Nelson Mandela Quotes

Love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.

It enables me to go to bed with an enriching feeling in my soul and the belief that I am changing myself.

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

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

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

There are leaders who know that however furious the debate, there are good men and women in all population groups - amongst blacks, amongst whites, and amongst Afrikaans and English speaking people.

Only through hardship, sacrifice and militant action can freedom be won. The struggle is my life. I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days.

I hate race discrimination most intensely and in all its manifestations. I have fought it all during my life; I fight it now, and will do so until the end of my days.

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

Appearances matter — and remember to smile.

Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.

Our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our nation

Our hope is that the elementary reading of comics will lead to the joy of reading good books.

If our expectations, if our fondest prayers and dreams, are not realized then we should all bear in mind that the greatest glory of living lies not in never falling but in rising every time you fall.

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

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.

It always seems impossible until its done.

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

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

A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.

The importance of a high moral code, which is at the foundation of the Scout movement, cannot be stressed too highly.

Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated.

Nonviolence is a good policy when the conditions permit.

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

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.

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

Poverty is not natural; it is man-made

Let us give publicity to HIV/AIDS and not hide it, because [that is] the only way to make it appear like a normal illness

One of the things I learned when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself, I could not change others.

It's in your hands to make the world a better place.

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.

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

Unlike some politicians, I can admit to a mistake.

I am confident that nobody... will accuse me of selfishness if I ask to spend time, while I am still in good health, with my family, my friends and also with myself.

My respect for human beings is based not on the colour of a man’s skin nor authority he may wield, but purely on merit.

We tried in our simple way to lead our life in a manner that may make a difference to those of others.

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

I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.

I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances.

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

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.

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.

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

A new society cannot be created by reproducing the repugnant past, however refined or enticingly repackaged.

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.

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.

For a revolution is not just a question of pulling a trigger; its purpose is to create a fair just society

When I walked out of the gate I knew that if I continued to hate these people I was still in prison.

I was called a terrorist yesterday... Today I am admired by the very people who said I was one.

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.