Dumbass Sayings: “The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword”

Aren't swords just big inkless pens?

Lawyers like to say “The pen is mightier than the sword” but there’s another less famous saying that contradicts this which is: “Don’t bring a pen to a swordfight”. If the pen was really mightier than the sword then you could win a Fencing tournament with a Bic. The concept behind this saying is that ideas are a stronger method of influencing people than violence. I’d like to think this is true, but let’s face it, who would you be more swayed by: someone with an idea, or someone with a sword up to your throat? The guy chopping people’s heads off with a katana is surely seen as mightier than the guy who’s going around proposing ideas to people. If you want to change someone’s mind the best way to do that is to threaten to loose it from their neck with a sword. Perhaps a better saying that would satisfy both arguments is “The penknife is mightier than the sword.” With this saying you can communicate that ideas are very valuable, influential things, but also you can always use the knife edge of the pen to threaten people with. It’s the best of both worlds.