10 Inspiring Quotes by Marianne Williamson

Marianne Williamson is an internationally-renowned American author, spiritual leader, politician, and activist. Four out of her 13 published books have been number one New York Times bestsellers in the “Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous” category. 

That said, there is much we can learn from her entrepreneurial and spiritual journey, as well as her words of wisdom. 

Here are 10 inspiring quotes by Marianne Williamson:

With thoughts of the past and concerns about the future, we rob ourselves of a full experience of the present.

In this quote, Marianne Williamson tells us that we should focus on the present and that is the only way to fully experience life. After all, we have no control over what happened before and what the future has for us. 

Nature is infinitely creative. It is always producing the possibility of new beginnings.

Every day and every moment, we have a chance for a new start. Regardless of what happened in the past, no matter what the circumstances are, there is always hope for a better future – so never give up. 

Until we have seen someone’s darkness, we don’t really know who they are. Until we have forgiven someone’s darkness, we don’t really know what love is.

As humans, we commit mistakes, and sometimes it’s too late for us to realize that we offended a person and the emotional wound resulting from this was bigger than what we may have expected. The key to happiness and genuine forgiveness is accepting that we all have flaws. 

Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.

Finding happiness and joy is not a problem because it is our nature. However,  we encounter problems and challenges that affect us so much that we have forgotten how to be happy. Joy is always present but only if we only choose it. 

The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.

Sometimes it’s hard to forgive someone who really hurt us and that is understandable. However, the more we hold on to the pain and anger, the more it harms. To move on and start the healing process, we must first learn to forgive.

Marianne Williamson

Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here.

When we are young, we only know love, joy, curiosity, and happiness because that is our natural state. As we grow older, we learn to fear without knowing how to use it. 

Fear limits our dreams, blocks our hopes, and deprives us of true happiness. Because we learned it, we can also unlearn it by overcoming our fears and living our true purpose.  

Anytime you try to be a loving person, you’re doing your part to save the world.

We don’t have to necessarily do grand things to save the world. Sometimes, a simple act of giving love and kindness is already a contribution to make this world a better place. 

We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be?

You are unique and have different sets of strengths and talents that you can capitalize on to make you successful. You don’t have to be what society defines as successful, because there are other opportunities out there other than what the media shows. Don’t belittle yourself. Instead, make it your mission to help others by sharing your talents. 

It takes courage… to endure the sharp pains of self-discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives.

Knowing yourself and self-discovery is essential if you want to live a truly happy life. The journey to self-awareness may be painful and full of challenges, but in the end, it’s better than living a life that wasn’t meant for you. Discover who you really are and be true to yourself – that’s the first step to happiness.

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.

This quote is probably Marianne Williamson’s most famous quote, which is an excerpt from her 1992’s best-selling book A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles, and was also popularly used by Nelson Mandela on his 1994 presidential inaugural speech in Africa in 1994. 

Astraunot Mae C. Jamison also quoted it during commencement exercises speech, as well as Hillary Clinton when she addressed Howard University’s class of 1998.

This quote tells us that we should never avoid our own capacity to be great; instead, we need to embrace our God-given talents. We all have light within us and we must be confident enough to share it with the world. By doing so, we can also inspire others to do the same. Knowing that we have this power may be scary to us, but we can live according to our purpose by overcoming it.