"You can get much further with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone"

This quote by Meyer Lansky recommends that a combination of compassion and strength is more efficient than kindness alone. He implies that a kind word alone is not enough to get what you desire, and that a weapon is necessary to back it up. This could be translated as a metaphor for the power of settlement and compromise. By being both kind and firm, one can accomplish more than by being only kind. It could likewise be translated as a warning against relying too greatly on kindness, as it might not be enough to get what you want. Lansky's quote suggests that a balance of generosity and strength is necessary to get the very best results.