Walk tall and carry a big stick means: Describes person who is prepared to take action, take charge, take over; to be a fearless authority figure, known for using punitive measures sparsely but always accurately, swiftly and appropriate to the crime when needed. Punishment was always dealt fairly (hence walking tall; as in able to hold ones head high, with integrity)

In her classroom, Ms. Apple walked tall; carrying a big stick. Her smiles w ere earned and her praise was for those truly deserving of it. Her students were always on task and received the highest test scores in the whole school. No one dared step out of line when she was in charge.

The other saying was Roosevelt's..."Speak softly and carry a big stick"...which had to do with his negotiations of foreign policy.

Some say it wrong, as in "Walk softly and carry a big stick." That phrase dates back to the 1960's and '70s when Snipe hunting was all the rage. One had to "walk softly and carry a big stick" so one could sneak up on those little buggers in the bushes and be ready to bash them with the stick...

When you eat dirt for the first time and leave your family to build a shack in the woods