idiom
speak truth to power
SPEEK TROOTH to POW-er
spiːk truːθ tə ˈpaʊərListen
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Syllable breakdown
speaktruthtopower
Dictionary meaning
challenge authority by saying what is true and necessary even at personal risk; hold those in power accountable by refusing to be silenced; the phrase originates with Quaker activism and was popularized by James Baldwin; implies both moral courage and a power differential between speaker and those addressed
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