Nelson Mandela quotes - page 9

I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances. (Nelson Mandela)
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. View quote
Nelson Mandela
There are so many men and women who hold no distinctive positions but whose contribution towards the development of society has been enormous. View quote
Nelson Mandela
My son has died of AIDS. View quote
Nelson Mandela
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. View quote
Nelson Mandela
There is nothing I fear more than waking up without a program that will help me bring a little happiness to those with no resources, those who are poor, illiterate, and ridden with terminal disease. View quote
Nelson Mandela
I was called a terrorist yesterday, but when I came out of jail, many people embraced me, including my enemies, and that is what I normally tell other people who say those who are struggling for liberation in their country are terrorists. View quote
Nelson Mandela
Our march to freedom is irreversible. We must not allow fear to stand in our way. Universal suffrage on a common voters' roll in a united, democratic and non-racial South Africa is the only way to peace and racial harmony. View quote
Nelson Mandela
I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death. View quote
Nelson Mandela
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. And 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. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom. View quote
Nelson Mandela
Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again. (Nelson Mandela)
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. View quote
Nelson Mandela
We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right. View quote
Nelson Mandela
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. View quote
Nelson Mandela
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. View quote
Nelson Mandela
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. View quote
Nelson Mandela
Our hope is that the elementary reading of comics will lead to the joy of reading good books. View quote
Nelson Mandela
I regard it as a duty which I owed, not just to my people, but also to my profession, to the practice of law, and to the justice for all mankind, to cry out against this discrimination which is essentially unjust and opposed to the whole basis of the attitude towards justice which is part of the tradition of legal training in this country. I believed that in taking up a stand against this injustice I was upholding the dignity of what should be an honorable profession. View quote
Nelson Mandela
The power of imagination created the illusion that my vision went much farther than the naked eye could actually see. View quote
Nelson Mandela
I can't pretend that I'm brave and that I can beat the whole world. View quote
Nelson Mandela
the histories of our two peoples correspond in such painful and poignant ways that I intensely feel myself at home amongst my compatriots. (Nelson Mandela)
How can I be expected to believe that this same racial discrimination which has been the cause of so much injustice and suffering right through the years, should now operate here to give me a fair and open trial.... consider myself neither morally nor legally obliged to obey laws made by a Parliament in which I am not represented. That the will of the people is the basis of the authority of government, is a principle universally acknowledged as sacred throughout the civilized world. View quote
Nelson Mandela
We need to exert ourselves that much more, and break out of the vicious cycle of dependence imposed on us by the financially powerful those in command of immense market power and those who dare to fashion the world in their own image. View quote
Nelson Mandela
Those South Africans who berate me for being loyal to our friends, literally they can go and throw themselves into a pool. I am not going to betray the trust of those who helped us. View quote
Nelson Mandela
Our continent must be allowed to do its own things, charting its course and destiny. View quote
Nelson Mandela