what does pen is mightier than the sword mean
. The pen is mightier than the sword  is a metonymic adage indicating that communication, or in some interpretations, administrative power or advocacy of an independent press, is a more effective tool than direct violence.he play was about Cardinal Richelieu, though in the author's words license with dates and details... has been, though not unsparingly, indulged.. The Cardinal's line in Act II, scene II, was more fully: True, This! â. Beneath the rule of men entirely great. The pen is mightier than the sword.