“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”

Circulates under Nelson Mandela

Editorial status

misattributed

This passage is widely introduced as a Nelson Mandela inauguration quotation. It comes from Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love, published in 1992; no Mandela speech is the source of the passage.

Source-backed author: Marianne Williamson

The passage appears in Marianne Williamson's 1992 book A Return to Love.

Earliest traceable appearance in this record: 1992, Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love.

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