luther-King, in 1963, is a great example.The phrase used by President Obama, in his campaign. ‘Yes we can,’ propelled individuals to go out and vote, which resulted in the election of the first African-American president. There are idioms people use, with non literal meaning. Such as, I’m over the moon, see the light, far out, a chip on your shoulder, high as a kite, sick as a dog, rub someone the wrong way, jump the gun, pay the piper, it’s raining cats and dogs, etc.
We can also consider the wisdom of Solomon, in the book of Proverbs. there are some wise sayings with profound meaning. For example;
“A wise man will hear and will increase learning…”
“Fools despise wisdom and instructions.”
“It’s always darkest before the dawn.”
“An angry man stir up strife.”
“A man’s pride shall bring him low.”
There are other famous sayings, including:
“The good always die young.”
“Work while the sun shines.”
“Don’t cry over spilt milk.”
“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
“Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.”
What famous saying can you come up with?
Betsy's philosophers 