“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 frightens us
most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and
famous?' 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 people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the
glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us.
And when 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.”
Used
by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 inaugural speech
