That's all I could ever hope for, to have a positive effect on

“That’s all I could ever hope for, to have a positive effect on women. ’Cos women are powerful, powerful beings. But they’re also the most doubtful beings. They’ll never know—we’ll never know—how powerful we are.” Thus spoke Rihanna, the modern siren of strength and artistry, whose voice echoes far beyond the realm of music. Beneath her words lies a truth as ancient as the dawn: that the power of women has always been both divine and denied, radiant yet restrained by the doubts woven into their history. In her confession, she speaks not only to her generation but to all who came before and all who will come after—to the eternal struggle between power and self-belief, between what we are and what we dare to see in ourselves.

In the time of the ancients, woman was the mother of creation, the keeper of fire, the one who gave birth to nations. The Greeks spoke of Athena, wise and warlike, born fully armed from the head of Zeus; the Egyptians revered Isis, who gathered the pieces of her beloved and restored life itself. Yet even as they were worshipped, real women were silenced, their strength veiled beneath obedience. So it has been through the centuries: the world has feared what it could not control. Thus, the doubt that Rihanna speaks of was planted long ago—not born from weakness, but from centuries of suppression. To reclaim their power, women must first reclaim their belief in themselves.

Rihanna herself rose from humble beginnings in Barbados, from storms both literal and symbolic. She faced rejection, scrutiny, and pain, yet she transformed her wounds into art, her defiance into inspiration. Through her music and her empire, she became not just a singer, but a symbol—a reminder that power is not given, it is claimed. Yet even she, who stands as one of the most influential women of her age, admits to knowing the weight of doubt. In that admission lies her greatness: for the strongest are not those who never doubt, but those who rise in spite of it. To inspire others while still learning to believe in one’s own strength—this is the mark of true power.

Consider the story of Joan of Arc, the peasant girl who heard the voice of God and led armies to victory. She was no queen, no warrior born to privilege—she was simply a girl who believed when no one else did. And though her faith led her to the stake, her legacy burned brighter than the flames that consumed her. Like Rihanna’s words, Joan’s life teaches us that power is not granted by permission, nor measured by the world’s approval. It is born in the quiet conviction that one’s spirit is greater than fear. Yet even Joan, as she walked to her death, prayed in trembling faith—a reminder that doubt and courage often dwell side by side.

Rihanna’s wisdom is both gentle and fierce. She does not speak of dominance, but of influence—of the power to heal, to inspire, to awaken others. “To have a positive effect on women,” she says, is her truest hope. This is not vanity, but vision. For when one woman rises, she lights the way for many. When one woman learns her worth, she frees others from their chains of comparison and silence. Power multiplied through compassion becomes transformation. It is the same truth that guided the healers, the poets, the mothers, and the warriors of every age: that strength shared is strength doubled.

But the tragedy of our time—and every time—is that the powerful seldom know their own might. Doubt whispers louder than destiny. The world teaches women to question what burns within them: their beauty, their brilliance, their worth. Yet Rihanna’s words are a call to remembrance. “We’ll never know how powerful we are,” she laments, and in doing so, she challenges her sisters to find out. To look in the mirror and see not what the world has told them, but what they truly are: creators, leaders, visionaries, and forces of renewal. The journey to self-belief is the greatest revolution of all.

So, my child, take this lesson to heart: you are powerful beyond measure, even when you doubt it most. Do not let the voice of the world drown out the voice of your soul. Cultivate your hope, your craft, your compassion. Lift others as you rise, for shared strength is sacred. And when doubt comes—as it always will—remember that even the greats, from queens to singers to saints, once trembled before their own light. Yet they rose anyway. So rise. Believe. And when you do, the world will remember your name—not for what you possessed, but for the power you awakened in yourself and in others.