Scientia potentia est Scientia potentia est The phrase "scientia potentia est"" (or "scientia est potentia" or also "scientia potestas est")" is a Latin aphorism meaning "knowledge is power". It is commonly attributed to Sir Francis Bacon, although there is no known occurrence of this precise phrase in Bacon's English or Latin writings. However, the expression ""ipsa scientia potestas est"" ('knowledge itself is power') occurs in Bacon's "Meditationes Sacrae" (1597). The exact phrase ""scientia potentia est"" was written for the first time in the 1668 version of the work "Leviathan" by Thomas Hobbes, who was secretary to Bacon as a young man. The related
Latin grammar in Latin. In the present or future, the same tenses have both aspectual meanings. Unlike in Ancient Greek or modern English, there is no distinction between perfect ("I have done") and simple past ("I did"). The same tense, known in Latin grammar as the perfect tense, has both meanings. The participles "ductus" and "ductūrus" change for different genders. Thus "ductus est" = 'he was led', but "ducta est" 'she was led', "ductum est" = 'it was led'. The passive imperative is almost never used except in deponent verbs, e.g. "sequere mē!" 'follow me!' Regular verbs are divided into four groups,