I was twelve when Mr. Thompson slid a blue Bic pen across his desk.
“Jamal, this is your weapon or armour,” he said quietly.
That morning, I had finally stood up to the bullies outside Marius Barbeau school.
Instead of looking down when they yelled “bookworm weirdo,” I planted my feet and shouted back:
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words will never hurt me.”
They laughed, but I walked home taller.
For the first time, I answered back and felt stronger.
The next day, Mr. Thompson handed me the pen. Just an ordinary Bic.
“Words can wound or heal. They can close doors or open them. The choice is yours.”
That stayed with me.
And over the years, I began to notice it everywhere:
✨ A story that softened anger in a boardroom
✨ A question that shifted a colleague’s perspective
✨ A sentence that turned hesitation into courage
I still carry a pen everywhere.
Not as a sword, but as a reminder: the right words, at the right moment, can change the course of a conversation, a life and sometimes even the course of history.
👉 What’s one sentence that changed how you see the world?
