--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Later the island was turned into a leper…" description: "\"“Later the island was turned into a leper colony, a lunatic asylum, and a naval base. The government had only recently turned the island back into a pr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/619/nelson-mandela-248_quote_later-the-island-was-turned-into-a-leper_1720902.jpg" --- # Later the island was turned into a leper colony, a lunatic… ![“Later the island was turned into a leper colony, a lunatic asylum, and a naval base. The government had only recently turned the island back into a prison.” quote by Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/619/nelson-mandela-248_quote_later-the-island-was-turned-into-a-leper_1720902.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/619/nelson-mandela-248_quote_later-the-island-was-turned-into-a-leper_1720902.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/619/nelson-mandela-248_quote_later-the-island-was-turned-into-a-leper_1720902.jpg) > ““Later the island was turned into a leper colony, a lunatic asylum, and a naval base. The government had only recently turned the island back into a prison.”” [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The island's history of suffering and repurposing illustrates how places can be repeatedly transformed, often under harsh conditions. **In simple terms:** Places can be repeatedly repurposed under hardship. Key Takeaway Recognize cycles of oppression. Themes history transformation oppression Mood somber critical Type historical political When to use this quote - urban planning - heritage preservation - policy reform Key Concepts colonialism human rights social change Questions to Reflect On - What can be done to honor past suffering? - How can societies prevent repeated exploitation? A Different Perspective Repeated misuse can erase cultural memory. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“I'd never realized how changeless this changeable island was until it turned into something different than I'd ever known.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-d-never-realized-how-changeless-this-changeable-island-was-until-it/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“He was lovable the way a child is lovable, and he was capable of returning love with a childlike purity. If love is nevertheless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/he-was-lovable-the-way-a-child-is-lovable-and-he-was-capable-of/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [Being thrown out of this place is significantly better than being thrown out of a leper colony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/being-thrown-out-of-this-place-is-significantly-better-than-being/) [Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) > [“There had, of course, been no golden-haired boys; there hadn’t been any boys at all. What there had been was a leper colony, run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-ibbotson/there-had-of-course-been-no-golden-haired-boys-there-hadn-t-been-any/) [Eva Ibbotson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-ibbotson/) > [In Hollywood if you are not working, you are a leper. True, you are probably living in the most expensive leper colony in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-sherman/in-hollywood-if-you-are-not-working-you-are-a-leper-true-you-are/) [Allan Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-sherman/) ## More by Nelson Mandela > [We must work together to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth, opportunity and power in our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-must-work-together-to-ensure-the-equitable-distribution-of-wealth/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Especially for those of us who lived in single cells, you had the time to sit down and think, and we discovered that sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/especially-for-those-of-us-who-lived-in-single-cells-you-had-the-time/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/if-you-don-t-allow-people-to-contribute-to-offer-their-point-of-view/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/courageous-people-do-not-fear-forgiving-for-the-sake-of-peace/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [As a leader... I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/as-a-leader-i-have-always-endeavored-to-listen-to-what-each-and-every/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Some of the mission groups that have been responsible for our education have not been part of the government. In fact, they acted contrary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/some-of-the-mission-groups-that-have-been-responsible-for-our/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“I believed that I would become a counsellor to the Thembu king,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-believed-that-i-would-become-a-counsellor-to-the-thembu-king/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/what-he-means-by-this-is-that-instead-of-saying-you-ll-try-you-need/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-learned-that-courage-was-not-the-absence-of-fear-but-the-triumph/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [We need to exert ourselves that much more, and break out of the vicious cycle of dependence imposed on us by the financially powerful:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-need-to-exert-ourselves-that-much-more-and-break-out-of-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“Prison is a still point in a turning world, and it is very easy to remain in the same place in jail while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/prison-is-a-still-point-in-a-turning-world-and-it-is-very-easy-to/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/a-fundamental-concern-for-others-in-our-individual-and-community/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I am aware of what the position is in the United States of America. If somebody gives to charity, then he gets a tax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-am-aware-of-what-the-position-is-in-the-united-states-of-america-if/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It is our duty to give support to the brother leader ... especially in regards to the sanctions which are not hitting just him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-is-our-duty-to-give-support-to-the-brother-leader-especially-in/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of our own people became a hunger for the freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-was-during-those-long-and-lonely-years-that-my-hunger-for-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) [Explore all 809 Nelson Mandela quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## More Leper Colony quotes > [Being thrown out of this place is significantly better than being thrown out of a leper colony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/being-thrown-out-of-this-place-is-significantly-better-than-being/) [Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) > [“There had, of course, been no golden-haired boys; there hadn’t been any boys at all. What there had been was a leper colony, run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-ibbotson/there-had-of-course-been-no-golden-haired-boys-there-hadn-t-been-any/) [Eva Ibbotson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-ibbotson/) > [In Hollywood if you are not working, you are a leper. True, you are probably living in the most expensive leper colony in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-sherman/in-hollywood-if-you-are-not-working-you-are-a-leper-true-you-are/) [Allan Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-sherman/) Browse all 4 Leper Colony quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Later the island was turned into a leper colony, a lunatic asylum, and a naval base. The government had only recently turned the island back into a prison.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nelson Mandela" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/later-the-island-was-turned-into-a-leper-colony-a-lunatic-asylum-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Leper Colony" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/later-the-island-was-turned-into-a-leper-colony-a-lunatic-asylum-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/619/nelson-mandela-248_quote_later-the-island-was-turned-into-a-leper_1720902.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/619/nelson-mandela-248_quote_later-the-island-was-turned-into-a-leper_1720902.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/619/nelson-mandela-248_quote_later-the-island-was-turned-into-a-leper_1720902.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Later the island was turned into a leper colony, a lunatic asylum, and a naval base. The government had only…” — Nelson Mandela", "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": "Nelson Mandela", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Later the island was turned into...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/later-the-island-was-turned-into-a-leper-colony-a-lunatic-asylum-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/later-the-island-was-turned-into-a-leper-colony-a-lunatic-asylum-and/#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 } } ] } ```