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 Quotations
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In human affairs, no single person, organisation or social formation ever has a final or an absolutely correct position. It is through conversation, debate and…
Absolutely
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My respect for human beings is based not on the colour of a man’s skin nor authority he may wield, but purely on merit.
Authority
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I cannot overemphasise the value we place on a free, independent and outspoken press
Free
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Continuously, we have to fight to defeat the primitive tendency towards the glorification of arms, the adulation of force, born of the illusion that injustice…
Adulation
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An educated, enlightened & informed population is one of the surest ways of promoting the health of a democracy
Democracy
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Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that…
Change
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Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon.
Fear
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The world is truly round and seems to start and end with those we love.
End
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I have spent more than 20 years in prison, then on one night I decided to surrender by signing all the terms and conditions of…
All
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I commend #AIESEC's continuing efforts to develop the #future #business #leadership of our countries.
Business
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There is little favorable to be said about poverty, but it was often an incubator of true friendship. Many people will appear to befriend you…
Appear
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It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it.
All
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These numbers are staggering, in fact incomprehensible. By all accounts, we are dealing with the greatest health crisis in human history.
Accounts
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A movement without vision would be a movement without moral foundation.
Foundation
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A new world will be won not by those who stand at a distance with their arms folded, but by those who are in the…
Arena
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The curious beauty of African music is that it uplifts even as it tells a sad tale. You may be poor, you may have only…
African
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Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair
Create
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AIDS is our number one enemy. This enemy can be defeated. While the research for a cure continues, four principles -- love, support, acceptance and…
Acceptance
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For me, survival is the ability to cope with difficulties, with circumstances, and to overcome them.
Ability
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If you are negotiating you must do so in a spirit of reconciliation, not from the point of view of issuing ultimatums.
From
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Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression... Our endeavors must be about the liberation of the woman, the…
Achieved
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Since the dawn of history, mankind has honoured and respected brave and honest people.
Brave
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Our differences are our strength as a species and as a world community.
Community
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Adversity cleanses the lethargies of man
Adversity
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When we decided to take up arms, it was because the only other choice was to surrender and to submit to slavery.
Arms
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