Marianne Williamson Quote

[Furrowed Brow]

I was re-watching the movie Coach Carter yesterday evening with a friend and we got to the gym scene where Timo Cruz stands up and quotes a passage. My friend was particularly taken with it and as I was not working today I promised to find out who wrote it and email them a copy. I found out the original came from Marianne Williamson, someone I had not heard of but apparently has been on Oprah.

I got to read the passage in the cold light of day. Oh dear. The film version was abridged and washed out the reference to God in the original. I’ll give both versions.

• Character Timo Cruz: 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. 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. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
  
  Marianne Williamson original: 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 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 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 are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

It is easy to see why this speech with its message of embrace your inner fabulousness would be a powerful motivation to a class of under achieving teenagers in a rundown part of town. Or why it would sell well in the self help market. And why Oprah “the secret� Winfrey would be into this stuff. The problem is that if you look closer it is false or just meaningless e.g. "our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure".....P-leeez. Worse the push to let the world see your immeasurable power is deeply worrying. Imagine this self help babble given to an audience made up of Hitler, Stalin, Saddam Hussain, David Koresh, Jim Jones etc. D'ya think them playing it big is going to liberate others?

How does Marianne Williamson get away with this twaddle? Does anyone here actually buy into this stuff?

[Goat]

I was re-watching the movie Coach Carter yesterday evening with a friend and we got to the gym scene where Timo Cruz stands up and quotes a passage. My friend was particularly taken with it and as I was not working today I promised to find out who wrote it and email them a copy. I found out the original came from Marianne Williamson, someone I had not heard of but apparently has been on Oprah.

I got to read the passage in the cold light of day. Oh dear. The film version was abridged and washed out the reference to God in the original. I’ll give both versions.

• Character Timo Cruz: 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. 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. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
  
  Marianne Williamson original: 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 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 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 are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

It is easy to see why this speech with its message of embrace your inner fabulousness would be a powerful motivation to a class of under achieving teenagers in a rundown part of town. Or why it would sell well in the self help market. And why Oprah “the secret� Winfrey would be into this stuff. The problem is that if you look closer it is false or just meaningless e.g. "our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure".....P-leeez. Worse the push to let the world see your immeasurable power is deeply worrying. Imagine this self help babble given to an audience made up of Hitler, Stalin, Saddam Hussain, David Koresh, Jim Jones etc. D'ya think them playing it big is going to liberate others?

How does Marianne Williamson get away with this twaddle? Does anyone here actually buy into this stuff?

People buy it because it strokes people's egos, and tugs at fantasies that most people would be ashamed to admit..

[Nilloc James]

I'm going to agree with Goat, it is an affirmation of the desires we don't share, those of power and greed and selfishness. Humans are human and all have these desires; though telling people to go after them can be dangerous.