I heard someone recently refer to the old adage, “speak softly and carry a big stick.”  I looked up the origin of the phrase and discovered that it was something President Theodore Roosevelt said relative to the Monroe Doctrine in a foreign affairs speech.

Do certain people come to mind when you think about that phrase?  Me, too.  It seems, though, that there are too many people who “speak loudly and carry a little stick.”  Like the politicians who speak loudly about their commitment to religion and faith, the same goes for education but their actions don’t support their rhetoric.  Or like those who talk a lot about how they care, but they never really invest in people.

I’m grateful for the soft spoken folks that make a big difference; those who don’t care who gets the credit; those who “change the future.”