Our greatest fear

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

I don’t remember where I first saw this quote, but I never understood it, so I decided to look it up. Often mistaken as a Nelson Mandela quote because he used it once in a speech, the quote in its entirety is:

“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 unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
- Marianne Williamson

Our greatest fear is that we’re great? I’m pretty sure that’s not right. Sure, the quote is inspiring, but it’s so obviously reverse psychology that it doesn’t hold up. It’s like telling someone with crooked teeth that they’re actually insecure about smiling because they’re afraid to show the world how spectacularly unique their teeth are. I think a better way of phrasing it is:

Our greatest fear is that we’re not as great as we think we are,
and that keeps us from being as great as we can be.

Not as catchy, but at least it’s not misleading. And I’d rather tell people the truth than make them feel good about a lie, cause they’ll realize the truth sooner or later. And better sooner than later.