Top 20 Nelson Mandela Quotes

Undoubtedly,Nelson Mandela is one of Africa’s greatest sons.His life is such an exemplary one.Just a cursory glance at his life,tells a story of a man of great values;leadership,perseverance,a forgiving spirit,sacrifice,love,hope,faith,sacrifice and following through on ones beliefs.

Nelson Mandela let go of a life of personal comfort;a high office position by right of his ancestry,to pursue a cause that united a whole nation.

After spending 27 years in prison,twenty seven years in a cramped cell,coupled with toiling each day at a lime quarry,(that activity causing damage to his lungs that is the cause to his current health situation)predictably,he should have launched and spearheaded a campaign of revenge against his oppressors upon his release. Instead,he exhibited leadership and forgiveness.He stuck to his values and we are witnesses to the Rainbow nation.

Madiba answers the question,’What can one person do?’ Quoting President Obama,’Nelson Mandela showed us that one man’s courage can move the world.’,in a speech he gave at the University of Cape Town,asserting that Mandela’s values are Africa’s future.

Nelson Mandela’s values are exhibited in his words.Pearls of wisdom that inspire,motivate and can be a guide for those who aspire to such greatness.We bring you 20 of Madiba’s quotes.

• It always seems impossible until its done.                                                                                                                        

• If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.

• Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
• I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
• A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.
• There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.
• 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.

• We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.
• Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will.
• Does anybody really think that they didn’t get what they had because they didn’t have the talent or the strength or the endurance or the commitment?
• I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself.
• Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.
• I dream of the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent. I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses.
• 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.
• 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.
• The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
• Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
• I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.
• 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.