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Inspiring Quotes by Nelson Mandela

63 Inspiring quotes by Nelson Mandela

All Inspiring quotes Nelson Mandela’s page

Nelson Mandela says denying basic rights can push people to outlaw status, and that freedom for one means freedom for all. He values resilience, urging that we be judged by how often we fall and rise, and that calm, clear speech matters in politics. He notes a nation’s true character shows in how it treats its poorest.

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Quitting is leading too.

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Nothing is black or white.

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I am the captain of my soul.

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It only seems impossible until it's done.

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I can't pretend that I'm brave and that I can beat the whole world.

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Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead.

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Peace is the greatest weapon for development that any person can have.

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No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated.

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One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen.

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Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation

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Courage is not the absence of fear — it s inspiring others to move beyond it.

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We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference.

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In countries where innocent people are dying, the leaders are following their blood rather than their brains.

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Success in politics demands that you must take your people into confidence about your views and state them very clearly, very politely,…

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We tried in our simple way to lead our life in a manner that may make a difference to those of others.

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Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated.

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A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen,…

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Video screenshot Facts and figures from Nelson Mandela's life, set to the trailer from 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.' "Man's goodness is…

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When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an…

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No one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it…

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To deny people of their human rights is to challenge their very humanity. To impose on them a wretched life of huger…

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He knew when to compromise. Yet he never compromised his principles. He was a militant. Yet a militant who knew how to…

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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…

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Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural.…

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A leader. . .is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others…

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Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.…

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I had no epiphany, no singular revelation, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand slights, a thousand indignities…

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I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But…

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During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I…

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I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.

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It is most unusual to return to a place that has changed in ways you yourself have altered.

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Nonviolence is a good policy when the conditions permit.

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We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.

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As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

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I am not an optimist, but a great believer of hope.

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Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I feel down and got back up again.

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Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.

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The brave man is not the one who has no fears, he is the one who triumphs over his fears.

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It is not where you start but how high you aim that matters for success.

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Your playing small does not serve the world. Who are you not to be great?

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More by Nelson Mandela

We must work together to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth, opportunity and power in our society.

Especially for those of us who lived in single cells, you had the time to sit down and think, and we discovered that sitting…

If you don't allow people to contribute, to offer their point of view, or to criticize what has been put before them, then they…

Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.

As a leader... I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my…

Some of the mission groups that have been responsible for our education have not been part of the government. In fact, they acted contrary…

“I believed that I would become a counsellor to the Thembu king,”

What he means by this is that instead of saying you'll "try", you need to "do". And as we let our light shine, we…

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not…

We need to exert ourselves that much more, and break out of the vicious cycle of dependence imposed on us by the financially powerful:…

“Prison is a still point in a turning world, and it is very easy to remain in the same place in jail while the…

A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we…

I am aware of what the position is in the United States of America. If somebody gives to charity, then he gets a tax…

It is our duty to give support to the brother leader ... especially in regards to the sanctions which are not hitting just him,…

It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of our own people became a hunger for the freedom…