About Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist, statesman, and revolutionary who was the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first Black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His administration focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by fostering racial reconciliation, a national peace accord and eventual multiracial democracy. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as the president of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 to 1997.
Known for:
Long Walk to Freedom
Notable works:
Long Walk to Freedom
Awards:
Presidential Medal of Freedom|United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights|Bruno Kreisky Award for Services to Human Rights|Nobel Peace Prize|Sakharov Prize|Order of the Smile|Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau|Order of Merit|Order of Lenin|Lenin Peace Prize|Bharat Ratna|Order of the Lion|honorary Canadian citizenship|Congressional Gold Medal|Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo|Order of Friendship|Ambassador of Conscience Award|Alan Paton Award|Order of the Elephant|Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership|World Rugby Hall of Fame|Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal|Al-Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights|Order of the Nile|Nishan-e-Pakistan|Gandhi Peace Prize|Royal Order of the Seraphim|Order of the Star of Ghana|Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize|Order of José Martí|Order of Jamaica|International Simón Bolívar Prize|Arthur Ashe Courage Award|Order of Stara Planina|Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding|Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation|Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize|Isitwalandwe Medal|Order of Playa Girón|Delta Prize for Global Understanding|J. William Fulbright Prize|Atatürk International Peace Prize|Philadelphia Liberty Medal|Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour|honorary doctorate|Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav|honorary citizen of Paris|Grand Cross of the National Order of Mali|Giuseppe Motta Medal|Order of Agostinho Neto|Order of Augusto César Sandino|Ahimsa Award|Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class|honorary doctorate of the University of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria|Grand Cross of the Order of the Aztec Eagle|honorary doctor of the Autonomous University of Barcelona|honorary doctor of the University of Madrid Complutense|Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic|Four Freedoms Award – Freedom Medal|Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry|Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland|Grandmaster of the Order of Good Hope|Order of Mapungubwe in Platinum|Gold Olympic Order|Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia|Honorary Companion of the Order of Canada|honorary doctor of the University of the Witwatersrand|honorary doctor of the University of Antwerp|honorary doctor of the Howard University|honorary doctor of Paris 8 University|honorary doctorate of the University of Cape Town|honorary doctorate of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel|honorary doctor of the University of Hong Kong|honorary doctor of the Peking University|Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of Saint John|Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty|Honorary Doctor at Karolinska Institutet|honorary doctor of the University of Calcutta|honorary doctor of the University of Pretoria|Honorary doctor of Leiden University|Grand Star of People's Friendship|Order of Eduardo Mondlane, 1st class|honorary degree from Spelman College|honorary doctor of the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne|Freedom of the London Borough of Greenwich|Freedom of the Royal Borough of Greenwich|Honorary King's Counsel|Honorary doctor of the University of Fort Hare
Best Nelson Mandela Wisdom
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It's not our weaknesses that frighten us. It's our strengths.
Frighten
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Music is a great blessing. It has the power to elevate and liberate us. It sets people free to dream. It can unite us to…
Blessing
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Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward.
Feet
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Our task is not to liberate the oppressed, but to liberate the oppressors
Inspirational
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The so-called 'Palestinian autonomous areas' are bantustans. These are restricted entities within the power structure of the Israeli apartheid system.
Apartheid
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I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else's freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is…
Alike
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Honesty,sincer ity,simplicity, humility, pure generosity,abse nce of vanity,readines s to serve others -qualities which are within easy reach of every soul -are the foundation of…
Easy
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If I am your leader, you have to listen to me & if you don’t want to listen to me, then drop me as your…
Don T
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I was not born with a hunger to be free, I was born free.
Born
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Ethiopia always has a special place in my imagination and the prospect of visiting Ethiopia attracted me more strongly than a trip to France, England,…
African
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An organisation can only carry out its mandate if there is discipline, and where there is no discipline there can be no real progress
Carry
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When we dehumanise and demonise our opponents, we abandon the possibility of peacefully resolving our differences, and seek to justify violence against them.
Abandon
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Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom. Of course the task will not be…
All
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The freedom we enjoy is a richly textured gift handcrafted by ordinary folk
Enjoy
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Each of us, as citizens, has a role to play in creating a better world for our children
Better
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It is a grave error for any leader to be oversensitive in the face of criticism
Any
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No power on this earth can destroy the thirst for human dignity
Destroy
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We need a fundamental change of mindset with regards to the way we speak and behave about sex and sexuality. Boys and men have a…
Action
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No form of violence can ever be excused in a society that wishes to call itself decent
Call
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We should take heart from our own experience and performance. In a cynical world we have become an inspiration to many.
Cynical
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Let us join hands and build a truly South African nation.
African
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It is my deepest conviction that the children should be seen and heard as our most treasured assets.
Assets
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The Children's Hospital will be a credible demonstration of the commitment of African leaders to place the rights of children at the forefront. Nothing less…
African
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AIDS today in Africa is claiming more lives than the sum total of all wars, famines and floods and the ravages of such deadly diseases…
Act
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Freedom is meaningless if people cannot put food in their stomachs, if they can have no shelter, if illiteracy and disease continue to dog them.
Cannot Put
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