Let none presume to tell me that the pen is preferable to the sword.

The line rejects the commonplace claim that intellectual or literary power (“the pen”) is inherently superior to martial force (“the sword”). In Cervantes’ world—shaped by imperial warfare and personal experience of soldiering and captivity—such a sentiment can be read as a defense of honor, courage, and the tangible risks borne by those who fight. It also plays into Cervantes’ frequent irony about ideals versus realities: the pen may shape reputations and histories, but the sword decides immediate outcomes and can compel obedience. Depending on its narrative framing, the statement may function either as sincere praise of arms or as a provocative counterpoint meant to expose the limits of both violence and rhetoric.