Our Deepest Fear
Marianne Williamson
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure. It is our light, not our darkness,
that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who
are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does
not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened
about shrinking so that other people won't feel
insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do. We
were born to make manifest the glory of God
that is within us. It's not just in some of
us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence
automatically liberates others.
Author - Marianne
Williamson
From her book "A Return To Love: Reflections
on the Principles of A Course in Miracles",
Harper Collins, 1992 - Chapter 7, Section 3,
Pg. 190-191.
Note: This passage is often mistakenly attributed
to Nelson Mandela's Inauguration Address in
Cape Town, 1994
Artwork © Kirk
Reinert