Nelson Mandela Quotes

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

There is nothing more dangerous than a humiliated man.

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.

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

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

There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere.

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

The time is always right to do right.

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.

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

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

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

I am the captain of my soul.

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

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?

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.

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

Great anger and violence can never build a nation.

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

Where you stand depends on where you sit.

The best weapon is to sit down and talk.

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

Blaming things on the past does not make them better.

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.

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.

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

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

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

Rhetoric is not important. Actions are.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 . . .

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.

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.

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

Appearances matter — and remember to smile.

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