In this expression, actions are more important than words. Or rather, what someone does has more value than what someone says.
This proverb was first voiced, at the time of the English Civil War, by John Pym, the English parliamentarian. It was recorded in 1628 in Hansard, the record of the proceedings of the UK parliament: ‘A word spoken in season is like an Apple of Gold set in Pictures of Silver,’ and actions are more precious than words.