Inaugural speech 1994 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 our darkness, that most frighten us
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous
talented and fabulous?

Actually who are you not to be?
You are a child of god
Your playing small doesn't serve the world
There's nothing enlightening about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you

We are born to make manifest the Glory of God that is
within us
It's not just in some of us, it is in every one
And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other
people permission to do the same

Nelson Mandela,   Inaugural speech 1994