Because Wise Words Should Be Repeated

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and 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 were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

Nelson Mandela

This quote is incredibly meaningful to me; not just because it says what I have felt in my marrow since I was young, not because it is what I have tried to communicate to people at many points in my life; not because the more I learn about Nelson Mandela, the more I appreciate him; and not just because the first time I heard it, it was in Hebrew. It is because of all these things, working in concert with each other. Whenever I feel a lack of passion or hope, these words bring it all rushing back like a forest fire. I am grateful.