I feel like knowledge is power: If you know how to take care of

The words of Miranda Kerr—“I feel like knowledge is power: If you know how to take care of yourself, you can be a better version of yourself.”—speak with a simplicity that conceals deep truth. In them is echoed the timeless wisdom of the ancients: that knowledge is not merely for conquest of the world, but for mastery of the self. For what use is wisdom if it does not first guide one’s own body, mind, and spirit? She reminds us that the true beginning of power is not in ruling others, but in learning to nurture, discipline, and care for the vessel of our own being.

To say that knowledge is power is to affirm that ignorance enslaves, while understanding liberates. The one who knows how to nourish the body, to calm the mind, to strengthen the heart, and to protect the spirit, lives in freedom. He is not tossed by every wind of illness, despair, or temptation. But the one who lives without such knowledge is like a city with broken walls, vulnerable to every attack. Thus, Kerr teaches us that caring for oneself is not vanity, but wisdom, for it lays the foundation for becoming the best version of who we were meant to be.

The ancients spoke of this truth often. The philosopher Socrates declared, “Know thyself,” not as idle reflection, but as the root of all wisdom. He knew that without knowledge of self—our strengths, our weaknesses, our needs—we cannot hope to live rightly. Similarly, the physician Hippocrates counseled that food be medicine, that health be preserved by understanding how to live in harmony with nature. These teachings mirror Kerr’s insight: that self-care, grounded in knowledge, is the first act of power and the first step toward a fuller life.

History offers us examples of those who failed in this task, and of those who triumphed. Consider the story of Alexander the Great, conqueror of empires. Though his knowledge of strategy and war was unmatched, he neglected care of his body and spirit, living with excess in food, wine, and ambition. He died young, his power undone by his lack of self-mastery. By contrast, think of Florence Nightingale, who in the darkness of war learned the science of sanitation and the discipline of health. By first mastering knowledge of care, she not only preserved herself but became a light to countless others, transforming the field of nursing forever.

Kerr’s words also remind us that self-care is not selfishness, but preparation for service. For how can one uplift others if one is broken within? The candle cannot light another if its flame is already extinguished. By tending to the body with wisdom, by guarding the mind with knowledge, and by strengthening the spirit with discipline, one becomes a source of strength for family, community, and even the world. The better self we create through care is not for our sake alone, but for the sake of all who walk beside us.

The lesson, then, is clear: seek knowledge not only in books or achievements, but in the daily art of living well. Learn what nourishes you, what restores you, what strengthens you. Build habits of health, of reflection, of balance. Reject ignorance of self, for it breeds weakness. Embrace knowledge of self, for it breeds resilience. In this way, you will rise each day not diminished but renewed, not broken but whole.

So, O seeker, let these words of Miranda Kerr be a guide. Remember always that knowledge is power, but its truest power is found in self-mastery. Care for your body as the temple it is. Guard your mind as the treasury of your destiny. Tend your spirit as the flame of your purpose. And in so doing, you will indeed become the better version of yourself—not for pride, but for the service of others, and for the fulfillment of the life entrusted to you.