who said words are mightier than swords
Answer
The phrase "The pen is mightier than the sword" was coined by English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in his 1839 play, "Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy." Specifically, the line comes from Act II, Scene II, where the character Cardinal Richelieu states:

Beneath the rule of men entirely great,
The pen is mightier than the sword.