oday the world lost one of it’s true heroes and a leader beyond comparison. Nelson Mandela changed the world for millions of people and managed to stay true to his values and beliefs as he did so. There is much to be said about Mandela and his life and I think it best to let the man say it himself. Below is a collection of quotes made by him during his life. As I read them I reflected that these are the words of a man who has lived a truly extraordinary life and one that he is surely proud of. An inspiration.
“When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.”
“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. 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. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”
“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.”
“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
“One of the things I learned when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself, I could not change others.”
“Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. 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. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.”
“In my country we go to prison first and then become President. ”
“I had no epiphany, no singular revelation, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand slights, a thousand indignities and a thousand unremembered moments produced in me an anger, a rebelliousness, a desire to fight the system that imprisoned my people. There was no particular day on which I said, Henceforth I will devote myself to the liberation of my people; instead, I simply found myself doing so, and could not do otherwise.”
“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”
“I have never cared very much for personal prizes. A person does not become a freedom fighter in the hope of winning awards.”
“We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”
“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.”