The public at large, however, knew little and cared less about what was happening behind the scenes. Their eyeswhen they bothered to look at allwere upon the well lighted stage where the Harding Administration was playing a drama of discreet and seemly statesmanship.
Actions speak louder than words basically means that the character you play as yourself shows the real truth of who you are and what you're capable of, since playing the role of yourself can show your true colors without you even saying a word.
However there is certainly evidence that actions speak than louder than words in a variety of circumstances. The parent who tells a child not to smoke and then lights a cigarette is unlikely to convince that child of the evils of smoking.