Recognizing power in another does not diminish your own.

The line argues against a zero-sum view of status: acknowledging someone else’s strength, talent, or authority is not a surrender of one’s own agency. It reframes recognition as an act of confidence rather than insecurity—suggesting that mature power can coexist with, and even be reinforced by, respect for others. In social and professional settings, the idea functions as an ethical corrective to envy and gatekeeping: collaboration, mentorship, and solidarity become possible when people stop treating praise or deference as self-erasure. The sentiment also implies that power grounded in identity or competence is resilient; it does not depend on denying others their due.