These words taken from the poem, Our Deepest Fear by Marianne Williamson have been recited in films such as Coach Carter with Samuel Jackson, attributed to Nobel prize winning world leaders such as Nelson Mandela, and sampled in popular mashups by pop culture artists as Eric Horner (see popular fan-made video by Eric aka “Cnior” at bottom of page after quoted poem below).

“Our Deepest Fear”
By Marianne Williamson

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.