Sticks and Stones: Words Hurt More Than Hands

Sticks and Stones: Words Hurt More Than Hands

The phrase "sticks and stones may break my bones" is a well-known children's rhyme. It is often used as a retort to verbal insults or name-calling, suggesting that physical harm from sticks and stones might injure one, but words will not cause any physical harm. The earliest known use of this proverb in its full form, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," was recorded in "The Christian Recorder," a publication of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, on March 22, 1862. In this context, it was presented as an "old adage," indicating that it was already well-known and in use by that time.