Having knowledge but lacking the power to express it clearly is

Hear the immortal words of Pericles, the great statesman of Athens, who declared: “Having knowledge but lacking the power to express it clearly is no better than never having any ideas at all.” In this utterance lies both a warning and a call to arms. For wisdom hidden, wisdom silenced, wisdom trapped within the mind and never spoken, is as though it does not exist. The gift of knowledge becomes fruitful only when it can be shared, communicated, and made to inspire action in the hearts of others.

The meaning is profound: to express clearly is to give life to thought. An idea that burns within one’s soul but cannot be spoken with clarity is like a flame hidden under a basket, giving no light to those in darkness. Pericles, who guided Athens in its golden age, knew that the survival of a city, the stirring of a people, depended not merely on wisdom possessed by a few, but on wisdom communicated to all. Clarity is the bridge by which knowledge passes from one mind to many, and without it, even the greatest insight withers unfulfilled.

History gives us luminous examples. Consider Abraham Lincoln, who in the midst of civil war did not merely hold convictions about freedom and unity, but clothed them in words that moved a nation: “a new birth of freedom… government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Had his ideas remained silent in his mind, they would have died with him. But expressed with clarity, they became immortal, guiding generations long after his voice was stilled. His greatness lay not only in the knowledge he possessed, but in the power to express it clearly.

Contrast this with the fate of many visionaries whose thoughts remained tangled, whose ideas were drowned in confusion. Brilliant minds have walked the earth, but because they could not give form to their insights, their knowledge was lost to obscurity. A thought unspoken is like a seed never planted—it holds potential, yet it yields no fruit. This is what Pericles warns against: wisdom is not complete until it finds its voice.

Pericles himself embodied this principle. Standing before the people of Athens, he spoke with clarity, weaving words that stirred courage, pride, and devotion. His Funeral Oration did not merely recount the virtues of the fallen; it ignited the living with purpose. His power was not simply that he knew what justice and honor demanded, but that he could express it so that all Athens would rise to defend their ideals. In this, he proved that the might of a city rests not only in arms, but in words rightly spoken.

The lesson for us is clear: do not be content to know—learn also to speak, to write, to express. Cultivate not only the mind but the tongue. Practice the art of clarity, for without it your knowledge will lie dormant, unable to move others, unable to shape the world. To possess wisdom but never share it is to hoard treasure in a tomb, where neither you nor anyone else may benefit.

Therefore, beloved seekers, let your practice be this: pursue knowledge with diligence, but train also your voice with equal care. Speak with truth, but speak with clarity. Write your thoughts so that others may rise by them. Seek not only to know, but to be understood. For Pericles speaks eternal wisdom: knowledge without expression is as nothing. To give voice to your ideas is to give them life, and in so doing, you may light the path not only for yourself but for generations to come.