11/29/08

the power of self

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 is 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.
- Marianne Williamson

3 comments:

Amrithaa said...

What a brilliant poem! We are only limited by our own selves...

friedbanana said...

almost thought this was something from the Gita... reminds me of Desiderata by Max Ehrmann.

Bright Butterfly said...

glad you attributed this properly. ;) people often mistakenly attribute this to Nelson Mandela's 1994 inaugural address.
did i tell you that i used this in a commemoration address i once gave?