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Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela Quotes

Former President of South Africa

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Famous Nelson Mandela Quotes

“In judging our progress as individuals we tend to concentrate on external factors such as one's social position, influence and popularity, wealth and standard of education... But internal factors may be even more crucial in assessing one's development as a human being. Honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, pure generosity, absence of vanity, readiness to serve others - qualities which are within easy reach of every soul - are the foundation of one's spiritual life.”

LoveLifeHumansMaySoulHappinessSpiritualSuccessIndividualSocialEasyWealthHuman BeingsAttitudeQualityFamilyProgressInfluenceHonestyPositionHumilityJudgingDevelopmentPureStandardsFoundationSimplicityAbsenceFactorsVanityGenerosityBeing HonestInternalsSincerityCrucialSpiritual LifePopularityFamily LifeReadinessAssessing
Author:Nelson Mandela
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“After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended.”

LongI CanMomentsWalksResponsibilityDareHillsClimbsPrisonerClimbingApartheidVistasLong WalksLong Walk To FreedomLong RoadInspirational Freedom
Book:Nelson Mandela By Himself: The Authorised Book of Quotations
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“I and some colleagues came to the conclusion that as violence in this country was inevitable, it would be wrong and unrealistic for African leaders to continue preaching peace and non-violence at a time when the government met our peaceful demands with force. It was only when all else had failed, when all channels of peaceful protest had been barred to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of political struggle.”

MadeCountryGovernmentWould BeFormPoliticalForceDecisionLeaderStruggleViolenceMetsDemandViolentConclusionPeacefulInevitableProtestPreachingColleaguesNon ViolencePeaceful ProtestPolitical Struggle
Book:One nation, one country
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“We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom. We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success. We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world. Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all. Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world. Let freedom reign.”

PeopleKnowsWorldWellsStillsTogetherBeautifulSufferingNationsEasyWaterJusticeUnitedActingLandAchieveBuildingBirthBreadOppressionNew WorldSaltSouth AfricaReignReconciliationNation BuildingIndignityJustice For AllEasy RoadBeautiful Land
Author:Nelson Mandela
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“As the years progress one increasingly realises the importance of friendship and human solidarity. And if a 90-year-old may offer some unsolicited advice on this occasion, it would be that you, irrespective of your age, should place human solidarity, the concern for the other, at the centre of the values by which you live.”

IfsShouldYearsHumansMayWould BeAgeValuesProgressAdviceOffersConcernImportanceOccasionsRealisingSolidarityCentreMost MeaningfulUnsolicited Advice
Author:Nelson Mandela
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“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion.”

PersonsWisdomHateBornRacismHatredSkinsI HateBackgroundsDiscriminationHatedColourSouth AfricaHuman HeartApartheidHate HimAnti RacismLearning To LoveLong Walk To FreedomEducation And FreedomPeace HarmonyPeace And ToleranceAnti DiscriminationInspirational FreedomNo HateHate ReligionDiscrimination And RacismEnding RacismAgainst Racism
Author:Nelson Mandela
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“No one in my family had ever attended school [...] On the first day of school my teacher, Miss Mdingane, gave each of us an English name. This was the custom among Africans in those days and was undoubtedly due to the British bias of our education. That day, Miss Mdingane told me that my new name was Nelson. Why this particular name I have no idea.”

FirstsIdeasSchoolNamesTeacherMissingParticularMy FamilyBritishDuesNo IdeaCustomsBiasNelsonFirst Day Of School
Author:Nelson Mandela
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“We have triumphed in the effort to implant hope in the breasts of the millions of our people. We enter into a covenant that we shall build the society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity — a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.”

PeopleWorldHumansHeartAbleNationsBlackWhiteWalksEffortMillionsDignitySouthBreastsTallBlack And WhiteSouth AfricaRainbowAssuredCovenantHuman DignityImplants
Author:Nelson Mandela
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“There is an absence of democratic accountability and control in every sphere of government and the state. To address this debilitating legacy requires determined action and a deep commitment to transforming our society from a crisis ridden present into something all South Africans can be truly proud of.”

StatesGovernmentActionProudCommitmentCrisisDemocraticSouthDeterminedAbsenceLegacyAddressesOur SocietyAccountabilitySpheresSouth AfricaTransforming
Author:Nelson Mandela
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“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.”

MenFeelsShouldDoeEndsHomeHappensHateFightingBlackJusticeWhiteOpinionSpecialTypeRacismI HateRegardFellowsCourtSouthDiscriminationEsteemEaseManifestationSurroundSouth AfricaInferiorsEntitledWhite ManAssuranceDetestRacial DiscriminationDiscrimination And RacismEnding Racism
Book:We Accuse: The Trial of Nelson Mandela
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“The New World Order that is in the making must focus on the creation of a world of democracy, peace and prosperity for all.”

WorldOrderDemocracyFocusCreationHistoricalProsperityNew WorldElitesNew World OrderWorld OrderConspiracy TheoryWorld GovernmentNwoOne World GovernmentNew Government
Book:Invest in peace: addresses by the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr. Nelson Mandela, to the United Nations' General Assembly and to the joint houses of the Congress of the United States of America, October 1994
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“But the human body has an enormous capacity for adjusting to trying circumstances. I have found that one can bear the unbearable if one can keep one's spirits strong even when one's body is being tested. Strong convictions are the secret of surviving deprivation; your spirit can be full even when your stomach is empty.”

IfsTryingHumansBodySpiritFoundStrongSecretBearsCircumstancesSurvivalCapacityEmptyConvictionEnormousStomachTestedHuman BodySurvivingUnbearableDeprivationAdjusting
Book:Long Walk To Freedom
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“Why is it that in this courtroom I face a white magistrate, am confronted by a white prosecutor and escorted into the dock by a white orderly? Can anyone honestly and seriously suggest that in this type of atmosphere the scales of justice are evenly balanced?”

FacesJusticeWhiteTypeHonestlyScalesAtmosphereBalancedOrderlyProsecutorMagistratesCourtroomDocksScales Of Justice
Book:Nelson Mandela By Himself: The Authorised Book of Quotations
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“The truth is that we are not yet free; we have merely achieved the freedom to be free, the right not to be oppressed. We have not taken the final step of our journey, but the first step on a longer and even more difficult road. 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. The true test of our devotion to freedom is just beginning.”

WayFirstsDifficultStepsTakenJourneyTruth IsTestsFinalsCastsDevotionChainsFirst StepsOppressed
Book:Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years
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“[Gandhi] said, "I want to find God, and because I want to find God, I have to find God along with other people. I don't believe I can find God alone. If I did, I would be running to the Himalayas to find God in some cave there. But since I believe that nobody can find God alone, I have to work with people. I have to take them with me. Alone I can't come to Him."”

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Author:Nelson Mandela
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“It can be said that there are four basic and primary things that the mass of people in a society wish for: to live in a safe environment, to be able to work and provide for themselves, to have access to good public health and to have sound educational opportunities for their children.”

PeopleChildrenSaidAbleOpportunityWishSoundEnvironmentFourSafeMassEducationalAccessPrimariesPublic HealthSafe Environment
Book:Nelson Mandela By Himself: The Authorised Book of Quotations
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“At the southern tip of the continent, a rich reward is in the making, an invaluable gift is in the preparation, for those who suffered in the name of all humanity when they sacrificed everything - for liberty, peace, human dignity and human fulfillment. The value of our shared reward will and must be measured by the joyful peace which will triumph, because of the common humanity that bonds both black and white into one human race, will have said to each one of us that we shall all live like the children of paradise.”

HumansChildrenSaidValuesHumanityNamesBlackWhiteCommonRaceLibertyRichDignityRewardsPreparationTriumphFulfillmentHuman RaceParadiseSouthernJoyfulContinentsBlack And WhiteHuman DignityInvaluableCommon Humanity
Author:Nelson Mandela
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“A critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy. The press must be free from state interference. It must have the economic strength to stand up to the blandishments of government officials. It must have sufficient independence from vested interests to be bold and inquiring without fear or favour. It must enjoy the protection of the constitution, so that it can protect our rights as citizens.”

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Author:Nelson Mandela
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“Our children are the rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation. They will be the leaders of our country, the creators of our national wealth, those who care for and protect our people.”

PeopleChildrenCountryCareNationsWealthLeaderRocksProtectBuiltOur ChildrenCreatorOur CountryAssetsOur FutureWho Cares
Book:Nelson Mandela By Himself: The Authorised Book of Quotations
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