you get more with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone

proverb

It is advantageous not to rely solely on being nice to others.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. It is advantageous not to rely solely on being nice to others.

Origin

Attributed to 20th-century American mobster Al Capone.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

you get more with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20get%20more%20with%20a%20kind%20word%20and%20a%20gun%20than%20you%20do%20with%20a%20kind%20word%20alone

MLA

“you get more with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20get%20more%20with%20a%20kind%20word%20and%20a%20gun%20than%20you%20do%20with%20a%20kind%20word%20alone. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “you get more with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20get%20more%20with%20a%20kind%20word%20and%20a%20gun%20than%20you%20do%20with%20a%20kind%20word%20alone.

Source: you get more with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.