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Knowledge is power

Posted by ESC on November 22, 2000

In Reply to: Phrase posted by S. Green on November 21, 2000

: Could someone please tell me the origin of the phrase, Knowledge is power?

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER - "Knowledge is a tool that can be used to control and change the world. The idea is found in the Old Testament. (A man of knowledge increaseth strength. Proverbs 24:5, King James Version.) Many authorities attribute this aphorism to British philosopher Francis Bacon : Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est. However, a similar phrase was used by Shakespeare in 'Henry VI' . First attested in the United States in 1806. The proverb takes varying forms: Knowledge brings power; Knowledge itself is power." From Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).

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