“I have always been fond of the West African proverb "Speak s…”

“I have always been fond of the West African proverb "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Verification

Attributed

Recorded by a reliable secondary source; exact wording may differ.

Imported from Wikiquote; not yet checked by QuoteQuest against the original source.

Source

Title: Wikiquote: Theodore Roosevelt
Type: reference · Secondary source
Held by: Wikiquote

View source at Wikiquote

Context

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:

Cite this source

Roosevelt, Theodore. (n.d.). Wikiquote: Theodore Roosevelt. Wikiquote. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt

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Provenance: Wikiquote (CC BY-SA)