When it comes to tyrants, dictators and terrorists, strength and

The statesman Kevin McCarthy once declared with stark clarity: “When it comes to tyrants, dictators and terrorists, strength and the threat of force is the only language they understand.” These words strike like a trumpet blast across the ages, for they remind us of a grim but eternal truth: that while peace is the desire of the just, there are those whose hearts are deaf to reason, whose minds are closed to mercy, and whose only response is to yield when confronted with strength.

To speak of tyrants, dictators, and terrorists is to speak of those who thrive on domination and fear. Such men build their thrones upon the suffering of others, silencing the weak and crushing opposition beneath the weight of cruelty. To them, words of diplomacy are but whispers in the wind, easily ignored. Appeals to morality fall upon stone hearts. It is only when they are confronted with power equal or greater than their own — the iron hand of force or the looming shadow of its threat — that they hesitate, that they falter, that they retreat.

History offers countless lessons to affirm this truth. Recall the rise of Adolf Hitler, who, when met with appeasement, grew ever bolder, swallowing nations while the world hesitated. Words and treaties could not stay his hand. It was only when the Allies rallied their strength, only when they met his armies with fire and steel, that the Nazi war machine was finally broken. Here is proof eternal: tyrants understand not compromise, but confrontation; not persuasion, but power.

The same truth is written in the story of Winston Churchill, who, standing in Britain’s darkest hour, refused to offer soothing words to Hitler. He understood that peace could not be purchased with surrender. His defiance, his promise to fight on the beaches and in the fields, was not merely rhetoric — it was the voice of a nation declaring its resolve. In that resolve, in that unyielding threat of force, lay the salvation of freedom itself.

Yet McCarthy’s words also hold a warning. To wield strength is not to delight in war, but to acknowledge the world as it is. There are those who believe that peace alone, without the shield of power, will be enough to disarm evil. But peace without strength is fragile, easily shattered by the ambitions of the ruthless. True peace is preserved not by weakness, but by the readiness to stand firm, by the unspoken vow that aggression will meet resistance.

The lesson, then, is profound: cultivate peace, but never abandon strength. Be gentle where gentleness can prevail, but be unyielding when confronted with tyranny. In life, as in the affairs of nations, there will be those who mistake kindness for weakness. Show them that you seek harmony, but that you will not be conquered. For only in this balance — the open hand of peace supported by the clenched fist of strength — can freedom endure.

Practical wisdom follows: in your own life, do not fear to be kind, but also do not allow yourself to be trampled by the cruel. Stand tall against bullies, whether they are in the halls of power or in the shadows of daily life. Be ready to defend yourself and those you love, not with malice, but with resolve. For as McCarthy teaches, there are some who will only yield when they know they cannot prevail against your will.

So remember, O listener, the words of Kevin McCarthy: “Strength and the threat of force is the only language they understand.” Let them guide you to live as a guardian of peace, but also as a defender of justice. In this way, you will walk the path of both mercy and might, ensuring that tyranny finds no foothold, and that the light of freedom is never extinguished.