Truth is the ultimate power. When the truth comes around, all

Hear the fiery words of Ice Cube, artist and prophet of the streets, who declared: “Truth is the ultimate power. When the truth comes around, all the lies have to run and hide.” In this saying burns the same fire that has guided sages and warriors across the ages. For in the endless struggle between truth and falsehood, truth alone is eternal, unbreakable, and irresistible. Lies may seem strong for a season, strutting proudly in the marketplace, but when truth arrives, they scatter like shadows before the sun.

The meaning of this quote is clear and thunderous: truth holds a power unmatched by any weapon, throne, or empire. Lies require constant defense, constant repetition, and constant force. But truth stands by itself, unchanging, needing no disguise. Lies can deceive the many for a time, but they tremble at the approach of truth, for truth exposes them for what they are—empty, hollow, powerless. Truth does not need to shout; its presence alone sends falsehood fleeing.

The ancients knew this law of life. In the tale of Diogenes, the Cynic philosopher walked the streets of Athens with a lantern in broad daylight, claiming to seek an honest man. His act was a parable: that truth is rare, yet its light, once found, forces hypocrisy to recoil. Likewise, the Hebrew prophets declared that justice and truth would sweep away oppression like a storm wind, leaving falsehood in ruins. What Ice Cube speaks in the language of his time, the ancients thundered in theirs: truth is power, and lies cannot withstand it.

Consider the story of Watergate. President Richard Nixon and his allies spun webs of lies to conceal corruption. For a season, the lies held, defended by power and deception. But then truth began to break through—in investigations, in confessions, in the relentless pursuit of journalists like Woodward and Bernstein. When truth finally stood revealed, the lies collapsed. The most powerful office in the land could not protect them. Nixon himself was forced to resign, and history remembers not the lies but the truth that exposed them.

So too in the long fight against apartheid in South Africa. For decades, the regime cloaked itself in lies: lies of racial superiority, lies of order and necessity. But when Nelson Mandela and countless others stood firm in truth, the lies began to falter. The eyes of the world turned upon South Africa, and the truth of injustice was too powerful to hide. The system that had seemed immovable crumbled. Lies, once exposed, had nowhere left to run.

Yet the battle between truth and falsehood is not only fought in nations; it is fought in every human soul. When you lie to yourself, telling yourself you are too weak, too broken, or too small, those lies may torment you for years. But when the truth of your worth, your strength, your purpose dawns upon you, those lies scatter. They hide in shame, unable to face the radiance of truth. This is why truth is not only a weapon against tyrants but also a medicine for the heart.

The lesson, then, is mighty: cling to truth and fear not the lies that surround you. Lies may shout loudly, but they are cowards at heart, destined to flee when the light comes. Speak truth even when it costs you; live truth even when it isolates you. For in the end, it is truth that will stand, and it is truth that will prevail. Lies run and hide, but truth endures.

Therefore, O seeker, remember this teaching of Ice Cube: truth is the ultimate power. Live as one who carries this power, not in arrogance, but in faith. When truth is on your side, you need not fear, for no lie, no deception, no shadow can withstand it forever. Raise the torch of truth high, and watch the lies scatter before you like mist before the rising sun.