Is the pen really mightier?



A close-up photo of a limp hand lying supinely upwards on a table, with a pen dangling from the fingers, and an ink bottle that has been tipped over, spilling ink everywhere.

DJ Hadoken Exlamparaaghis has this to say:

“The pen is mightier than the sword.”

We've all heard the saying before. It's originally from Edward Bulwer-Lytton's “Richelieu; or, the Conspiracy”.

Do you agree or disagree, and why?


Top Comments


DJ Hadoken Exlamparaaghis comments:
I disagree. I think it's just something Edward Bulwer-Lytton said once to justify his ineptitude with a sword and his proficiency at writing. I think he was trying to somehow promote his success as a writer as being more important than his failure to become a great swordsman.

And anyway, this quote was probably made during a time when most “regular” people weren't reading very much anyway, so being great with a pen only gave you the ability to influence the nobility. And since it was mainly nobles talking to nobles, they'd probably just be writing about how great being noble was and what else they could do to keep the “peasants” down.

And I think the quote itself suggests this, too. Because being able to use a pen probably implied that you were a noble (or, “elite”), in comparison to the common ability of anyone of any class being able to wield a sword.

A sword never runs out of ink. If it were up to me, I'd use my sword as a pen.


DJ Benvenuto the Raccoon II (With the Funny Hat) comments:

Ghetto pens

I'll make sure I make an amendment to my law saying, “Lamester night-school Driver's Ed teachers cannot have ghetto pens, under punishment of dastardly deed.”

Screw that, I'll just make it a typo on purpose, so it says, “Lamester night-school Driver's Ed teachers cannot have ghetto pen*s, under punishment of dastardly deed.”

And when the congress is like, “Yo, Mr. President DJ Hadoken, you made a typo on your law,” I'll be like, “That's right, it should say 'pen's'.” And they'll be like, “That still doesn't make sense,” And I'll be like, “I declare, shut the hell up.”

And then I'll pass a law to get that lamester congress kicked out of office.


DJ Hadoken Exlamparaaghis responds:
Maybe, under the Yartitovan government, we'll finally see this dream achieved.


Zath comments:
I think they were trying to say that words, in general, are mightier than the sword. And I think they are. Because when you talk about somebody's mother, they won't beat you up. They'll just try to come up with another “yo mama” joke, and it'll go on forever and ever until they eventually get dastardly deeded.


DJ Benvenuto the Raccoon II (With the Funny Hat) responds:
Zath makes a good point. And I only hope that under the Yartitovan government, that dream will come true.


BlindPanzer comments:

DJ Hadoken Exlamparaaghis wrote:
I disagree. I think it's just something Edward Bulwer-Lytton said once to justify his ineptitude with a sword and his proficiency at writing. I think he was trying to somehow promote his success as a writer as being more important than his failure to become a great swordsman.

And anyway, this quote was probably made during a time when most “regular” people weren't reading very much anyway, so being great with a pen only gave you the ability to influence the nobility. And since it was mainly nobles talking to nobles, they'd probably just be writing about how great being noble was and what else they could do to keep the “peasants” down.

And I think the quote itself suggests this, too. Because being able to use a pen probably implied that you were a noble (or, “elite”), in comparison to the common ability of anyone of any class being able to wield a sword.

A sword never runs out of ink. If it were up to me, I'd use my sword as a pen.

I hope that's not your actual interpretation of that statement. That's as superficial as you can go without actually being totally oblivious. That's like saying that, “Where there's smoke, there's fire,” basically just applies to fire and smoke.

You can say so much about the “The pen is mightier than the sword,” statement. Surely, the most obvious is that words are more influential than fighting. The person using the pen is expressing his own ideas, while the person using the sword is merely fighting for one.

Another interpretation is that ideas themselves are eternal, while action is limited by the time frame of its period. Wars themselves are fought as clashing ideologies first, and brute force second.

Lastly, I think you can view it as that, the truly powerful man does not need a sword to be strong. That is, he doesn't need action, but rather reason, which has always been the superior aspect throughout history.

There is more that can be said, but I have to get back to work. =D

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now back to the blog...


DJ Hadoken Exlamparaaghis responds:
I think that when the statement was originally made, it was just a weak man's justification for being weak... a true man of reason would know that, in the right hands, a sword can be more influential than a pen ever can be. A man of reason would know not to take a statement (quote) like that seriously, because you can't organize reality and circumstances in such a simple way.


BlindPanzer responds back:
How can you think like that?

Generals don't fight battles, they let the weaker minds fight it for them. I'm not calling them dumb, but strength can only give you a name in the battlefield and nowhere else. Those who use the pen can appeal to masses. Revolutions are not started by warriors, they are started by thinkers.


DJ Hadoken Exlamparaaghis comments:


Nosferatu Zodd from Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage.

A parody of a U.S. Army recruiting poster featuring Uncle Sam.


BlindPanzer responds:
Typical RIA. Prove a point and you throw a red herring.


DJ Benvenuto the Raccoon II (With the Funny Hat) comments:
Delicious.


DJ Hadoken Exlamparaaghis comments:
No, you MADE a point, but you didn't PROVE anything. I really don't care enough to write a counter-argument to it. It's just pointless, since I know neither of us is likely to change their opinion. And I don't really care that much about my own opinion to keep trying to defend it, anyway.

I'll just keep debating with you in the other threads and AIM, since there's plenty more to debate about.

Like how that one Macross mecha is just a rip-off of a Transformer.


DJ Benvenuto the Raccoon II (With the Funny Hat) comments:

STAAAARSREAM L*MESTERS.


The Funk Mistress responds:

DJ Benvenuto the Raccoon II (With the Funny Hat) wrote:
STAAAARSREAM L*MESTERS.

This has me thinking. Is this a typo for “STARSCREAM”? Or is it really supposed to be “STARS REAM?”

I prefer the latter idea. I think that in some galaxies, stars are sentient beings dedicated to protecting the planets that surround them. Sometimes, people intent on war come from other galaxies, galaxies where the stars are NOT sentient, and don't realize the trap they are wandering into.

They attack these planets and their inhabitants, and when this happens, the masses cry out in a plea for help to the stars who watch over them. “STARS REAM L*MESTERS!” and then the stars, the gentle giants of the depths of space, ream the heck out of those lamesters. They ream their danger zones good.


DJ Benvenuto the Raccoon II (With the Funny Hat) comments:
I think some stars are seeking ram employment.


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