Nelson Mandela was a South African statesman and anti-apartheid revolutionary. He served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his work in ending the apartheid system.
What is the most famous quote by Nelson Mandela ?
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
— Nelson Mandela
What can you learn from Nelson Mandela (Life Lessons)
- Nelson Mandela taught us that we can overcome any obstacle with courage, resilience, and compassion. He showed us the power of forgiveness and the importance of unity and solidarity in the pursuit of justice.
- He demonstrated that we can achieve anything if we are willing to put in the hard work, and that we should never give up in the face of adversity.
- He also showed us that it is possible to create lasting change through peaceful means, and that we should always strive to create a more equitable and just society.
The most famous Nelson Mandela quotes you will be delighted to read
Following is a list of the best Nelson Mandela quotes, including various Nelson Mandela inspirational quotes, and other famous sayings by Nelson Mandela.
It is so easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.
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.
Thinking too well of people often allows them to be better than they otherwise would.
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.
It only seems impossible until it's done.
A winner is a dreamer who never gives up
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.
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.
If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. The he becomes your partner.
What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived.
It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.
When a man is denied to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.
Inspirational quotes by Nelson Mandela
Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.
I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.
Live life as though nobody is watching, and express yourself as though everyone is listening.
If the ANC does to you what the apartheid government did to you, then you must do to the ANC what you did to the apartheid government.
Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon.
It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it.
It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it.
Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.
A real leader uses every issue, no matter how serious and sensitive, to ensure that at the end of the debate we should emerge stronger and more united than ever before.
Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.
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.
Quotations by Nelson Mandela that are courageous and iconic
If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy.
Then he becomes your partner.
Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural.
It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.
After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.
Don't judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got up again
As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.
Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead.
There is no passion to be found playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one your are capable of living.
No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.
One of the most difficult things is not to change society - but to change yourself.
Freedom can never be taken for granted.
Each generation must safeguard it and extend it. Your parents and elders sacrificed much so that you should have freedom without suffering what they did. Use this precious right to ensure that the darkness of the past never returns.
When a deep injury is done to us, we never heal until we forgive.
Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.
It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.
Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice.
May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.
After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.
My dream would be a multicultural society, one that is diverse and where every man, woman and child are treated equally. I dream of a world where all people of all races work together in harmony.
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 and The Language of Leaders.
A leader. . .is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.
A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.
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.
I say to all those leaders, do not look the other way.
Do not hesitate... It is within your power to avoid a genocide of humanity.
Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward.
The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children.
It always seems impossible until it's done.
There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.
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.
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.
We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.
May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.
The brave man is not the one who has no fears, he is the one who triumphs over his fears.
Ethiopia always has a special place in my imagination and the prospect of visiting Ethiopia attracted me more strongly than a trip to France, England, and America combined. I felt I would be visiting my own genesis, unearthing the roots of what made me an African.
Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life . . .
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.
Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.
There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere.
Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.