Quote Of The Day - Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
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 and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we un-consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we feel liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
–Nelson Mandela, 1994 Inaugural Speech, written by Marianne Williamson.
Tags: Theology
May 16th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Nelson Mandela never, in his inaugural speech, nor in any other, quoted this or spoke these words. This comes from Marianne Williamson’s book “Return to Love” (1992). For some reason this has been attributed to Mandela for years. His actual speech can be found at http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/mandela.html
It is a great speech, and I would advise it be read, but you will find no reference to the above words contained in it.