I have enormous admiration and respect for the great thinkers throughout history; individuals who, with their insight and wisdom, help us all to live better lives.
Marianne Williamson, in my opinion, is such an individual.
Through her written words to follow, she is able to remind us who we really are and what influence we each have on the world around us. I hope you enjoy this writing as much as I do.
Note: this writing is often mistakenly cited as being written by Nelson Mandela, who once quoted it in a speech. The true source of this writing is Marianne Williamson. It is reprinted here with her permission. Enjoy. ~ daniel w. jacobs
OUR DEEPEST FEAR
By Marianne Willamson
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’s 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’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we’re liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
Mariane Williamson
[...] us. We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous” Great writing!
I agree that the greatest secret in this universe is love.
I also agree that we are afraid of being alone, but I also believe that the reason that would happen is because we are afraid to shine sometimes like the poems says. We sometimes think “who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, famous?” so we aren’t. We hide our light, and don’t allow those people that love us for who we are and what we do to come into our lives.
We are too afraid of what we are capable of doing because we are afraid that it might be different, or that other people wont agree. And if we are too afraid to let our light shine, and show that we are children of God, and that he wants us to, then we can’t feel the love that the people have for us. We are just hidden.
We’re on the same page intellectually and philosophically, thanks for the comment. Dan
Thank you for the wonderful offering Dan. A continued dialog with ourselves and our relationships to others and a higher power. An affirmation for our lives.
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Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.
Great site, how do I subscribe?
I love to be reminded of who we really are and as well be reminded that I am brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous!!
Sue, I’ve always known that you are all those things!
Interesting post, definitely food for thought here.