If you ask me, I think knowledge is power and and being able to

The words of Anastasia Soare — “If you ask me, I think knowledge is power and being able to do your own makeup, or someone else's makeup, is power in itself” — shimmer with a wisdom that transcends the mirror. Beneath the surface of beauty and art lies a deeper truth: that knowledge — whether of the world, the craft, or the self — grants not vanity, but empowerment. To know how to shape one’s face, to reveal confidence and grace through one’s own hands, is to take ownership of identity. Soare, the visionary behind one of the world’s most influential beauty empires, speaks not merely of cosmetics, but of self-mastery, of understanding that control over one’s image is a form of sovereignty.

In the style of the ancients, we might say: to adorn oneself with wisdom is the highest form of adornment. The act of learning, no matter how humble, transforms weakness into strength and uncertainty into confidence. Soare’s words remind us that the power to create beauty — even in something as seemingly simple as makeup — is the power to transform perception. Just as the artist shapes marble into form, the one who understands their craft shapes the world’s gaze. Knowledge, then, becomes not only illumination of the mind, but also liberation of the spirit.

Anastasia Soare’s journey from her humble beginnings in Romania to the creation of a global brand is itself a story of this power through knowledge. She arrived in America with little but skill, courage, and the ancient wisdom of balance and proportion — concepts she drew from Leonardo da Vinci’s Golden Ratio. By applying mathematical precision to the shaping of eyebrows, she turned what others saw as vanity into an art rooted in harmony and geometry. Her mastery transformed an overlooked detail into a global phenomenon, proving that when knowledge and artistry unite, the ordinary becomes divine.

But there is a subtler, more spiritual truth in her words. The power she speaks of is not merely aesthetic — it is the power of self-expression, of reclaiming the right to define how one presents themselves to the world. In every brushstroke upon the face lies a statement: I know myself; I choose who I am. For centuries, societies have sought to dictate what beauty should be, binding individuals to rigid ideals. Yet the one who knows their own worth, and who understands the craft of revealing it, stands free from those chains. To create one’s image consciously is to resist conformity; it is an act of quiet rebellion and self-love.

Consider the story of Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt, whose mastery of beauty was not mere adornment but diplomacy, strategy, and command. She understood that presentation was a language — that color, scent, and ritual could wield influence as surely as armies. Like Soare’s insight, Cleopatra’s power lay in knowledge — of art, of science, of the human psyche. Her famed beauty was not a gift of nature alone, but a manifestation of wisdom: the knowledge of how to shape perception, how to reflect inner strength through outward grace. Such power, when guided by integrity, becomes a force of destiny.

The origin of Soare’s philosophy lies in her own awakening — in realizing that beauty, when informed by skill and understanding, elevates rather than deceives. Her work was never about hiding flaws, but about revealing balance, teaching people to see themselves as art in progress. To her, every stroke of a brow pencil or touch of color is an act of empowerment — a lesson in self-worth. Through knowledge, a person transforms not only their face but their confidence, their presence, and their destiny.

The lesson her words offer to future generations is timeless: learn your craft, master yourself, and let knowledge be your adornment. Whether your tools are brushes, words, or ideas, the principle remains the same — the one who knows is the one who creates. Do not depend on others to define your worth or beauty; take hold of your own image, your own voice, your own power. For the world bows not to those who imitate, but to those who understand.

And so, let this wisdom be passed on: every art, great or small, when pursued with understanding, becomes sacred. To know is to create; to create is to empower. In the reflection of one’s own mastery lies freedom — the freedom to shape one’s destiny and to inspire others to do the same. Knowledge is power, yes, but when joined with love and artistry, it becomes something even greater — the power to illuminate the world, quietly and beautifully, by simply being oneself.