Nelson Mandela Quotes (125 Quotes)

Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.

When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat.

Today we stand at the grave of one of the greatest among that generation of great freedom fighters.

I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself.

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 better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.

If it is easy to read for other people like me, with eyes not like they used to be, and it reaches entirely new readers, then the project will prove to be worthwhile.

Our continent must be allowed to do its own things, charting its course and destiny.

This concern that a two-thirds majority will be abused by the ANC flies in the face of the facts of history,

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.

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.

Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.

Everything before then was written off as savagery or barbarism. Any story that involved heroism was about white people,

I told the relatives that he would go to a country trusted by Britain and the United States to serve his full sentence, and the length of the sentence would be determined by the Scottish authorities,

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.

I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment

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.

If each and every party involved in those commissions had asked me to testify, it would have completely undermined the function of government.

The international community ... also made an important contribution to this struggle, ... not least through the imposition of economic and other sanctions.

I am accusing the truth commission of being abused and not performing the task which it was supposed to perform,

During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people, I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons li

Heads of state and their first ladies must be in the forefront of the campaign to fight AIDS,

Such leaders have not perished. They are coming up in droves and inspire an entire continent,

I cannot conceive of Israel withdrawing if Arab states do not recognize Israel, within secure borders.

There is no reason at all for any of our citizens to seek redress through violence, ... It will be the height of folly for anyone to seek to provoke the patience of a people who have elected, against their own deep emotions, to forgive and reconcile.

the histories of our two peoples correspond in such painful and poignant ways that I intensely feel myself at home amongst my compatriots.

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.

call for a partnership of Africa and the United States, developing and developed countries to bring about a transfer of resources.

I looked into the vast dome of blue emptiness that stretched out above me in all directions and the illusion was still there, the size and speed, and what information they were sending to mother earth.

If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.

In my country we go to prison first and then become President.

Every country in the world faces challenges. One of our challenges here is to ensure that we deal with poverty, lack of education.

My hope is that the elementary reading of comics will lead the youth to the joy of reading good books. That joy has been mine all my life, and it is one I wish for all South Africans.

Even if I go to my grave I will wake up and come and vote. One of the manifestations of pride (in your country) is to vote for your country, and I am very happy for it.

Of all the observations I have made on the strike, none has brought forth so much heat and emotion as the stress and emphasis we put on non- violence. Our most loyal supporters, whose courage and devotion has never been doubted, unanimously and stren

A beautiful and important film about South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It will engage and influence not only South Africans, but people all over the world concerned with the great questions of human reconciliation, forgiveness, and tolerance.

When I think about the past, the types of things they did, I feel angry, but then again that is my feeling. The brain always dominates, says, as I have pointed out, you have a limited time to stay on Earth.

One of the few advantages of prison life is that one has time to read. This opened our minds and forced us to re-examine some of our views.

That was one of the things that worried me - to be raised to the position of a semi-god - because then you are no longer a human being. I wanted to be known as Mandela, a man with weaknesses, some of which are fundamental, and a man who is committed.

a man of extraordinary vision and deep principled commitment to the cause of peace.

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.

We owe this to the countless men, women and children across generations who carried this anthem in their hearts, in the face of bullets and the hangman's noose,

There was much in such a society that was primitive and insecure and it certainly could never measure up to the demands of the present epoch. But in such a society are contained the seeds of revolutionary democracy in which none will be held in slave

What I am condemning is that one power, with a president who has no foresight, who cannot think properly, is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust.

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

Our morality does not allow us to desert our friends,

We have failed to take HIVAIDS seriously, ... That failure is a betrayal of our struggle for social justice and hope for our society.

truly non-racist and non-sexist democracy.

The time comes in the life of any nation when there remains only two choices - submit or fight. That time has now come to South Africa. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all means in our power in defense of our people, our.

I voted for myself. Even if I go to my grave, I will wake up and come and vote.