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Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela Quotes

Former President of South Africa

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Famous Nelson Mandela Quotes

“If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America. They don't care for human beings.... What I am condemning is that one power, with a president [George W. Bush] who has no foresight, who cannot think properly, is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust.”

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Author:Nelson Mandela
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“It is not a question of patronizing philanthropy towards disabled people. They do not need the patronage of the non-disabled. It is not for them to adapt to the dominant and dominating world of the so-called non-disabled. It is for us to adapt our understanding of a common humanity; to learn of the richness of how human life is diverse; to recognize the presence of disability in our human midst as an enrichment of our diversity.”

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Author:Nelson Mandela
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“I was generally busy from 7 A.M. until midnight. I never had time to sit and think. As I worked, physical and mental fatigue set in and I was unable to operate to the maximum of my intellectual ability. But in a single cell in prison, I had time to think. I had a clear view of my past and present, and I found that my past left much to be desired, both in regard to my relations with other humans and in developing personal worth.”

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Author:Nelson Mandela
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“Our efforts to counter hatred, intolerance, and indifference must continue simultaneously at individual and structural levels. We must try to influence for good the minds and hearts of individual people through dialogue and confidence building. These efforts must be reinforced by our efforts to create just structures in society to support the ongoing work of negotiations in the human community. Only then will we have a chance to negate the terrible consequences of the tremendous conflicts facing humankind today.”

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Author:Nelson Mandela
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“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.”

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Author:Nelson Mandela
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“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. Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice... Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.”

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Author:Nelson Mandela
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“Love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

LifeHumansHeartHateRacismHatredOppositesI HateDiscriminationHatedSouth AfricaHuman HeartLove HateApartheidHuman DignityLove And HateAnti RacismLearning To LoveLong WalksLong Walk To FreedomEducation And FreedomPeace HarmonyPeace And ToleranceAnti DiscriminationInspirational FreedomHated LoveHate GodDiscrimination And RacismEnding RacismNatural LoveAgainst RacismJustice And Love
Author:Nelson Mandela
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“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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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Author:Nelson Mandela
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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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“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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“In human affairs, no single person, organisation or social formation ever has a final or an absolutely correct position. It is through conversation, debate and critical discussion that we approach positions that may provide workable solutions.”

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Book:Nelson Mandela By Himself: The Authorised Book of Quotations
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“This must be a world of democracy and respect for human rights, a world freed from the horrors of poverty, hunger, deprivation and ignorance, relieved of the threat and the scourge of civil wars and external aggression and unburdened of the great tragedy of millions forced to become refugees.”

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Book:Notes to the Future: Words of Wisdom
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“The very right to be human is denied every day to hundreds of millions of people as a result of poverty, the unavailability of basic necessities such as food, jobs, water and shelter, education, health care and a healthy environment.”

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Book:Nelson Mandela: from freedom to the future : tributes and speeches
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“Racism is a blight on the human conscience. The idea that any people can be inferior to another, to the point where those who consider themselves superior define and treat the rest as subhuman, denies the humanity even of those who elevate themselves to the status of gods.”

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Book:Nelson Mandela By Himself: The Authorised Book of Quotations
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“Gandhi rejects the Adam Smith notion of human nature as motivated by self-interest and brute needs and returns us to our spiritual dimension with its impulses for nonviolence, justice and equality. He exposes the fallacy of the claim that everyone can be rich and successful provided they work hard. He points to the millions who work themselves to the bone and still remain hungry.”

NeedsHumansStillsSelfHardSpiritualInterestJusticeMillionsSuccessfulRichHuman NatureHard WorkReturnClaimsNotionBonesHungryImpulseDimensionsRejectsMotivatedAdamNonviolenceSelf InterestBrutesFallacyEquality And JusticeSpiritual Dimensions
Author:Nelson Mandela
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