evidence: FACT CHECK: Viral Quote Attributed To Nelson Mandela Is Actually From Marianne Williamson An image shared on Facebook claims that former South African politician Nelson Mandela said, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. [...] Though the Facebook post attributes the quote to Mandela, there is no record of him saying it. The expression appears nowhere in the Nelson Mandela Foundation archive. (RELATED: Did Nelson Mandela Say, ‘Fools Multiply When Wise Men Are Silent’?)