Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and black nationalist who spent 27 years in prison for resisting the country’s brutal system of racial segregation. His courageous negotiations in the early 1990s with then-President F.W. de Klerk led to the dismantling of apartheid and a peaceful transition to majority rule. Mandela later became South Africa’s first Black president (1994–1999), leading its first multiethnic, democratic government.
Here are some of Nelson Mandela’s most inspiring quotes:
Here are some of Nelson Mandela’s most inspiring quotes:
- “Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.”
- “A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of.”
- “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
- “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
- “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
- “Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.”
- “I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.”
- “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”