“Actions speak louder than words”

I think we’ve all heard this at some point, the idea being that what a person does is generally a more powerful indicator of character than what a person says. It’s a good saying, because it’s generally true: when a person’s actions are incongruous with their words, we tend to look at the actions rather than the words to get a sense of who they are.

I believe, however, there is something that speaks louder than actions. For example, suppose you knew someone who gave to the poor, fed the hungry, and served the homeless; you might believe, reasonably so, that this is a good person. If you then found out, however, that they do these things angrily, reluctantly, and churlishly, you might question how saintly they really are and adjust your opinion accordingly.

What someone says is less important than what they do, but what someone does is less important than how they do it.

This has become important to me in a religious sense, as I’ve tried to come to know God better; I’ve read the scriptures, and I think (naively, I’m sure) I know what God as done for me, but I still often feel I don’t know Him very well. It has helped me to think about how God does what He does: God doesn’t just bless us, He blesses us generously. He doesn’t just forgive us, He forgives us eagerly. He doesn’t just love us, He loves us deeply, desperately.

I’m not saying that what someone does isn’t important. Indeed, someone who steals and lies and cheats, even if they do so cheerfully, is worse than someone who gives to the poor, feeds the hungry, and cares for the homeless grudgingly or reluctantly. I’m simply suggesting a companion to the previous adage:

“Adverbs speak louder than verbs”

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