--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our deepest fear is not that we are…" description: "\"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 fright..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/372/anonymous-1_approval_our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inad_2423097.jpg" --- # Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our… ![“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 frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/372/anonymous-1_approval_our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inad_2423097.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/372/anonymous-1_approval_our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inad_2423097.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/372/anonymous-1_approval_our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inad_2423097.jpg) > “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 frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' 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 people won't feel insecure around you. 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 all of us. And when 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.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote urges us to recognize our innate greatness and to stop hiding it, because embracing our full potential inspires others and liberates us all. **In simple terms:** Recognize your greatness and let it shine. Key Takeaway Embrace your power and inspire others. Themes self‑acceptance empowerment leadership spirituality Mood hopeful motivational reflective Type inspirational philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - public speaking - personal development - mentorship Key Concepts self‑worth collective liberation identity confidence Practical Applications - Leadership - creative work Questions to Reflect On - How does fear of brilliance affect your daily choices? - What steps can you take to let your light shine for others? A Different Perspective The message may overlook systemic barriers that limit expression of personal power. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approval/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Deepest fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deepest-fear/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Glory of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glory-of-god/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Magnificence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magnificence/) ## Related quotes > [Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our-deepest-fear-is-6/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our-deepest-fear-is/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, who am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our-deepest-fear-is-12/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our-deepest-fear-is-11/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our-deepest-fear-is-7/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our Deepest FEAR... Is not that we are INADEQUATE. Our Deepest FEAR is that we are POWERFUL BEYOND;... MEASURE. We ask Ourselves... Who am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imisioluwat94/our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our-deepest-fear-is-10/) ImisioluwaT94 > [“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…We ask ourselves, who am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our-deepest-fear-is-8/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our-deepest-fear-is-15/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our-deepest-fear-is-5/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure, it is our light, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our-deepest-fear-is-3/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our-deepest-fear-is-4/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Im So Fly,I Levitate!!! Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tdog/im-so-fly-i-levitate-our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate/) Tdog > [“our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate . our deepest fear that we are powerful beyond measure . we ask ourselves: who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our-deepest-fear-that/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-noel/our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our-deepest-fear-is-13/) [Alyson Noel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-noel/) > [Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/our-deepest-fear-is-not-that-we-are-inadequate-our-deepest-fear-is-14/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Approval quotes > [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [Lean too much on the approval of people, and it becomes a bed of thorns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tehyi-hsieh/lean-too-much-on-the-approval-of-people-and-it-becomes-a-bed-of-thorns/) [Tehyi Hsieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tehyi-hsieh/) > [But I always reassure them that as far as my contractual rights can go, I will protect them and make sure that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-roach/but-i-always-reassure-them-that-as-far-as-my-contractual-rights-can/) [Jay Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-roach/) > [Growing up in that fashion is a breeding ground for insecurity and doubt; it also leaves you questioning motives. It took me a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/growing-up-in-that-fashion-is-a-breeding-ground-for-insecurity-and/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [A year ago, my approval rating was in the 30s, my nominee for the supreme court had just withdrawn, and my vice president had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/a-year-ago-my-approval-rating-was-in-the-30s-my-nominee-for-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Approval is a greater motivator than disapproval, but we have to disapprove on occasion when we correct. It’s necessary. I make corrections only after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/approval-is-a-greater-motivator-than-disapproval-but-we-have-to/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [These days people are mean to people just because they don't like the way they look. No-one should be hated because of their flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/these-days-people-are-mean-to-people-just-because-they-don-t-like-the/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [I got this emptiness inside that got me fighting for approval because I missed out on my daddy saying, Way to Go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/i-got-this-emptiness-inside-that-got-me-fighting-for-approval-because/) [Lecrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [My dad taught me swears when I was a toddler, and I saw, at a really early age, that if I shocked people, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/my-dad-taught-me-swears-when-i-was-a-toddler-and-i-saw-at-a-really/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [Comedy is a very approval-oriented field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-chappelle/comedy-is-a-very-approval-oriented-field/) [Dave Chappelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-chappelle/) > [Whenever you are too worried about someone else's approval, that person loses respect for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-argov/whenever-you-are-too-worried-about-someone-else-s-approval-that/) [Sherry Argov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-argov/) > [Pleasure is Nature's test, her sign of approval.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/pleasure-is-nature-s-test-her-sign-of-approval/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Do you really mean the only reason you try to be good is to gain God's approval and reward? That's not morality, that's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/do-you-really-mean-the-only-reason-you-try-to-be-good-is-to-gain-god/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Browse all 904 Approval quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approval/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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 frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' 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 people won't feel insecure around you. 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 all of us. 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