--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nelson Mandela once remarked that he…" description: "\"Nelson Mandela once remarked that he befriended his jailers, those grim, khaki-clad overseers of his decades of hard labor in a limestone quarry, by \"e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/marc-ian-barasch-30476_able_nelson-mandela-once-remarked-that-he-bef_1949728.png" --- # Nelson Mandela once remarked that he befriended his… ![“Nelson Mandela once remarked that he befriended his jailers, those grim, khaki-clad overseers of his decades of hard labor in a limestone quarry, by "exploiting their good qualities." Asked if he believed all people were kind at their core, he responded, "There is no doubt whatsoever, provided you…” quote by Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/marc-ian-barasch-30476_able_nelson-mandela-once-remarked-that-he-bef_1949728.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/marc-ian-barasch-30476_able_nelson-mandela-once-remarked-that-he-bef_1949728.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/marc-ian-barasch-30476_able_nelson-mandela-once-remarked-that-he-bef_1949728.png) > “Nelson Mandela once remarked that he befriended his jailers, those grim, khaki-clad overseers of his decades of hard labor in a limestone quarry, by "exploiting their good qualities." Asked if he believed all people were kind at their core, he responded, "There is no doubt whatsoever, provided you are able to arouse their inherent goodness." If that sounds like wishful thinking, well, he actually did it.” [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He believed in finding goodness in adversaries, using their positive traits to build trust and cooperation **In simple terms:** Seeing good in others can transform hostile relationships Key Takeaway Seek inherent goodness in others Themes trust forgiveness leadership human nature Mood hopeful reflective Type philosophical leadership When to use this quote - conflict resolution - team building - community mediation - leadership training Key Concepts inherent goodness exploiting positive traits reconciliation Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance trust with caution? - What practical steps reveal others’ good qualities? A Different Perspective Assuming goodness may ignore harmful behavior ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Limestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limestone/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wishful thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wishful-thinking/) ## Related quotes > [On good days, I can see the inherent goodness in people, and that human beings have a high capacity to learn and adapt. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/on-good-days-i-can-see-the-inherent-goodness-in-people-and-that-human/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [“My wish is that this book will help you uncover you inherent goodness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ann-mulligan/my-wish-is-that-this-book-will-help-you-uncover-you-inherent-goodness/) Beth Ann Mulligan > [We believe in the inherent goodness of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-believe-in-the-inherent-goodness-of-man/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [“She had believed in her own inherent goodness, her humanity, and lived accordingly, never causing anyone harm. Her devotion to doing things the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/han-kang/she-had-believed-in-her-own-inherent-goodness-her-humanity-and-lived/) [Han Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/han-kang/) > [“To be young and in love. Isn’t it remarkable that something like that can happen in the middle of a war? It says something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-t-sullivan/to-be-young-and-in-love-isn-t-it-remarkable-that-something-like-that/) [Mark T. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-t-sullivan/) > [We've had a wonderful, wonderful life together. We've been in many places, we've had the experiences, and now we have the memories. But most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-haight/we-ve-had-a-wonderful-wonderful-life-together-we-ve-been-in-many/) [David B. Haight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-haight/) > [It is so easy to waste our lives: our days, our hours, our minutes. It is so easy to take for granted the pale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-is-so-easy-to-waste-our-lives-our-days-our-hours-our-minutes-it-is-2/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [You feel a certain way in a glass or concrete or limestone building. It has an effect on your skin - the same with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/you-feel-a-certain-way-in-a-glass-or-concrete-or-limestone-building/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [“Among the many benefits of “limestone water” was the fact that it came out of the ground at about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/among-the-many-benefits-of-limestone-water-was-the-fact-that-it-came/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [When the climbers in 1953 planted their flags on the highest mountain, they set them in snow over the skeletons of creatures that had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/when-the-climbers-in-1953-planted-their-flags-on-the-highest-mountain/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [Well, I don't like the word 'rock star,' the two words, 'rock star.' Not even 'soft rock star. Not even limestone star. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-martin/well-i-don-t-like-the-word-rock-star-the-two-words-rock-star-not-even/) [Chris Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-martin/) > [“When I try to imagine a faultless love Or the life to come, what I hear is the murmur Of underground streams, what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/when-i-try-to-imagine-a-faultless-love-or-the-life-to-come-what-i/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [The apparent physical stability of reefs belies an underlying natural turmoil of growth, death and destruction of calcareous organisms. Much like a modern city,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-jackson/the-apparent-physical-stability-of-reefs-belies-an-underlying-natural/) [Jeremy Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-jackson/) > [Isn't it wonderful that two of the most sacred and symbolic plants, the olive and the vine, live on almost nothing, a terrace of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-erskine-stuart/isn-t-it-wonderful-that-two-of-the-most-sacred-and-symbolic-plants/) [Janet Erskine Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-erskine-stuart/) > [Guess what it is that turns plants to coal. Pressure. Guess what it is that turns limestone to marble. Pressure. Guess what it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franny-billingsley/guess-what-it-is-that-turns-plants-to-coal-pressure-guess-what-it-is/) [Franny Billingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franny-billingsley/) ## More by Marc Ian Barasch > [We crave a world of either/or, but the Dream says, Both/and. We build a wall between our social persona and our inner selves; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/we-crave-a-world-of-either-or-but-the-dream-says-both-and-we-build-a/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) > [The world as dreamed and the world as lived cross-pollinate each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/the-world-as-dreamed-and-the-world-as-lived-cross-pollinate-each-other/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) > [Once, at a seminar, I heard a Westernized lama say that a meditator's state of mind should be like that of a hotel doorman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/once-at-a-seminar-i-heard-a-westernized-lama-say-that-a-meditator-s/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) > [A Healing Dream can never be completely "interpreted," or fully understood. Healing Dreams want us to stop making sense; not just to crack the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/a-healing-dream-can-never-be-completely-interpreted-or-fully/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) > [For at the center of all spiritual traditions is the beacon of a truly radical proposal: Open your heart to everybody. Everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/for-at-the-center-of-all-spiritual-traditions-is-the-beacon-of-a/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) > [Polls show that most people in the world favor humbler, more compassionate solutions to our common problems. Not only favor them but, resolving to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/polls-show-that-most-people-in-the-world-favor-humbler-more/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) > [Loosen the bonds of discursive thought. Extend the circle of caring. Cease armoring against suffering. Wish for others the same happiness you wish for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/loosen-the-bonds-of-discursive-thought-extend-the-circle-of-caring/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) > [A friend told me of visiting the Dalai Lama in India and asking him for a succinct definition of compassion. She prefaced her question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/a-friend-told-me-of-visiting-the-dalai-lama-in-india-and-asking-him/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) > [I used to think that people who regarded everyone benignly were a mite simple or oblivious or just plain lax-until I tried it myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/i-used-to-think-that-people-who-regarded-everyone-benignly-were-a/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) > [The dark and the light are braided and bound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/the-dark-and-the-light-are-braided-and-bound/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) > [Our dreams disturb us because they refuse to pander to our fondest notions of ourselves. The closer one looks, the more they seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/our-dreams-disturb-us-because-they-refuse-to-pander-to-our-fondest/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) > [“I'll sometimes feel a warmth or ache in my chest and think that it's my heart shaking off it's torpor. I hear it murmuring;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/i-ll-sometimes-feel-a-warmth-or-ache-in-my-chest-and-think-that-it-s/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) > [Every now and then, I'll meet an escapee, someone who has broken free of self-centeredness and lit out for the territory of compassion. You've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/every-now-and-then-i-ll-meet-an-escapee-someone-who-has-broken-free/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) > [Unresolved emotional pain is the great contagion of our time — of all time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/unresolved-emotional-pain-is-the-great-contagion-of-our-time-of-all/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) > [Big dreams are risky business. The psyche can be fiendish, puckish, exalted, imperious, tender, sardonic, faithful, pestilential--whatever rivets our attention upon the task of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/big-dreams-are-risky-business-the-psyche-can-be-fiendish-puckish/) [Marc Ian Barasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) [Explore all 17 Marc Ian Barasch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nelson Mandela once remarked that he befriended his jailers, those grim, khaki-clad overseers of his decades of hard labor in a limestone quarry, by \"exploiting their good qualities.\" Asked if he believed all people were kind at their core, he responded, \"There is no doubt whatsoever, provided you are able to arouse their inherent goodness.\" If that sounds like wishful thinking, well, he actually did it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marc Ian Barasch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/nelson-mandela-once-remarked-that-he-befriended-his-jailers-those/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/nelson-mandela-once-remarked-that-he-befriended-his-jailers-those/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/marc-ian-barasch-30476_able_nelson-mandela-once-remarked-that-he-bef_1949728.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/marc-ian-barasch-30476_able_nelson-mandela-once-remarked-that-he-bef_1949728.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/marc-ian-barasch-30476_able_nelson-mandela-once-remarked-that-he-bef_1949728.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nelson Mandela once remarked that he befriended his jailers, those grim, khaki-clad overseers of his decades…” — Marc Ian Barasch", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Marc Ian Barasch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ian-barasch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nelson Mandela once remarked that he...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/nelson-mandela-once-remarked-that-he-befriended-his-jailers-those/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ian-barasch/nelson-mandela-once-remarked-that-he-befriended-his-jailers-those/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```