An activist, lawyer, anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist, Nelson Mandela is widely regarded as the Father of Modern South Africa. An ardent believer of equal rights irrespective of ethnicity, creed, religion or gender, Nelson Mandela was instrumental in ending apartheid in South Africa. Nelson Mandela has also been a author par excellence with his various works like “Long Walk to Freedom” that speaks of his vision of a new world with peace, equality and order. Nelson Mandela quotes reflect his immense believe in power of human potential and dreams.
Also read: Mahatma Gandhi Quotes, Mother Teresa Quotes and Martin Luther King Jr Quotes
We bring you 25 of the best Nelson Mandela quotes on peace, leadership, change and more.
1. “A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.”
2. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
3. “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.”
4. “One of the most difficult things is not to change society — but to change yourself.”
5. “There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return.”
6. “After climbing a great hill. One only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”
7. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
8. “If people can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
9. “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
10. “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.”
11. “A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.”
12. “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.”
13. “A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.”
14. “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”
15. “It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”
16. “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”
17. “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
18. “I never lose. I either win or learn.”
19. “Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon.”
20. “Live life as though nobody is watching, and express yourself as though everyone is listening.”
21.”As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”
22. “Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.”
23. “When a deep injury is done to us, we never heal until we forgive.”
24. “Fools multiply when wise men are silent.”
25. “Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.”
Mandela spent over 27 years in prison before his efforts bore fruit with South Africa transforming into a truly fully representative democracy with equal rights for all. His struggle, story and journey is an inspirational for activists, leaders and people all across the globe.
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