MYTH 14
You are stronger than you know
‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate ...,’ intones the motivational speaker Marianne Williamson, ‘Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure ...’ These celebrated lines1 from Return to Love have been embraced so enthusiastically by so many that it feels churlish (and possibly even heretical) to be casting doubt upon the basic assumption on which they rest. And yet, while many have drawn consolation and inspiration from Williamson’s words, I have to suggest that the expectations they create may be doing us all as much harm as good.
The idea that we all have limitless, untapped resources within us is one of popular psychology’s most enduring leitmotifs. Anthony Robbins, for example, ...
Get Psychobabble now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
