[Ads-l] Quote Origin: The Most Common Way People Give Up Their Power Is by Thinking They Don't Have Any

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The statement in the subject line has been attributed to U.S. novelist
and poet Alice Walker. I received a request to investigate.

The earliest match I found appeared in a syndicated column written by
Canadian clinical counselor Rhona Raskins in December 1999 in "The
Edmonton Sun". The quotation appeared at the beginning of the column:

[Begin excerpt]
Quote of the Day: The most common way people give up their power is by
thinking they don't have any.
Alice Walker
[End excerpt]

Unfortunately, Raskins did not state where she obtained this
quotation. I have not yet found a citation for a book, essay,
interview, or speech by Alice Walker containing this quotation.

Here is a link to the Quote Investigator article:
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2026/09/06/give-power/

Feedback welcome
Garson O'Toole

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