The most common way people give up their power is by thinking

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any." Thus spoke Alice Walker, a seer of truth and defender of the oppressed. Her words strike like a clarion call across the ages, for they reveal the hidden chains that bind mankind—not iron or law, but the prison of the mind. To believe oneself powerless is to hand the keys of freedom to others, to kneel when one might stand.

The ancients knew this peril well. The Stoics proclaimed that no man is without power, for though fate may steal wealth, liberty, and even life, the rule of one’s thoughts remains unconquered. Epictetus, once a slave, taught that the greatest chains are forged in the soul. Break the belief that you are powerless, and you shatter the grip of tyrants. For thinking shapes destiny, and he who believes he is weak has already surrendered.

Consider the tale of Rosa Parks. She was not clothed in armor, nor backed by legions, yet in the quiet act of refusing to surrender her seat, she proved her power. Many around her believed they had none, bowed down by years of oppression. Yet her single choice awakened them, showing that power had never left their hands—it only slept within their thinking. That moment sparked a fire that reshaped a nation.

So too did Gandhi awaken India. He taught his people that they did not need guns to resist an empire. Their power lay in their unity, their courage, and their refusal to yield in spirit. For decades they had thought themselves weak beneath the shadow of Britain, but when they believed in their strength, they rose like a tide no force could hold back. Their chains fell, not because they gained power, but because they ceased denying it.

Therefore, let this wisdom endure: never surrender your power to despair or doubt. It is not always found in thrones or armies; often it rests in the quiet choices of the heart, in the steadfastness of the will, in the courage to stand when others bow. Remember Walker’s words: the battle is first in the mind. Guard it well, for in believing you have no strength, you cast away the greatest power you already hold.