You can get more with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.

The line is a darkly comic twist on the idea that civility and persuasion are powerful tools. By adding “a gun,” it suggests that politeness backed by coercive force is often more effective than politeness alone—an observation about power dynamics rather than a sincere endorsement of violence. In performance contexts (stand-up, late-night monologue), the humor comes from the jarring contrast between “kind word” and “gun,” exposing how threats can underwrite supposedly civil interactions. It also functions as satire of realpolitik: moral language may be used as a veneer for intimidation, and outcomes frequently follow power rather than principle.

Often attributed instead to Al Capone: “You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.”