"The pen is mightier than the sword" means a person can cause people to change their opinions(e.g., to fight a war)and on a large scale whereas a sword can only change a peron's opion by force and then often only results in the person's death.
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America considered the pen to be mightier than the sword, and therefore were able to gain the freedom of America by uniting the colonists.
by Kevin W. Cooley June 30, 2005
"Beneath the rule of men entirely great,
The pen is mightier than the sword." Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton (1803–1873)
The pen is mightier than the sword." Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton (1803–1873)
by TeresaKW August 3, 2005
An idiom that means; those who control information have far more power than those with military force. It is actually a fallacy - Patton himself proved this. The idiom assumes the people are smart to begin with, an assumption that has been proven wrong countless times in history. And whoever said that has obviously never encountered automatic weapons anyway.
Somebody thinking he's smart: I control information! I control the people! The pen is mightier than the sword!
A realist: I control the weapons! Might makes right!
A realist: I control the weapons! Might makes right!
by Volly T January 19, 2012
it means the pen is a better weapon than the sword because its smaller and more manueverable. also you can fill the ink tube with poison and stab someone with it for example, in the neck. its better for sneaking up on someone, or for use in small spaces.
by an anonymous source November 6, 2003
The pen is mightier than the sword!
Words hurt more than that stabbing feeling your getting through that sword someone is stabbing you with.
Words hurt more than that stabbing feeling your getting through that sword someone is stabbing you with.
by Riggnarok September 26, 2010
The Pen is Mightier than the Sword is an ancient Arab proverb. Before Islam united them, Arabs were too often engaged in tribal warfare against each other, so much so that one of their many wars, one that lasted for 40 years, was started between two tribes through a camel owned by one tribe drinking from the other's water and the fight that ensued thereafter. In those tribal wars the poet of a tribe was highly esteemed and his ability to deride other tribes in his poetry and claim pride for his own was considered the height of might and the poet was given an honor higher than that of the warrior. To this day a traditional dance performed by men in Arabia revolves around the act of men with swords facing each other in battle formation and each is led by a poet, so that's two poets against each other, and the poets engage in a spontaneous poetry match where one starts with a line of poetry that is repeated by his men in a dance song behind him, and his opponent is required to answer him with a line of poetry that matches it in meter and rhyme - not an easy thing to do - and it continues until one poet is clearly the winner over the other, or, more wisely, until both poets seem to satisfy their men that the issue had been resolved through a display of mutual respect; by that, I mean, that both poets strive to stand to the occasion and show the other that their respective tribes are worthy of respect and won't be intimidated, while displaying respect for each other.
A poetry line might go "yo, your tribe stinks!" - and being such a good line it gets repeated perpetually throughout Arabia to the shame of the derided tribe. Alternatively, it might go "Ma tribe is da bestest!", and likewise, being a catchy line, gets repeated perpetually throughout Arabia to the pride of the poet's tribe.
by cscltr July 18, 2005
thepenismightierthanthesword
by JT Dollar Sign November 8, 2003