Nelson Mandela Quotes

There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return.

No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.

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.

It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it.

Fools multiply when wise men are silent.

What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.

It only seems impossible until it's done.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

When we dehumanise and demonise our opponents, we abandon the possibility of peacefully resolving our differences, and seek to justify violence against them.

If you want the cooperation of humans around you, you must make them feel they are important - and you do that by being genuine and humble.

Honour belongs to those who never forsake the truth even when things seem dark and grim, who try over and over again, who are never discouraged by insults, humiliation and even defeat.

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.

Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.

Freedom can never be taken for granted. Each generation must safeguard it and extend it. Your parents and elders sacrificed much so that you should have freedom without suffering what they did. Use this precious right to ensure that the darkness of the past never returns.

Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.

I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.

It is so easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.

Live life as though nobody is watching, and express yourself as though everyone is listening.

The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children.

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.

You can start changing our world for the better daily, no matter how small the action.

There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.

Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon.

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.

As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.

My dream would be a multicultural society, one that is diverse and where every man, woman and child are treated equally. I dream of a world where all people of all races work together in harmony.

As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.

One of the most difficult things is not to change society - but to change yourself.

There is no future without forgiveness

No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated.

If the ANC does to you what the apartheid government did to you, then you must do to the ANC what you did to the apartheid government.

Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.

After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.

It is not the kings and generals that make history, but the masses of the people.

We know what needs to be done - all that is missing is the will to do it.

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.

A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.

A real leader uses every issue, no matter how serious and sensitive, to ensure that at the end of the debate we should emerge stronger and more united than ever before.

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice.

Tread softly, Brathe peacefully, Laugh hysterically.

Nothing is black or white.

It is always impossible until it is done.

One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen.

Our task is not to liberate the oppressed, but to liberate the oppressors

Our fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure.

When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.

The brave man is not the one who has no fears, he is the one who triumphs over his fears.

Few things make the life of a parent more rewarding and sweet as successful children.

The day I am afraid to do, that is the day I am no longer fit to lead.

Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward.

Man's goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished

Appearances matter — and remember to smile.

It never hurts to think too highly of a person; often they become ennobled and act better because of it.

Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.

A leader. . .is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life . . .

It is not where you start but how high you aim that matters for success.

It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.

There is nothing more important in life than giving. Tolerance is forged when people look beyond their own desires

We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.

You mustn't compromise your principles, but you mustn't humiliate the opposition. No one is more dangerous than one who is humiliated.

No power on this earth can destroy the thirst for human dignity

Hope is a powerful weapon, and (one) no one power on earth can deprive you of.

Rhetoric is not important. Actions are.

Resentment is like a glass of poison that a man drinks; then he sits down and waits for his enemy to die.

Take it upon yourself where you live to make people around you joyful and full of hope.

An educated, enlightened & informed population is one of the surest ways of promoting the health of a democracy.

Artists reach areas far beyond the reach of politicians. Art, especially entertainment and music, is understood by everybody, and it lifts the spirits and the morale of those who hear it.

I want to sleep for eternity with a broad smile on my face. I want those who remain behind to say this man has done his duty.

Blaming things on the past does not make them better.

Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.

The best weapon is to sit down and talk.

Where you stand depends on where you sit.

It is in the character of growth that we should learn from both pleasant and unpleasant experiences.

Great anger and violence can never build a nation.

Exercise is the key not only to physical health but to peace of mind.

If you look at those matters, you will come to the conclusion that the attitude of the United States of America is a threat to world peace.

The call now is for each of us to ask ourselves: are we doing all we can to help build the country of our dreams?

The most difficult matter is not so much to change the world as yourself.

I am the captain of my soul.

The wounds that cannot be seen are more painful than those that can be treated by a doctor.

You will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution.

Political division, based on color, is entirely artificial; and when it disappears, so will the domination of one color group by another.

Freedom is meaningless if people cannot put food in their stomachs, if they can have no shelter, if illiteracy and disease continue to dog them.

The time is always right to do right.

The New World Order that is in the making must focus on the creation of a world of democracy, peace and prosperity for all.

There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere.

Courage is not the absence of fear — it s inspiring others to move beyond it.

We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success.

No problem is so deep that it cannot be overcome, given the will of all parties, through discussion and negotiation rather than force and violence.

There is nothing more dangerous than a humiliated man.

An organisation can only carry out its mandate if there is discipline, and where there is no discipline there can be no real progress

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Those who conduct themselves with morality, integrity and consistency need not fear the forces of inhumanity and cruelty.

Information is a basic human right and the fundamental foundation for the formation of democratic institutions.

To the youth of today, I also have a wish to make: be the scriptwriters of your destiny and feature yourselves as stars that showed the way towards a brighter future.

It is not beyond our power to create a world in which all children have access to a good education.

I could not imagine that the future I was walking toward could compare in any way to the past that I was leaving behind.

One of the sad realities today is that very few people, especially young people, read books. Unless we can find imaginative ways of addressing this reality, future generations are in danger of losing their history.

Learn to know yourself... to search realistically and regularly the processes of your own mind and feelings.

Part of building a new nation means building a spirit of tolerance, love and respect amongst the people of this country.

No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion.

We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.

Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers.

No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated. Any nation that is progressive is led by people who have had the privilege of studying.

Young people are capable, when aroused, of bringing down the towers of oppression and raising the banners of freedom.

We slaughter one another in our words and attitudes. We slaughter one another in the stereotypes and mistrust that linger in our heads, and the words of hate we spew from our lips.

Our single most important challenge is therefore to help establish a social order in which the freedom of the individual will truly mean the freedom of the individual.

Disabled children are equally entitled to an exciting and brilliant future.

Our march to freedom is irreversible. We must not allow fear to stand in our way.