proverb · Words worth keeping
Knowledge is power.
Knowledge is power.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Understanding relevant facts and methods can increase your ability to act effectively. Knowledge may help you recognise options, question a claim or solve a problem that previously seemed beyond your control.
Example
A tenant learns the terms of their lease and can explain clearly which repairs they are requesting instead of accepting a vague refusal.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Power in this saying means capacity or influence, not necessarily dominance over others. Knowing how something works can change what you can do with it. Information can also make it easier to assess advice or participate in a decision. Yet knowledge alone does not supply money, authority, cooperation or access to resources. It must be relevant and used thoughtfully to be helpful. The proverb encourages learning as a source of practical agency, while leaving room to recognise the limits of information and the responsibilities that come with possessing it.
When to use it
Use it to highlight how understanding can expand someone’s practical choices.
Keep in mind
Information can be wrong or misused; possession of facts does not automatically produce wise action.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English