Clichés – stale phrases that have lost impact due to over-usage – are frowned upon and considered unimaginative and superficial, such as “a picture is worth a thousand words,” or “all that glitters is not gold.” Dull. Boring. Lazy. Banal. Sophisticated writers cringe at clichés to the point of outright snobbism. Characters are portrayed as uneducated and foolish by having them speak in streams of clichés. Yet, clichés have staying power by having enough truth to be accepted and understood by virtually everyone. A cliché can also become a “rule of thumb” (itself a cliché) – a useful guide based on experience, not facts, in many instances. For example, don’t skate on ice less than 2 inches thick, or the one-third rule in photography – put the focus of the image off center – are rules of thumb. There are exceptions to clichés and rules of thumb, but never mind, they are useful and stick around.

I’m not entirely adverse to clichés; it depends on when and how they are used. Also, while clichés lack originality, they were innovative at first, and I honor that. It’s not so easy to create a clever cliché. Try it! Even if not always on the mark, they are true in general. However, there’s one cliché being used today for political purposes by certain factions as a desperate attempt to support President Trump. Never mind his lies and stupidity and ignorance, they say. It’s what he does that counts. Lindsay Graham said Trump’s actions speak louder than his words.

Outrageous!

I’m reminded of an 8-year-old battling his sibling by saying, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me?” There’s a cliché for you. Well, I forgive him; he’s eight.

Okay, what’s my gripe with “actions speak louder than words?” Most would agree with this cliché, and I don’t deny there is some truth to it. For example, adultery – the act – is more damaging than the threat of adultery. Oops, maybe not. What if the adultery – the action – remains secret but the threat of it is broadcast?

Here’s my point: words are ideas and philosophy; freedom and democracy are words. These are our foundations, our humanity, what makes us who we are. Animals fight, but (I assume) they don’t have values (at least consciously), a product of thoughts and words. Aren’t all actions judged on the basis of our values and ideas, our words? We punish actions that break our laws, which are words. Without those “words,” actions would lean toward being inconsequential, neither praised nor punished.

Consider the words spoken by national leaders. “Speak softly, and carry a big stick,” said President Theodore Roosevelt. That phrase established policy more than an attack would have. Winston Churchill inspired a nation in wartime, possibly saving civilization, with such comments as, “We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender,” or “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” These are words that mattered, a lot. They were the foundation for actions that followed.

How many sports events – actions – have been won by the proper words at halftime, or lost by the wrong words the athlete said to himself?

Words define us. We remember Socrates and Shakespeare for hundreds of years because of their words, not their actions. In fact, we trust Plato’s writings to know Socrates, and we remain uncertain if Shakespeare was Shakespeare or someone else. Does it matter? We have his words.

Even in science, it’s the hypotheses, the words, that often carry the weight. I’m thinking of Charles Darwin, a household name to scientists and laymen alike, who spoke of survival of the fittest. Evolution. The path to human beings, you and me. Thinking and observing were Darwin’s “actions.” It was his words – his thesis on the origin of species – that changed Man’s position in the world forever.

So, please, fellow Americans, respect words as much as actions, maybe more at times. Don’t be deceived or misled by slippery slogans – clichés – like “actions speak louder than words.” If that were a fact, then the first amendment, the right to free speech, wouldn’t hold the vital status it has. Indeed, the constitution itself would be shallow. When you hear our national leaders lie and distract by words, which sadly has become a trademark, consider the unspoken words beneath the deceptions, for they too have great power.

Words matter, spoken and unspoken.