Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act... — Robin Morgan

Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility.

Author: Robin Morgan

Insight: There's something deceptively humble about gatekeeping. Someone hoards information—whether it's how to fix something, how to navigate a system, or what they actually know—and frames it as discretion. "I don't want to overstep," they say. "Who am I to tell you what to think?" Meanwhile, the power imbalance stays intact. They keep the advantage while appearing thoughtful. This matters because we see it everywhere now. The expert who won't explain their thinking clearly. The manager who doesn't share what's happening with the team. The person who could help but stays silent, perhaps genuinely believing they're being polite. But silence has consequences. It keeps people dependent, confused, and smaller than they need to be. Real respect often looks like the harder work of translating what you know into language someone else can actually use. The flip side is worth noticing too: sharing what you know doesn't make you less powerful. It does the opposite. When you open-source your thinking, you multiply your impact. You help others stand on equal footing. That takes more courage than hoarding does, which might be why it's less common than it should be.