Nelson Mandela Quotes And Sayings

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country’s first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. Mandela was a controversial figure for much of his life. Widely regarded as an icon of democracy and social justice, he received more than 250 honours—including the Nobel Peace Prize—and became the subject of a cult of personality. He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Xhosa clan name, Madiba, and described as the “Father of the Nation”.

Education Is The Most Powerful Weapon Which You Can Use To Change The World.

As Long As Poverty, Injustice And Gross Inequality Persist In Our World, None Of Us Can Truly Rest.

There Are Many People In South Africa Who Are Rich And Who Can Share Those Riches With Those Not So Fortunate Who Have Not Been Able To Conquer Poverty.

I Came Across Few Whites As A Boy At Qunu. The Local Magistrate, Of Course, Was White, As Was The Nearest Shopkeeper. Occasionally, White Travelers Or Policemen Passed Through Our Area. These Whites Appeared As Grand As Gods To Me, And I Was Aware That They Were To Be Treated With A Mixture Of Fear And Respect.

In The 1940s, Traveling For An African Was A Complicated Process. All Africans Over The Age Of Sixteen Were Compelled To Carry 'Native Passes' Issued By The Native Affairs Department And Were Required To Show That Pass To Any White Policeman, Civil Servant, Or Employer. Failure To Do So Could Mean Arrest, Trial, A Jail Sentence Or Fine.

Sometimes, I Feel Like One Who Is On The Sidelines, Who Has Missed Life Itself.

People Respond In Accordance To How You Relate To Them. If You Approach Them On The Basis Of Violence, That's How They'll React. But If You Say, 'We Want Peace, We Want Stability,' We Can Then Do A Lot Of Things That Will Contribute Towards The Progress Of Our Society.

There Is No Easy Walk To Freedom Anywhere, And Many Of Us Will Have To Pass Through The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death Again And Again Before We Reach The Mountaintop Of Our Desires.

From The Beginning, Mandela And Tambo Was Besieged With Clients. We Were Not The Only African Lawyers In South Africa, But We Were The Only Firm Of African Lawyers. For Africans, We Were The Firm Of First Choice And Last Resort.

Running Taught Me Valuable Lessons. In Cross-country Competition, Training Counted More Than Intrinsic Ability, And I Could Compensate For A Lack Of Natural Aptitude With Diligence And Discipline. I Applied This In Everything I Did.

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.

If You Talk To A Man In A Language He Understands, That Goes To His Head. If You Talk To Him In His Language, That Goes To His Heart.

We Must Use Time Wisely And Forever Realize That The Time Is Always Ripe To Do Right.

I Dream Of The Realization Of The Unity Of Africa, Whereby Its Leaders Combine In Their Efforts To Solve The Problems Of This Continent. I Dream Of Our Vast Deserts, Of Our Forests, Of All Our Great Wildernesses.

There Are Many People Who Feel That It Is Useless And Futile To Continue Talking About Peace And Non-violence Against A Government Whose Only Reply Is Savage Attacks On An Unarmed And Defenseless People.

A Good Leader Can Engage In A Debate Frankly And Thoroughly, Knowing That At The End He And The Other Side Must Be Closer, And Thus Emerge Stronger. You Don't Have That Idea When You Are Arrogant, Superficial, And Uninformed.

There Is Nothing Like Returning To A Place That Remains Unchanged To Find The Ways In Which You Yourself Have Altered.

It Always Seems Impossible Until It's Done.

I Stand Here Before You Not As A Prophet, But As A Humble Servant Of You, The People.

After One Has Been In Prison, It Is The Small Things That One Appreciates: Being Able To Take A Walk Whenever One Wants, Going Into A Shop And Buying A Newspaper, Speaking Or Choosing To Remain Silent. The Simple Act Of Being Able To Control One's Person.

Courageous People Do Not Fear Forgiving, For The Sake Of Peace.

I Dream Of An Africa Which Is In Peace With Itself.

Only Free Men Can Negotiate. A Prisoner Cannot Enter Into Contracts.

Does Anybody Really Think That They Didn't Get What They Had Because They Didn't Have The Talent Or The Strength Or The Endurance Or The Commitment?

Our Human Compassion Binds Us The One To The Other - Not In Pity Or Patronizingly, But As Human Beings Who Have Learnt How To Turn Our Common Suffering Into Hope For The Future.

Let There Be Work, Bread, Water And Salt For All.

When The Water Starts Boiling It Is Foolish To Turn Off The Heat.

If The United States Of America Or Britain Is Having Elections, They Don't Ask For Observers From Africa Or From Asia. But When We Have Elections, They Want Observers.

If You Want To Make Peace With Your Enemy, You Have To Work With Your Enemy. Then He Becomes Your Partner.

I Learned That Courage Was Not The Absence Of Fear, But The Triumph Over It. The Brave Man Is Not He Who Does Not Feel Afraid, But He Who Conquers That Fear.

I Cannot Conceive Of Israel Withdrawing If Arab States Do Not Recognize Israel, Within Secure Borders.

In My Country We Go To Prison First And Then Become President.

Never, Never And Never Again Shall It Be That This Beautiful Land Will Again Experience The Oppression Of One By Another.

There Is No Such Thing As Part Freedom.

If There Are Dreams About A Beautiful South Africa, There Are Also Roads That Lead To Their Goal. Two Of These Roads Could Be Named Goodness And Forgiveness.

Money Won't Create Success, The Freedom To Make It Will.

Give A Child Love, Laughter And Peace, Not Aids.

I Started To Make A Study Of The Art Of War And Revolution And, Whilst Abroad, Underwent A Course In Military Training. If There Was To Be Guerrilla Warfare, I Wanted To Be Able To Stand And Fight With My People And To Share The Hazards Of War With Them.

By Ancestry, I Was Born To Rule.

I Have Cherished The Ideal Of A Democratic And Free Society In Which All Persons Live Together In Harmony And With Equal Opportunities. It Is An Ideal Which I Hope To Live For And To Achieve. But If Needs Be, It Is An Ideal For Which I Am Prepared To Die.

My Son Has Died Of Aids.

I Am Confident That Nobody... Will Accuse Me Of Selfishness If I Ask To Spend Time, While I Am Still In Good Health, With My Family, My Friends And Also With Myself.

You Know, You Can Only Lead Them From Behind.

Forget The Past.

It Is Wise To Persuade People To Do Things And Make Them Think It Was Their Own Idea.

We Can't Afford To Be Killing One Another.

If You Are Poor, You Are Not Likely To Live Long.

In Countries Where Innocent People Are Dying, The Leaders Are Following Their Blood Rather Than Their Brains.

Where Globalization Means, As It So Often Does, That The Rich And Powerful Now Have New Means To Further Enrich And Empower Themselves At The Cost Of The Poorer And Weaker, We Have A Responsibility To Protest In The Name Of Universal Freedom.

I Do Not Deny That I Planned Sabotage. I Did Not Plan It In A Spirit Of Recklessness Nor Because I Have Any Love Of Violence. I Planned It As A Result Of A Calm And Sober Assessment Of The Political Situation That Had Arisen After Many Years Of Tyranny, Exploitation And Oppression Of My People By The Whites.