Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

@EYstaff Memorializing Nelson Mandela By Tweeting an Inspirational Quote He Never Actually Said

Call this a public service because you, too, may feel compelled to spread this meme today.

Well, there's one indisputable fact here, he was an inspiring man. However, that quote isn't his.

[Note: as I was writing this, @EYstaff deleted the tweet. Thank goodness I thought to take a screenshot or we'd have nothing to talk about here!]

The quote is actually a paragraph from “A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles,” a 1992 book by 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 doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. It’s not just in some of us; it’s 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.

No one really knows why this quote is attributed to Nelson Mandela. All you need to know is that he didn't say it, so make sure before you post that he said what you're saying he said.

When in doubt, go with this one:

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Or, if you really want to impress people, pick a lesser known but equally inspiring quote from the same book (hint hint, EY, you're welcome).

Latest Accounting Jobs--Apply Now:

Have something to add to this story? Give us a shout by email, Twitter, or text/call the tipline at 202-505-8885. As always, all tips are anonymous.

Related articles

trash can fire

Former Client Cockblocks the EY Split to Make Sure They Get the $2.7 Billion They’re Suing EY For

While it appears the EY split is going off the rails, despite assurances to the contrary from people who stand to make many millions of dollars from it, one former client — or rather, the client’s administrators as the client burned to the ground three years ago — is not satisfied with letting the drama […]

TIL EY Has Commoditized Space

Is there any limit to the robust and ever-growing suite of services offered by professional services firms? Apparently not. As we’ll learn in a sec, not even the sky is the limit. It was less than a year ago that EY put $3 million Aussie bucks into a space business in partnership with Swinburne University […]