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We Recall Our Terrible Past So That We Can Deal With It, To Forgive Where Forgiveness Is Necessary, Without Forgetting; To Ensure That Never Again Will Such Inhumanity Tear Us Apart; And To Move Ourselves To Eradicate A Legacy That Lurks Dangerously As A Threat To Our Democracy.

-Nelson Mandela

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We Recall Our Terrible

Nelson Mandela

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We Recall Our Terrible Past So That We Can Deal With It, To Forgive Where Forgiveness Is Necessary, Without Forgetting; To Ensure That Never Again Will Such Inhumanity Tear Us Apart; And To Move Ourselves To Eradicate A Legacy That Lurks Dangerously As A Threat To Our Democracy.

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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.

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We Are Extricating Ourselves From A System That Insulted Our Common Humanity By Dividing Us From One Another On The Basis Of Race And Setting Us Against Each Other As Oppressed And Oppressor. That System Committed A Crime Against Humanity.

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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.

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Black And White

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Black And White

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Nothing Is Black Or White.

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

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

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It Only Seems Impossible Until It's Done.

Force Is The Only Language The Imperialists Can Hear, And No Country Became Free Without Some Sort Of Violence.

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There's No Such Thing As Part Freedom.

Freedom Would Be Meaningless Without Security In The Home And In The Streets.

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With Freedom Comes Responsibilities, And I Dare Not Linger, For My Long Walk Has Not Ended Yet.

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Everyone Can Rise Above Their Circumstances And Achieve Success If They Are Dedicated To And Passionate About What They Do.

The Liberty Bell Is "a Very Significant Symbol For The Entire Democratic World."

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Working Together

Distribution Of Wealth

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I Know That, Throughout The World, There Are Good Men And Women Concerned With The Greatest Challenges Facing Society Today - Poverty, Illiteracy, And Disease.

It Is What We Make Out Of What We Have, Not What We Are Given, That Separates One Person From Another.

Self Actualization

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

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Great Anger And Violence Can Never Build A Nation.

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.

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.

We Must Also Know That Even Before Liberation In 1994 There [in South Africa] Were People With Resources Who Tried To Share With Those Who Were Deprived.

Good Men And Women Can Be Mobilized To Ensure That South Africa Is United And That The Spirit Of Reconciliation Is Strengthened And That Progress In This Country Takes Place As Fast As It Can.

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

I Love Playing And Chatting With Children...feed Ing And Putting Them To Bed With A Little Story, And Being Away From The Family Has Troubled Me Throughout My...life.

Any Man Or Institution That Tries To Rob Me Of My Dignity Will Lose.

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.

Know Your Enemy - And Learn About His Favorite Sport.

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

I Was Generally Busy From 7 A.m. Until Midnight. I Never Had Time To Sit And Think. As I Worked, Physical And Mental Fatigue Set In And I Was Unable To Operate To The Maximum Of My Intellectual Ability. But In A Single Cell In Prison, I Had Time To Think. I Had A Clear View Of My Past And Present, And I Found That My Past Left Much To Be Desired, Both In Regard To My Relations With Other Humans And In Developing Personal Worth.

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

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

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

The Death Sentence Is A Barbaric Act.

Friends, Comrades And Fellow South Africans. I Greet You All In The Name Of Peace, Democracy And Freedom For All. I Stand Here Before You Not As A Prophet But As A Humble Servant Of You, The People. Your Tireless And Heroic Sacrifices Have Made It Possible For Me To Be Here Today. I Therefore Place The Remaining Years Of My Life In Your Hands.

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

We Don't Have To Be Victims Of Our Past, That We Can Let Go Of Our Bitterness, And That All Of Us Can Achieve Greatness.

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

There Are So Many Men And Women Who Hold No Distinctive Positions But Whose Contribution Towards The Development Of Society Has Been Enormous.

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

It Is Our Duty To Give Support To The Brother Leader ... Especially In Regards To The Sanctions Which Are Not Hitting Just Him, They Are Hitting The Ordinary Masses Of The People ... Our African Brothers And Sisters.

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.

History Will Surely Judge Us Harshly If We Do Not Respond With All The Energy And Resources That We Can Bring To Bear In The Fight Against Hiv/aids

The First Election In Which All South Africans Took Part Was In April, 1994. There Were Long Queues [lines] Of Employers And Employees, Black And White. In The Sense Of Africans, Coloreds And Indians - When I Talk About Blacks, I Mean Those Three. Blacks And Whites Mingled To Vote Without Any Hitches. Many People Would Have Expected A Great Deal Of Tension, Clashes And Violence, But It Did Not Occur.

Black And White

Sometimes It Falls Upon A Generation To Be Great. You Can Be That Great Generation. Let Your Greatness Blossom. Of Course The Task Will Not Be Easy. But Not To Do This Would Be A Crime Against Humanity, Against Which I Ask All Humanity Now To Rise Up.

I Am Fundamentally An Optimist. Whether That Comes From Nature Or Nurture, I Cannot Say. Part Of Being Optimistic Is Keeping One's Head Pointed Toward The Sun, One's Feet Moving Forward. There Were Many Dark Moments When My Faith In Humanity Was Sorely Tested, But I Would Not And Could Not Give Myself Up To Despair. That Way Lays Defeat And Death.

Those Who Can't Imagine Change Reveal The Deficits Of Their Imaginations, Not The Difficulty Of Change.

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

May Your Choices Reflect Your Hopes, Not Your Fears.

If You Want To Change The World, Help The Women.

Leaders In All Spheres Who Are Living With Hiv Should Be Encouraged, Not Coerced, To Lead By Example And Disclose Their Hiv Status.

It's A Tragedy What Is Happening, What Bush Is Doing. All Bush Wants Is Iraqi Oil. There Is No Doubt That The U.s. Is Behaving Badly. Why Are They Not Seeking To Confiscate Weapons Of Mass Destruction From Their Ally Israel? This Is Just An Excuse To Get Iraq's Oil.

Mass Destruction

After Climbing A Great Hill, One Only Finds That There Are Many More Hills To Climb.

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

Adversity Cleanses The Lethargies Of Man

What Has Sustained Me Even In The Most Grim Moments Is The Knowledge That I Am A Member Of A Tried And Tested Family Which Has Triumphed Over Many Difficulties.

Let Us Join Hands And Build A Truly South African Nation.

Aids Is Our Number One Enemy. This Enemy Can Be Defeated. While The Research For A Cure Continues, Four Principles -- Love, Support, Acceptance And Care For Those Affected -- Can Make Us Winners.

The Brave Man Is Not The One Who Has No Fears, He Is The One Who Triumphs Over His Fears.

If We Want Any Significant Development, We Must Co-opt Civil Society.

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.

Once A Person Is Determined To Help Themselves, There Is Nothing That Can Stop Them.

In The End, Reconciliation Is A Spiritual Process, Which Requires More Than Just A Legal Framework. It Has To Happen In The Hearts And Minds Of People.

Love Comes More Naturally To The Human Heart Than Its Opposite.

Of Course We Desire Education And We Think It Is A Good Thing, But You Don't Have To Have Education In Order To Know That You Want Certain Fundamental Rights, You Have Got Aspirations, You Have Got Acclaims. It Has Nothing To Do With Education Whatsoever.

When We Read We Are Able To Travel To Many Places, Meet Many People And Understand The World.

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