Don't be intimidated by what you don't know. That can be your

Hear the bold words of Sara Blakely, a woman who forged an empire not from certainty but from daring: “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” These words echo like a clarion call across the ages, teaching us that ignorance, when met with courage, can become the soil in which innovation grows. For knowledge alone does not guarantee greatness—too much knowledge can bind one in chains of convention. But the unknown, approached with faith and fire, can set the spirit free to create what has never been seen before.

The ancients taught that fear of the unknown was the root of hesitation. Many shrink back when they do not see the path clearly, yet those who stride forward into the mist discover lands untouched by others. To be intimidated by ignorance is to surrender before the battle begins; but to embrace it, to wield it as a weapon, is to walk roads untraveled and thus carve one’s own destiny. What Blakely teaches is that not knowing is not weakness—it is freedom from the prison of “how it has always been done.”

Consider the tale of Christopher Columbus. Though flawed in his ambitions, he sailed not because he possessed perfect knowledge, but because he dared to act despite not knowing what lay beyond the horizon. His ignorance of the vast oceans did not paralyze him; it fueled his quest. Though his path was uncertain, he discovered new lands, reshaping the course of history. Here we see that the unknown, when faced with courage, yields transformation.

So too with Blakely herself, who began with no knowledge of fashion, manufacturing, or business. She was untrained, an outsider. Yet it was precisely this absence of knowledge that became her strength. She asked questions others did not, she sought paths others ignored, and she created her company, Spanx, with methods unbound by tradition. The experts dismissed her, but she was not chained by their assumptions. What others called weakness became her advantage, and through it she built a legacy.

This truth should burn in the heart of every seeker: do not let what you lack become your master. Let it become your servant. The absence of knowledge is a blank canvas on which boldness paints new visions. Where the wise see impossibility, the unknowing but fearless may see opportunity. Strength lies not only in knowledge, but in daring when knowledge fails.

What lesson must you take, O listener of wisdom? When you face a challenge and hear the whisper, “I do not know enough,” do not let it silence you. Instead, let it embolden you. Ask, “What can I see differently because I do not know what others assume?” Let your ignorance free you from imitation, and let your curiosity guide you toward invention.

Practical steps lie before you: embrace learning as you go, rather than waiting until you feel prepared. Begin projects though you are uncertain; ask questions others are too proud to ask. Do not hide your lack of knowledge—use it to observe with fresh eyes. Surround yourself not only with experts but with fellow seekers who value courage over certainty. And most of all, remember that hesitation is the true enemy, not ignorance.

Thus remember Blakely’s wisdom: what you do not know can be your strength. Let it free you from the chains of conformity, let it guide you into bold action, and let it remind you that greatness is not the fruit of certainty, but of courage. Step forth, unafraid of the unknown, and you may create what the world has never dreamed possible.