--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A sharp tongue or pen can kill without a…" description: "\"A sharp tongue or pen can kill without a knife.\" — Chinese Proverb" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/193/chinese-proverb-11341_sharp-tongue_a-sharp-tongue-or-pen-can-kill-without-a_896698.jpg" --- # A sharp tongue or pen can kill without a knife. ![“A sharp tongue or pen can kill without a knife.” quote by Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/193/chinese-proverb-11341_sharp-tongue_a-sharp-tongue-or-pen-can-kill-without-a_896698.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/193/chinese-proverb-11341_sharp-tongue_a-sharp-tongue-or-pen-can-kill-without-a_896698.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/193/chinese-proverb-11341_sharp-tongue_a-sharp-tongue-or-pen-can-kill-without-a_896698.jpg) > “A sharp tongue or pen can kill without a knife.” [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words can cause deep harm, sometimes more than physical weapons. **In simple terms:** Harful words can be deadly. Key Takeaway Choose language carefully. Themes communication power responsibility Mood reflective cautionary Type advice warning When to use this quote - conflict resolution - writing - public speaking Key Concepts psychology social influence Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure your words uplift? - When have you felt a comment cut deeper than a wound? A Different Perspective Words alone cannot replace action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Kill Knife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kill-knife-1201353/) [Knife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knife/) [Pen Kill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pen-kill-1201352/) [Sharp tongue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sharp-tongue/) [Tongue Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tongue-pen-965172/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [Enemies will kill you with a knife in the back. Friends will kill you with kindness. Either way you're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/enemies-will-kill-you-with-a-knife-in-the-back-friends-will-kill-you/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [Of all the words of tongue or pen, the saddest are those...it might have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/of-all-the-words-of-tongue-or-pen-the-saddest-are-those-it-might-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Of all sad words of tongue and pen the saddest are these, it could have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/of-all-sad-words-of-tongue-and-pen-the-saddest-are-these-it-could/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Loquacity with tongue or pen is its own reward -- or, punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/loquacity-with-tongue-or-pen-is-its-own-reward-or-punishment/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Lisette was born without the ability to speak, but she'd been brazen with written words as a child, substituting a sharp tongue for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/lisette-was-born-without-the-ability-to-speak-but-she-d-been-brazen/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“If your blade were as sharp as your tongue, you'd have sliced my through years ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/if-your-blade-were-as-sharp-as-your-tongue-you-d-have-sliced-my/) [Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/) > [Having a sharp tongue with cut your throat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/having-a-sharp-tongue-with-cut-your-throat/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Your sharp tongue leaves a mountainous of casualties along the away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/your-sharp-tongue-leaves-a-mountainous-of-casualties-along-the-away/) [Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/) > [ I think \[ Lars Von Trier\] is a fantastic filmmaker. No question. You've got to be ready for him. He's sharp and he's got… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/i-think-lars-von-trier-is-a-fantastic-filmmaker-no-question-you-ve/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [“You look super cute when you get all worked up. If it weren't for that razor-sharp tongue of yours,I'd suck that cuteness right out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priya-kanaparti/you-look-super-cute-when-you-get-all-worked-up-if-it-weren-t-for-that/) [Priya Kanaparti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priya-kanaparti/) > [“No one had asked her to marry him, nor was there someone she wished to wed. Not that she did not enjoy the company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-wallach/no-one-had-asked-her-to-marry-him-nor-was-there-someone-she-wished-to/) [Janet Wallach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-wallach/) > [I have a very sharp tongue, I'm very impatient, and it's a lifelong struggle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-have-a-very-sharp-tongue-i-m-very-impatient-and-it-s-a-lifelong/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [What are you?” She demanded. “My dad? Osiris? Are you even alive?” Dad looked at Anubis. “What did I tell you about her? Fiercer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/what-are-you-she-demanded-my-dad-osiris-are-you-even-alive-dad-looked/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [A tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-tart-temper-never-mellows-with-age-and-a-sharp-tongue-is-the-only/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) ## More by Chinese Proverb > [Man is the head of the family, woman the neck that turns the head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/man-is-the-head-of-the-family-woman-the-neck-that-turns-the-head/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) > [Neither fortunes nor flowers last forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/neither-fortunes-nor-flowers-last-forever/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) > [Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/do-not-confine-your-children-to-your-own-learning-for-they-were-born/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) > [One step at a time is good walking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/one-step-at-a-time-is-good-walking/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) > [Never do anything standing that you can do sitting, or anything sitting that you can do lying down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/never-do-anything-standing-that-you-can-do-sitting-or-anything/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) > [One dog barks at something, the rest bark at him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/one-dog-barks-at-something-the-rest-bark-at-him/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) > [The lotus root breaks but fibers remain connected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/the-lotus-root-breaks-but-fibers-remain-connected/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) > [A careful foot can step anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/a-careful-foot-can-step-anywhere/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) > [If you suspect a man, don't employ him, and if you employ him, don't suspect him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/if-you-suspect-a-man-don-t-employ-him-and-if-you-employ-him-don-t/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) > [To attract good fortune, spend a new coin on an old friend, share an old pleasure with a new friend, and lift up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/to-attract-good-fortune-spend-a-new-coin-on-an-old-friend-share-an/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) > [Those who do not study are only cattle dressed up in mens clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/those-who-do-not-study-are-only-cattle-dressed-up-in-mens-clothes/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) > [The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/the-miracle-is-not-to-fly-in-the-air-or-to-walk-on-the-water-but-to/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) > [Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/great-souls-have-wills-feeble-ones-have-only-wishes/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) > [To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/to-get-through-the-hardest-journey-we-need-take-only-one-step-at-a/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) > [The superior doctor prevents sickness; The mediocre doctor attends to impending sickness; The inferior doctor treats actual sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/the-superior-doctor-prevents-sickness-the-mediocre-doctor-attends-to/) [Chinese Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) [Explore all 60 Chinese Proverb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/) ## More Knife quotes > [“Next time," I said wryly, swinging open the door, "just give me a knife and ask for a vein.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-pettersson/next-time-i-said-wryly-swinging-open-the-door-just-give-me-a-knife/) [Vicki Pettersson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-pettersson/) > [“The cold cut like a many bladed knife”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-zangwill/the-cold-cut-like-a-many-bladed-knife/) [Israel Zangwill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-zangwill/) > [I'm still stupid. I still do what I'm not supposed to do. Are you serious? I'm Jake 'The Snake,' man. I never claimed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-roberts/i-m-still-stupid-i-still-do-what-i-m-not-supposed-to-do-are-you/) [Jake Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-roberts/) > [“If you are a big eater, put a knife to your throat,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-fike/if-you-are-a-big-eater-put-a-knife-to-your-throat/) [Al Fike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-fike/) > [“Sharp like a spoon, that one. Anyway,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-cross/sharp-like-a-spoon-that-one-anyway/) [Ethan Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-cross/) > [“There was never a good knife made of bad steel ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-never-a-good-knife-made-of-bad-steel/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“Power is like a knife. It can be used to cut bread to share with your neighbor or stab you in the back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiqua-hamdan/power-is-like-a-knife-it-can-be-used-to-cut-bread-to-share-with-your/) [Sadiqua Hamdan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiqua-hamdan/) > [“Tobiah was Black Knife.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-meadows/tobiah-was-black-knife/) [Jodi Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-meadows/) > [“Anger dulls the blade.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hollow/anger-dulls-the-blade/) [Hollow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hollow/) > [What is that in his hand?" "A cleaver. As in-" "Butcher's knife." "You got it." "I hope not." "He does not look happy." "Are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-pearson/what-is-that-in-his-hand-a-cleaver-as-in-butcher-s-knife-you-got-it-i/) [Ridley Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-pearson/) > [“I have a knife in my hand, slicing beef on the willowware plate, and I cut harder, faster, thinking it is your pink neck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-turner/i-have-a-knife-in-my-hand-slicing-beef-on-the-willowware-plate-and-i/) [Ann Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-turner/) > [Blood fills my mouth. Fire sears my veins. I choke back a howl. The silver knife slips--the choice is mine. I am death or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-despain/blood-fills-my-mouth-fire-sears-my-veins-i-choke-back-a-howl-the/) [Bree Despain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-despain/) > [Remember, it is never the knife's fault.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-boulud/remember-it-is-never-the-knife-s-fault/) [Daniel Boulud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-boulud/) > [Sorry, the knife just slipped, I didn't mean to cut my wrists. I was just thinking of all the bad things that happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sorry-the-knife-just-slipped-i-didn-t-mean-to-cut-my-wrists-i-was/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't try to hug me with one hand when your hiding a knife in the other. If your gonna take a stab at me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brii-ann/don-t-try-to-hug-me-with-one-hand-when-your-hiding-a-knife-in-the/) [Brii Ann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brii-ann/) [Browse all 577 Knife quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knife/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A sharp tongue or pen can kill without a knife.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chinese Proverb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/a-sharp-tongue-or-pen-can-kill-without-a-knife/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Knife" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/a-sharp-tongue-or-pen-can-kill-without-a-knife/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/193/chinese-proverb-11341_sharp-tongue_a-sharp-tongue-or-pen-can-kill-without-a_896698.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/193/chinese-proverb-11341_sharp-tongue_a-sharp-tongue-or-pen-can-kill-without-a_896698.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/193/chinese-proverb-11341_sharp-tongue_a-sharp-tongue-or-pen-can-kill-without-a_896698.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A sharp tongue or pen can kill without a knife.” — Chinese Proverb", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Chinese Proverb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A sharp tongue or pen can...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/a-sharp-tongue-or-pen-can-kill-without-a-knife/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/a-sharp-tongue-or-pen-can-kill-without-a-knife/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```