In the movie Akeelah and the Bee, a quotation is displayed on a framed certificate in the home-office of a main character, and the words are incorrectly attributed to Nelson Mandela, as part of his 1994 Inauguration Speech as President of South Africa.

In the film, “Akeelah” reads the entire quote and attribution out loud. It is a moving moment in the film, and arguably summarizes the core “message” of the movie.

Alas, Nelson Mandela did not include any such language in his Inauguration Speech, and almost certainly never spoke or wrote these words at all.

In fact, this “quote” is adapted from a passage written by writer Marianne Williamson, from her book A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles.

Here is the (incorrect) version of the quote from the movie:

“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? Your playing small does not serve the world. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

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Here is the “true” complete quote from 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, 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 is not just in some of us; 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 own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson, from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles (Harper Collins, 1992; from Chapter 7, Section 3)

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Proper punctuation for the “shortened” quote (used in the movie) would include “ellipses” to indicate where words were omitted:

“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? . . . Your playing small does not serve the world. . . . We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. . . . And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” — Marianne Williamson

Here is the entire quote, with the “edited out” language marked with “strikethrough lines” to emphasize the changes from the 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 is not just in some of us; 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 own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.“