Background Image

...

I Cherish My Own Freedom Dearly, But I Care Even More For Your Freedom. Too Many Have Died Since I Went To Prison. Too Many Have Suffered For The Love Of Freedom. I Owe It To Their Widows, To Their Orphans, To Their Mothers And Their Fathers, Who Have Grieved And Wept For Them ..... Not Only Have I Suffered During These Long Lonely Wasted Years. I Am No Less Life-loving Than You Are. But I Cannot Sell The Birthright Of The People To Be Free ....... Only Free Men Can Negotiate. Prisoners Cannot Enter Into Contracts. Your Freedom And Mine Cannot Be Separated.

-Nelson Mandela

...

Please Wait....
Translating....

I Cherish My Own

Nelson Mandela

...

I Cherish My Own Freedom Dearly, But I Care Even More For Your Freedom. Too Many Have Died Since I Went To Prison. Too Many Have Suffered For The Love Of Freedom. I Owe It To Their Widows, To Their Orphans, To Their Mothers And Their Fathers, Who Have Grieved And Wept For Them ..... Not Only Have I Suffered During These Long Lonely Wasted Years. I Am No Less Life-loving Than You Are. But I Cannot Sell The Birthright Of The People To Be Free ....... Only Free Men Can Negotiate. Prisoners Cannot Enter Into Contracts. Your Freedom And Mine Cannot Be Separated.

Views: 4

Topic

More From Nelson Mandela

I Cherish My Own Freedom Dearly, But I Care Even More For Your Freedom. Too Many Have Died Since I Went To Prison. Too Many Have Suffered For The Love Of Freedom. I Owe It To Their Widows, To Their Orphans, To Their Mothers And Their Fathers, Who Have Grieved And Wept For Them ..... Not Only Have I Suffered During These Long Lonely Wasted Years. I Am No Less Life-loving Than You Are. But I Cannot Sell The Birthright Of The People To Be Free ....... Only Free Men Can Negotiate. Prisoners Cannot Enter Into Contracts. Your Freedom And Mine Cannot Be Separated.

Our Continent Must Be Allowed To Do Its Own Things, Charting Its Course And Destiny.

A Free Press Is One Of The Pillars Of Democracy.

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.

Let Freedom Reign. The Sun Never Set On So Glorious A Human Achievement.

I Will Use The Rest Of My Life To Help The Poor Overcome The Problems Confronting Them - Poverty Is The Greatest Challenge Facing Humanity. That Is Why I Build Schools; I Want To Free People From Poverty And Illiteracy.

For Me, Survival Is The Ability To Cope With Difficulties, With Circumstances, And To Overcome Them.

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.

I Do Not Think That I Was Brought Up In A Unique Society With Unique Features About Giving.

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 We Do Not Do Something To Prevent It, Africa's Animals, And The Places In Which They Live, Will Be Lost To Our World, And Her Children, Forever. Before It Is Too Late, We Need Your Help To Lay The Foundation That Will Preserve This Precious Legacy Long After We Are Gone.

We Must Nurture Tolerance, Collective Wisdom, And Democracy.

An Initiative Was Essentially Led By Civil Society Because The Policy Of The Government Was That Africans Must Not Be Taught To Graze In Pastures Which Were Reserved For The Main White Group.

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

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.

At The Southern Tip Of The Continent, A Rich Reward Is In The Making, An Invaluable Gift Is In The Preparation, For Those Who Suffered In The Name Of All Humanity When They Sacrificed Everything - For Liberty, Peace, Human Dignity And Human Fulfillment. The Value Of Our Shared Reward Will And Must Be Measured By The Joyful Peace Which Will Triumph, Because Of The Common Humanity That Bonds Both Black And White Into One Human Race, Will Have Said To Each One Of Us That We Shall All Live Like The Children Of Paradise.

Black And White

Common Humanity

Che Guevara's Life Is An Inspiration For Every Human Being Who Loves Freedom. We Will Always Honor His Memory.

I Was Neglected By My Family Because I Had Disappointed Them - I'd Run Away From Being Forced Into An Arranged Marriage, Which Was A Big Blow To Them.

During The Years I Lived Here, The People Of Alexandra Ignored Tribal And Ethnic Distinctions. Instead Of Being Xhosas, Or Sothos, Or Zulus, Or Shangaans, We Were Alexandrans. We Were One People, And We Undermined The Distinctions That The Apartheid Government Tried So Hard To Impose. It Saddens And Angers Me To See The Rising Hatred Of Foreigners.

Continuously, We Have To Fight To Defeat The Primitive Tendency Towards The Glorification Of Arms, The Adulation Of Force, Born Of The Illusion That Injustice Can Be Perpetuated By The Capacity To Kill, Or That Disputes Are Necessarily Best Resolved By Resort To Violent Means.

An Educated, Enlightened & Informed Population Is One Of The Surest Ways Of Promoting The Health Of A Democracy

There Is No Easy Walk To Freedom Anywhere.

Shadow Of Death

It's Not Our Weaknesses That Frighten Us. It's Our Strengths.

You See, When There Is Danger, A Good Leader Takes The Front Line. But When There Is Celebration, A Good Leader Stays In The Back Room. If You Want The Cooperation Of Human Beings Around You, Make Them Feel That They Are Important. And You Do That By Being Humble.

We Owe Our Children – The Most Vulnerable Citizens In Any Society – A Life Free From Violence And Fear.

Sport Can Create Hope, Where Once There Was Only Despair

I Feel Like A Young Man Of 15.

I Have Retired, But If There's Anything That Would Kill Me It Is To Wake Up In The Morning Not Knowing What To Do.

No Child In Africa, And In Fact Anywhere In The World, Should Be Denied Education.

My Time In Prison Only Deepened My Resolve Against Apartheid. Even While I Was In Prison, I Fought Against It, Teaching My Cellmates About White Supremacy And How To Fight Against It.

Today We Are A Nation At Peace With Itself, United In Our Diversity, Not Only Proclaiming But Living Out The Contention That South Africa Belongs To All Who Live In It. We Take Our Place Amongst The Nations Of The World, Confident And Proud In Being An African Country.

I'm Not Going To Sit Here And Argue With You. Just Put The Bloody Meter On.

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.

I Am Influenced More Than Ever Before By The Conviction That Social Equality Is The Only Basis Of Human Happiness.

The Power Of Imagination Created The Illusion That My Vision Went Much Farther Than The Naked Eye Could Actually See.

Let The Efforts Of Us All, Prove That He [martin Luther King] Was Not A Mere Dreamer When He Spoke Of The Beauty Of Genuine Brotherhood And Peace Being More Precious Than Diamonds Or Silver Or Gold

It Was During Those Long And Lonely Years That My Hunger For The Freedom Of My Own People Became A Hunger For The Freedom Of All People, White And Black. I Knew As Well As I Knew Anything That The Oppressor Must Be Liberated Just As Surely As The Oppressed. A Man Who Takes Away Another Man's Freedom Is A Prisoner Of Hatred, He Is Locked Behind The Bars Of Prejudice And Narrow-mindedness. I Am Not Truly Free If I Am Taking Away Someone Else's Freedom, Just As Surely As I Am Not Free When My Freedom Is Taken From Me. The Oppressed And The Oppressor Alike Are Robbed Of Their Humanity.

There's One Place Where (fidel Castro’s) Cuba Stands Out Head And Shoulders Above The Rest – That Is In Its Love For Human Rights And Liberty!

Tread Softly, Brathe Peacefully, Laugh Hysterically.

Let Us Remind Ourselves That Our Work Is Far From Complete. Where There Is Poverty And Sickness, Including Aids, Where Human Beings Are Being Oppressed, There Is More Work To Be Done. Our Work Is For Freedom For All.

Part Of Building A New Nation Means Building A Spirit Of Tolerance, Love And Respect Amongst The People Of This Country.

It Is Not Where You Start But How High You Aim That Matters For Success.

Our Efforts To Counter Hatred, Intolerance, And Indifference Must Continue Simultaneously At Individual And Structural Levels. We Must Try To Influence For Good The Minds And Hearts Of Individual People Through Dialogue And Confidence Building. These Efforts Must Be Reinforced By Our Efforts To Create Just Structures In Society To Support The Ongoing Work Of Negotiations In The Human Community. Only Then Will We Have A Chance To Negate The Terrible Consequences Of The Tremendous Conflicts Facing Humankind Today.

Our Children Are The Rock On Which Our Future Will Be Built, Our Greatest Asset As A Nation

When I Went To Jail, I Was A Trained Lawyer. And When The Wardens Received Letters Of Demands Or Summonses, They Didn't Have The Resources To Go To An Attorney To Help Them. I Would Help Them Settle Their Cases, So They Became Attached To Me And The Other Prisoners.

There Is No Future Without Forgiveness

There Is A Constant Struggle Between Good An Evil In The World. It Is Up To Good People To Choose The Right Side

The Time Comes In The Life Of Any Nation When There Remain 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 Defence Of Our People, Our Future, And Our Freedom

Justice And I Became Friends, Though We Were Opposites In Many Ways - He Was Extroverted, I Was Introverted; He Was Lighthearted, I Was Serious.

There Is Nothing More Important In Life Than Giving. Tolerance Is Forged When People Look Beyond Their Own Desires

We Need To Exert Ourselves That Much More, And Break Out Of The Vicious Cycle Of Dependence Imposed On Us By The Financially Powerful: Those In Command Of Immense Market Power And Those Who Dare To Fashion The World In Their Own Image.

We Have Introduced Equity Into Our Life, Including A Uniform Educational System. We Have Also Introduced A Bill Of Rights, Which Is Not Just A Piece Of Paper, But A Living Document Because We Have Created Structures That Are Totally Independent Of The Government And That Can Overrule The Government, Even The President.

Gandhi Rejects The Adam Smith Notion Of Human Nature As Motivated By Self-interest And Brute Needs And Returns Us To Our Spiritual Dimension With Its Impulses For Nonviolence, Justice And Equality. He Exposes The Fallacy Of The Claim That Everyone Can Be Rich And Successful Provided They Work Hard. He Points To The Millions Who Work Themselves To The Bone And Still Remain Hungry.

We Can't Afford To Be Killing One Another.

There Were Many Dark Moments When My Faith In Humanity Was Sorely Tested.

The Very Right To Be Human Is Denied Every Day To Hundreds Of Millions Of People As A Result Of Poverty, The Unavailability Of Basic Necessities Such As Food, Jobs, Water And Shelter, Education, Health Care And A Healthy Environment.

Sometimes It Falls Upon A Generation To Be Great, You Can Be That Generation

As We Are Liberated From Our Own Fear, Our Presence Automatically Liberates Others.

Remember To Celebrate Milestones As You Prepare For The Road Ahead.

No Form Of Violence Can Ever Be Excused In A Society That Wishes To Call Itself Decent

Communists Have Always Played An Active Role In The Fight By Colonial Countries For Their Freedom, Because The Short-term Objects Of Communism Would Always Correspond With The Long-term Objects Of Freedom Movements.

There Can Be No Greater Gift Than That Of Giving One’s Time And Energy To Help Others Without Expecting Anything In Return.

I Learned To Have The Patience To Listen When People Put Forward Their Views, Even If I Think Those Views Are Wrong. You Can't Reach A Just Decision In A Dispute Unless You Listen To Both Sides.

We Must Look Within Ourselves, Become Responsible And Provide Fresh Solutions If We Ever Want To Do More Than Complain,or Make Excuses.

I Hate Racial Discrimination Most Intensely And All Its Manifestations. I Have Fought All My Life; I Fight Now, And Will Do So Until The End Of My Days. Even Although I Now Happen To Be Tried By One, Whose Opinion I Hold In High Esteem, I Detest Most Violently The Set-up That Surrounds Me Here. It Makes Me Feel That I Am A Black Man In A White Man's Court. This Should Not Be I Should Feel Perfectly At Ease And At Home With The Assurance That I Am Being Tried By A Fellow South African, Who Does Not Regard Me As An Inferior, Entitled To A Special Type Of Justice.

It Was During Those Long And Lonely Years That My Hunger For The Freedom Of My Own People Became A Hunger For The Freedom Of All People, White And Black. I Knew As Well As I Knew Anything That The Oppressor Must Be Liberated Just As Surely As The Oppressed.

Do Not Allow Your Anger To Control Your Reason, But Rather Your Reason To Control Your Anger.

I Found Solitary Confinement The Most Forbidding Aspect Of Prison Life. There Is No End And No Beginning; There Is Only One's Mind, Which Can Begin To Play Tricks. Was That A Dream Or Did It Really Happen? One Begins To Question Everything.

I Would Like It To Be Said: Here Lies A Man Who Has Done His Duty On Earth

It's In Your Hands To Make The World A Better Place.

I Could Not Imagine That The Future I Was Walking Toward Could Compare In Any Way To The Past That I Was Leaving Behind.

To Be The Father Of A Nation Is A Great Honor, But To Be The Father Of A Family Is A Greater Joy.

I Was Able To Change My Life By Knowing That If Somebody Does Something Good For You, You Have To Respond.

Resentment Is Like A Glass Of Poison That A Man Drinks; Then He Sits Down And Waits For His Enemy To Die.

How Can I Be Expected To Believe That This Same Racial Discrimination Which Has Been The Cause Of So Much Injustice And Suffering Right Through The Years, Should Now Operate Here To Give Me A Fair And Open Trial?....consider Myself Neither Morally Nor Legally Obliged To Obey Laws Made By A Parliament In Which I Am Not Represented. That The Will Of The People Is The Basis Of The Authority Of Government, Is A Principle Universally Acknowledged As Sacred Throughout The Civilized World.

I Always Knew That Someday I Would Once Again Feel The Grass Under My Feet And Walk In The Sunshine As A Free Man.

Our March To Freedom Is Irreversible. We Must Not Allow Fear To Stand In Our Way.

Some Of The Mission Groups That Have Been Responsible For Our Education Have Not Been Part Of The Government. In Fact, They Acted Contrary To What The Government Had Planned To Do.

It Is My Deepest Conviction That The Children Should Be Seen And Heard As Our Most Treasured Assets.

Appearances Matter — And Remember To Smile.

We Forgive But Not Forgotten

I Have Taken A Moment Here To Rest, To Steal A View Of The Glorious Vista That Surrounds Me, To Look Back On The Distance I Have Come.

The Time Comes In The Life Of Any Nation When There Remains Only Two Choices - Submit Or Fight.

Let Us Not Be Tempted By Those Who Try To Find The Unique Qualities In A Particular Group. In This Case, Among South Africa Indigenous People, It Reflected What Has Been Evidenced Throughout The World.

There Must Be An End To White Monopoly On Political Power, And A Fundamental Restructuring Of Our Political And Economic Systems To Ensure That The Inequalities Of Apartheid Are Addressed And Our Society Thoroughly Democratized.

There Is Nothing I Fear More Than Waking Up Without A Program That Will Help Me Bring A Little Happiness To Those With No Resources, Those Who Are Poor, Illiterate, And Ridden With Terminal Disease.

Education Is The Great Engine Of Personal Development. It Is Through Education That The Daughter Of A Peasant Can Become A Doctor, That The Son Of A Mineworker Can Become The Head Of The Mine, That A Child Of Farm Workers Can Become The President Of A Great Nation. It Is What We Make Out Of What We Have, Not What We Are Given, That Separates One Person From Another.

It Is The Dictate Of History To Bring To The Fore The Kind Of Leaders Who Seize The Moment, Who Cohere The Wishes And Aspirations Of The Oppressed. Such Was Steve Biko, A Fitting Product Of His Time; A Proud Representative Of The Re-awakening Of A People.

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

It Is So Easy To Break Down And Destroy. The Heroes Are Those Who Make Peace And Build.

South Africans Must Recall The Terrible Past So That We Can Deal With It, Forgiving Where Forgiveness Is Necessary But Never Forgetting.

If You Don’t Intend Having A Compromise, You Don’t Negotiate At All.

Now We Are In The Second Term Of The Government Of A United Nation And The Government Has Done Very Well. One Thing They Have Done, One Thing People Could Not Be Blind To, Was The Achievement This Government Has Made In Giving Human Beings Dignity, Which They Did Not Enjoy Before. They Now Have Dignity.

In Many Respects, People On The Outside Suffered More Than Those Of Us In Jail. In Prison, We Ate Three Times A Day, We Had Clothing, We Had Free Medical Services, And We Could Sleep For 12 Hours.

I Can't Help It If The Ladies Take Note Of Me; I Am Not Going To Protest.

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

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 Slavery.

The Curious Beauty Of African Music Is That It Uplifts Even As It Tells A Sad Tale. You May Be Poor, You May Have Only A Ramshackle House, You May Have Lost Your Job, But That Song Gives You Hope.

Each Of Us Is As Intimately Attached To The Soil Of This Beautiful Country As Are The Famous Jacaranda Trees Of Pretoria And The Mimosa Trees Of The Bushveld - A Rainbow Nation At Peace With Itself And The World.

We Recall The Joy And Excitement Of A Nation That Had Found Itself, The Collective Relief That We Had Stepped Out Of Our Restrictive Past, And The Expectant Air Of Walking Into A Brighter Future.

Education Has Become A Very Powerful Weapon In The Struggle To Produce A Well-developed Person.

I Was Called A Terrorist Yesterday... Today I Am Admired By The Very People Who Said I Was One.

Africans Require, Want, The Franchise On The Basis Of One Man One Vote. They Want Political Independence.

Disabled Children Are Equally Entitled To An Exciting And Brilliant Future.

A Garden Was One Of The Few Thing In Prison That One Could Control. To Plant A Seed, Watch It Grow, To Tend It Then Harvest It, Offered A Simple But Enduring Satisfaction. The Sense Of Being The Custodian Of This Small Patch Of Earth Offered A Taste Of Freedom.

I Approach Every Problem With Optimism.

Why Is It That In This Courtroom I Face A White Magistrate, Am Confronted By A White Prosecutor And Escorted Into The Dock By A White Orderly? Can Anyone Honestly And Seriously Suggest That In This Type Of Atmosphere The Scales Of Justice Are Evenly Balanced?

It Is Music And Dancing That Make Me At Peace With The World.

I Understand That The Legal Position Is Under Review In South Africa And That There Will Soon Be A Broader Set Of Organizations To Which Donors Can Give And Claim Tax Deductions.

I Don't Think There Is Much History Can Say About Me. I Just Want To Be Remembered As Part Of That Collective.

Those South Africans Who Berate Me For Being Loyal To Our Friends, Literally They Can Go And Throw Themselves Into A Pool. I Am Not Going To Betray The Trust Of Those Who Helped Us.

I Have Found Jews To Be More Broad-minded Than Most Whites On Issues Of Race And Politics, Perhaps Because They Themselves Have Historically Been Victims Of Prejudice.

South Africa Is The Most Beautiful Place On Earth. Admittedly, I Am Biased But When You Combine The Natural Beauty... And The Fact That The Region Is A Haven For Africa's Most Splendid Wildlife... Then I Think That We Have Been Blessed With A Truly Wonderful Land.

The Good News Borne By Our Risen Messiah Who Chose Not One Race, Who Chose Not One Country, Who Chose Not One Language, Who Chose Not One Tribe, Who Chose All Of Humankind!

You Can Start Changing Our World For The Better Daily, No Matter How Small The Action.

The Importance Of A High Moral Code, Which Is At The Foundation Of The Scout Movement, Cannot Be Stressed Too Highly.

Religion Is One Of The Most Important Forces In The World. Whether You Are A Christian, A Muslim, A Buddhist, A Jew, Or A Hindu, Religion Is A Great Force, And It Can Help One Have Command Of One's Own Morality, One's Own Behavior, And One's Own Attitude.

The Collapse Of Good Conscience And The Absence Of Accountability And Public Scrutiny Have Led To Crimes Against Humanity And Violations Of International Law.

Democracy Is Based On The Majority Principle. This Is Especially True In A Country Such As Ours Where The Vast Majority Have Been Systematically Denied Their Rights. At The Same Time, Democracy Also Requires That The Rights Of Political And Other Minorities Be Safeguarded.

One Of The Most Difficult Things Is Not To Change Society - But To Change Yourself.

Our Children Are Our Greatest Treasure. They Are Our Future. Those Who Abuse Them Tear At The Fabric Of Our Society And Weaken Our Nation.

Greatest Treasure

I Have Never Cared Very Much For Personal Prizes. A Person Does Not Become A Freedom Fighter In The Hope Of Winning Awards.

I Was Made, By The Law, A Criminal, Not Because Of What I Had Done, But Because Of What I Stood For, Because Of What I Thought, Because Of My Conscience... If I Had My Time Over I Would Do The Same Again. So Would Any Man Who Dares Call Himself A Man.

To Deny People Of Their Human Rights Is To Challenge Their Very Humanity. To Impose On Them A Wretched Life Of Huger And Deprivation Is To Dehumanize Them. But Such Has Been The Terrible Fate Of All Black Persons In Our Country Under The System Of Apartheid.

The Majority Of South Africans, Black And White, Recognize That Apartheid Has No Future. It Has To Be Ended By Our Own Decisive Mass Action In Order To Build Peace And Security. The Mass Campaign Of Defiance And Other Actions Of Our Organization And People Can Only Culminate In The Establishment Of Democracy.

Black And White

I Did Not Enjoy The Violence Of Boxing So Much As The Science Of It. I Was Intrigued By How One Moved One's Body To Protect Oneself, How One Used A Strategy Both To Attack And Retreat, How One Paced Oneself Over A Match.

I Believe That In The End That It Is Kindness And Accommodation That Are All The Catalysts For Real Change.

Live Life As Though Nobody Is Watching, And Express Yourself As Though Everyone Is Listening.

Our Task Is Not To Liberate The Oppressed, But To Liberate The Oppressors

The World Remains Beset By So Much Human Suffering, Poverty And Deprivation. It Is In Your Hands To Make Of Our World A Better One For All, Especially The Poor, Vulnerable And Marginalised.

The Curious Beauty About African Music Is That It Uplifts Even As It Tells A Sad Story.

Like All Xhosa Children, I Acquired Knowledge Mainly Through Observation. We Were Meant To Learn Through Imitation And Emulation, Not Through Questions. When I First Visited The Homes Of Whites, I Was Often Dumbfounded By The Number And Nature Of Questions That Children Asked Of Their Parents-and Their Parents' Unfailing Willingness To Answer Them. In My Household, Questions Were Considered A Nuisance; Adults Imparted Information As They Considered Necessary.

If I Am Your Leader, You Have To Listen To Me & If You Don’t Want To Listen To Me, Then Drop Me As Your Leader

If There Is A Country That Has Committed Unspeakable Atrocities In The World, It Is The United States Of America. They Don't Care For Human Beings.... What I Am Condemning Is That One Power, With A President [george W. Bush] Who Has No Foresight, Who Cannot Think Properly, Is Now Wanting To Plunge The World Into A Holocaust.

If We Are To Accomplish Anything In This World, It Will In Equal Measure Be Due To The Work And Achievements Of Others.

Video Screenshot Facts And Figures From Nelson Mandela's Life, Set To The Trailer From 'mandela: Long Walk To Freedom.' "man's Goodness Is A Flame That Can Be Hidden But Never Extinguished."

In Order To Build Our Nation, We Must All Exceed Our Own Expectations.

Why Is The United States Behaving So Arrogantly? All That (mr. Bush) Wants Is Iraqi Oil.

We Should Take Heart From Our Own Experience And Performance. In A Cynical World We Have Become An Inspiration To Many.

What We Did Was To Try And Exploit That Spirit [the Idea Of Giving], Which Was There Even Before I Approached Individual South Africans [to Give To The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund]. I Think We Must Start From That Angle.

If You Are Negotiating You Must Do So In A Spirit Of Reconciliation, Not From The Point Of View Of Issuing Ultimatums.

The Wounds That Cannot Be Seen Are More Painful Than Those That Can Be Treated By A Doctor.

No Matter What The Past Has Dealt You, Don't Let It Destroy Your Future.

Positive Thinking

Sport Has The Power To Inspire And Unite People. In Africa, Soccer Enjoys Great Popularity And Has A Particular Place In The Hearts Of People.

Men Come And Men Go, I Have Come And I Will Go When My Time Comes

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.

By Ancestry, I Was Born To Rule.

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

It Is Not Beyond Our Power To Create A World In Which All Children Have Access To A Good Education.

I Knew As Well As I Knew Anything That The Oppressor Must Be Liberated Just As Surely As The Oppressed.

Long Walk To Freedom

Home Is Home Even For Those Who Aspire To Serve Wider Interests And Who Have Established Their Home Of Choice In Distant Regions.

We Should Never Forget Those On Whose Shoulders We Stand And Those Who Paid The Supreme Price For Freedom.

As I Have Said, The First Thing Is To Be Honest With Yourself. You Can Never Have An Impact On Society If You Have Not Changed Yourself... Great Peacemakers Are All People Of Integrity, Of Honesty, But Humility.

I Was Not A Messiah, But An Ordinary Man Who Had Become A Leader Because Of Extraordinary Circumstances.

People Tend To Measure Themselves By External Accomplishments, But Jail Allows A Person To Focus On Internal Ones; Such As Honesty, Sincerity, Simplicity, Humility, Generosity And An Absence Of Variety. You Learn To Look Into Yourself.

The Path Of Those Who Preach Love, And Not Hatred, Is Not Easy. They Often Have To Wear A Crown Of Thorns.

Education Is The Great Engine To Personal Development.

Personal Development

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.

I Did Not Enjoy The Violence Of Boxing So Much As The Science Of It.

Our Daily Deeds As Ordinary South Africans Must Produce An Actual South African Reality That Will Reinforce Humanity's Belief In Justice, Strenthen Its Confidence In The Nobility Of The Human Soul, And Sustain All Our Hopes For A Glorious Life For All.

The Names Of Dingane And Bambata, Hintsa And Makana, Squngthi And Dalasile, Moshoeshoe And Sekhukhuni, Were Praised As The Glory Of The Entire African Nation. I Hoped Then That Life Might Offer Me The Opportunity To Serve My People And Make My Own Humble Contribution To Their Freedom Struggle.

Honesty,sincer Ity,simplicity, Humility, Pure Generosity,abse Nce Of Vanity,readines S To Serve Others -qualities Which Are Within Easy Reach Of Every Soul -are The Foundation Of One's Spiritual Life.

When I Walked Out Of The Gate I Knew That If I Continued To Hate These People I Was Still In Prison.

History And The Generations To Come Will Judge Our Leaders By The Decisions They Make In The Coming Weeks.

There Is A Universal Respect And Even Admiration For Those Who Are Humble And Simple By Nature, And Who Have Absolute Confidence In All Human Beings Irrespective Of Their Social Status.

My Son Has Died Of Aids.

It Only Seems Impossible Until It's Done.

I Was Not Born With A Hunger To Be Free, I Was Born Free.

Educating All Of Our Children Must Be One Of Our Most Urgent Priorities. We All Know That Education, More Than Anything Else, Improves Our Chances Of Building Better Lives.

South Africans Have No Concept Of Time And This Is Also Why We Can't Solve Poverty And Social Problems… It's Now 10 Years Since The Fall Of The Apartheid Government And We Cannot Blame Apartheid For Being Tardy.

Racism Is A Blight On The Human Conscience. The Idea That Any People Can Be Inferior To Another, To The Point Where Those Who Consider Themselves Superior Define And Treat The Rest As Subhuman, Denies The Humanity Even Of Those Who Elevate Themselves To The Status Of Gods.

Hope Is A Powerful Weapon, And (one) No One Power On Earth Can Deprive You Of.

Press Freedom Will Never Be Under Threat In South Africa For As Long As The Anc Is The Majority Party

It Always Seems Impossible Until Its Done.

Therefore, We Must Not Look At The African People, Even Before They Met Whites, As If They Had Something Unique, Which Was Not To Be Found In Other Societies.

The Process Of Illusion & Disillusionment Is Part Of Life And Goes On Endlessly.

The United States Of America Is A Threat To World Peace. Because What [america] Is Saying Is That If You Are Afraid Of A Veto In The Security Council, You Can Go Outside And Take Action And Violate The Sovereignty Of Other Countries. That Is The Message They Are Sending To The World. That Must Be Condemned In The Strongest Terms.

The Youth Of Today Are The Leaders Of Tomorrow.

Leaders Of Tomorrow

Sport Has The Power To Inspire And Unite People. In Africa, Soccer Enjoys Great Popularity And Has A Particular Place In The Hearts Of People. That Is Why It Is So Important That The Fifa World Cup Will, For The First Time Ever, Be Hosted On The African Continent In 2010. We Feel Privileged And Humbled That South Africa Has Been Given This Singular Honour Of Being The African Host Country.

Success In Politics Demands That You Must Take Your People Into Confidence About Your Views And State Them Very Clearly, Very Politely, Very Calmly, But Nevertheless, State Them Openly.

I Have Fought Against White Domination, And I Have Fought Against Black Domination.

A New Society Cannot Be Created By Reproducing The Repugnant Past, However Refined Or Enticingly Repackaged.

The Time For The Healing Of The Wounds Has Come. The Moment To Bridge The Chasms That Divide Us Has Come. The Time To Build Is Upon Us.

No One In My Family Had Ever Attended School [...] On The First Day Of School My Teacher, Miss Mdingane, Gave Each Of Us An English Name. This Was The Custom Among Africans In Those Days And Was Undoubtedly Due To The British Bias Of Our Education. That Day, Miss Mdingane Told Me That My New Name Was Nelson. Why This Particular Name I Have No Idea.

Music Is A Great Blessing. It Has The Power To Elevate And Liberate Us. It Sets People Free To Dream. It Can Unite Us To Sing With One Voice. Such Is The Value Of Music.

Israel Should Withdraw From All The Areas Which It Won From The Arabs In 1967, And In Particular Israel Should Withdraw Completely From The Golan Heights, From South Lebanon And From The West Bank.

I Have Often Wondered Whether A Person Is Justified In Neglecting His Own Family To Fight For Opportunities For Others.

No Power On This Earth Can Destroy The Thirst For Human Dignity

The Real Meaning Of The Spoken Word Has To Be Demonstrated By Practical Deeds

To Go To Prison Because Of Your Convictions And Be Prepared To Suffer For What You Believe In, Is Something Worthwhile. It Is An Achievement For A Man To Do His Duty On Earth Irrespective Of The Consequences.

Leaders Will Have To Give Clear And Decisive Leadership Towards A World Of Tolerance And Respect For Difference, And An Uncompromising Commitment To Peaceful Solutions Of Conflicts And Disputes.

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.

I Am Not Truly Free If I Am Taking Away Someone Else's Freedom, Just As Surely As I Am Not Free When My Freedom Is Taken From Me. The Oppressed And The Oppressor Alike Are Robbed Of Their Humanity.

Long Walk To Freedom

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 Defenceless People.

You Will Achieve More In This World Through Acts Of Mercy Than You Will Through Acts Of Retribution.

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.

Only Free Men Can Negotiate; Prisoners Cannot Enter Into Contracts. Your Freedom And Mine Cannot Be Separated.

Our Differences Are Our Strength As A Species And As A World Community.

In Some Ways, I Saw The Garden As A Metaphor For Certain Aspects Of My Life. A Leader Must Also Tend His Garden; He, Too, Plants Seeds, And Then Watches, Cultivates, And Harvests The Results. Like The Gardener, A Leader Must Take Responsibility For What He Cultivates; He Must Mind His Work, Try To Repel Enemies, Preserve What Can Be Preserved, And Eliminate What Cannot Succeed.

Trending Author

Nikolai Berdyaev

Isidore Ducasse Lautreamont

Mikhail Lermontov

Category