Our Deepest Fear 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, 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 are all meant to shine, as children do.
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.
Vocabulary
1. inadequate, adj., someone who feels inadequate thinks other people are better, more
skilful, more intelligent etc. than they are:
- I felt totally inadequate as a parent.
- The teacher made us feel inadequate and stupid if we made mistakes.
- Maddie's a real expert on art, so I feel completely inadequate whenever I talk to her
about it.
2. measure, n., a way of judging or measuring something:
beyond measure: very much or very great - used when you want to emphasize what
you are saying:
- Her work has improved beyond measure.
- He irritated me beyond measure.
- What our parents have done for us is beyond measure.
3. frighten, v., to make somebody feel afraid, often suddenly:
- Don't stand so near the edge! You're frightening me.
- Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you.
- She was frightened by the anger in his eyes.
- Computers used to frighten me, but not now.
4. brilliant, adj., extremely clever or impressive:
- I think that's a brilliant idea.
- Her mother was a brilliant scientist.
- He gave a brilliant performance.
5. gorgeous, adj., very beautiful and attractive; giving pleasure and enjoyment:
- What a gorgeous room/dress/colour!
- 'What do you think of my new flatmate?' 'He's absolutely gorgeous!'
- You look gorgeous, Maria.
6. fabulous, adj., extremely good or impressive:
- The room has fabulous views across the lake.
- We had a fabulous time at the party.
- Jana is a fabulous cook.
7. enlightened, adj., showing understanding, acting in a positive way, and not following
old-fashioned or false beliefs:
- The school has an enlightened policy of teaching boys to cook.
- These days she's much more enlightened in her views on education.
8. shrink, v., to move back and away from something, especially because you are
frightened:
- She listened, shrinking under the blankets, to their shouts.
- Meredith was scared of him and shrank back.
- His anger was enough to make the others shrink away from him.
9. manifest, v., to show something clearly, especially a feeling, an attitude or a quality:
- Social tensions were manifested in the recent political crisis.
- The shareholders have manifested their intention to sell the shares.
- Lack of confidence in the company manifested itself in a fall in the share price.
10. conscious, adj., aware of something; noticing something:
- The tooth doesn't exactly hurt, but I'm conscious of it (= I can feel it) all the time.
- I was vaguely conscious that I was being watched.
- I think she's very conscious of being the only person in the office who didn't have a
university education.
11. liberate, v., to help someone or something to be free:
- They said they sent troops in to liberate the people/the country from a dictator.
- Writing poetry liberated her from the routine of everyday life.
- A few days later, our armies liberated the city.