Quotes by Nelson Mandela | Best Quotes of All Time

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Nelson Mandela

Education Change You World

"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."

Nelson Mandela

Wisdom Heart Man You

"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."

Nelson Mandela

Man Courage Fear Brave

"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."

Nelson Mandela

Motivational Life You Passion Living

"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."

Nelson Mandela

Death Shadow Walk Freedom

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."

Nelson Mandela

Society Soul Children Way

"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."

Nelson Mandela

Freedom Way Free Chains Live

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

Nelson Mandela

Beautiful History Experience Never

"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb."

Nelson Mandela

Great Hill More Climb

"Where globalization means, as it so often does, that the rich and powerful now have new means to further enrich and empower themselves at the cost of the poorer and weaker, we have a responsibility to protest in the name of universal freedom."

Nelson Mandela

Freedom Responsibility Globalization

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

Nelson Mandela

You Yourself Nothing Place

"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."

Nelson Mandela

Leadership You Victory People

"Our human compassion binds us the one to the other - not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future."

Nelson Mandela

Hope Future Suffering Compassion

"As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest."

Nelson Mandela

Long World Rest Injustice

"A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination."

Nelson Mandela

Wisdom Good Heart Always Good Heart

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

Nelson Mandela

Work Peace You Enemy

"To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity."

Nelson Mandela

People Humanity Challenge Human

"We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination."

Nelson Mandela

People Suffering Poverty Gender

"Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts."

Nelson Mandela

Men Free Cannot Only Contracts

"A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don't have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial, and uninformed."

Nelson Mandela

Good You Debate End

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

Nelson Mandela

Peace Africa Dream Which

"Money won't create success, the freedom to make it will."

Nelson Mandela

Success Freedom Money Will Create

"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."

Nelson Mandela

Politics America Want Africa

"I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

Nelson Mandela

Hope Society I Am Together

"Unlike some politicians, I can admit to a mistake."

Nelson Mandela

Mistake Politicians I Can Admit Some

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

Nelson Mandela

Water Heat Turn Foolish

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

Nelson Mandela

Achievement Freedom Never Sun

"Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all."

Nelson Mandela

Work Peace Water Bread Salt

"Forget the past."

Nelson Mandela

Past Moving On Forget Forget The Past

"No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated."

Nelson Mandela

Country Educated Really Citizens

"I detest racialism, because I regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man or a white man."

Nelson Mandela

Man Black White Because

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

Nelson Mandela

Peace Courage People Fear Courageous

"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."

Nelson Mandela

Good Myself Family Health

"Whatever position I occupied, it was the result of colleagues - of my comrades in the movement - who had decided in their wisdom to use me for the purpose of focusing the attention of the country and the international community on me."

Nelson Mandela

Wisdom Me Colleagues Community

"Prison life, fortunately, I spent a lot of years, about 18 years with other prisoners, and, as I say, they enriched your soul."

Nelson Mandela

Life Soul Prison Your

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

Nelson Mandela

Country Go Prison First President

"I dream of the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent. I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses."

Nelson Mandela

Great Unity Problems Africa

"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."

Nelson Mandela

Freedom Fight Always Communism

"I should tie myself to no particular system of society other than of socialism."

Nelson Mandela

Myself Society Socialism System Tie

"I stand here before you not as a prophet, but as a humble servant of you, the people."

Nelson Mandela

You People Humble Stand Servant

"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."

Nelson Mandela

Me Competition Discipline Training

"I do not deny that I planned sabotage. I did not plan it in a spirit of recklessness nor because I have any love of violence. I planned it as a result of a calm and sober assessment of the political situation that had arisen after many years of tyranny, exploitation and oppression of my people by the whites."

Nelson Mandela

Love People Political Calm

"Does anybody really think that they didn't get what they had because they didn't have the talent or the strength or the endurance or the commitment?"

Nelson Mandela

Strength Talent Commitment Think Get

"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."

Nelson Mandela

Beautiful Dreams Forgiveness Roads

"After one has been in prison, it is the small things that one appreciates: being able to take a walk whenever one wants, going into a shop and buying a newspaper, speaking or choosing to remain silent. The simple act of being able to control one's person."

Nelson Mandela

Walk Simple Small Things Person

"Without education, your children can never really meet the challenges they will face. So it's very important to give children education and explain that they should play a role for their country."

Nelson Mandela

Education Face Challenges Country

"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 defenseless people."

Nelson Mandela

Peace People Government Non-Violence

"There is no such thing as part freedom."

Nelson Mandela

Freedom Part Thing

"People respond in accordance to how you relate to them. If you approach them on the basis of violence, that's how they'll react. But if you say, 'We want peace, we want stability,' we can then do a lot of things that will contribute towards the progress of our society."

Nelson Mandela

Peace You People Society

Nelson Mandela

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