"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, from
A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in
Miracles, 1992 (Thanks to drwex
for quoting it where I'd see it. At least one
collection of quotes notes that it is frequently misattributed to
Nelson Mandela.)