Speak Loudly and Carry a Small Stick — Wait What?!?
Okay, on this one I am going to comment off the cuff with very little background. But after hearing President Obama’s quote about “I can do whatever I want” (I’m sure we pundits are making him mean more by it than he meant in context — or maybe not, maybe he really is that arrogant), I hit this story online, and had this impression that he was getting the famous Teddy Roosevelt quote all backwards:
“Speak softly and carry a big stick.”
But our president seems to feel the need to always speak big, even when he doesn’t have a stick that can really do anything. He can warn, he can threaten, but when push comes to shove, how can he really push, how can he really shove? And the other side knows that and responds accordingly.
TR had it right, say less, and do more. Let people have to read your actions, rather than your words, and they will pay closer attention to your words. There is a certain linguistic economy going on here.
At The Rainbow 