Top 35 Nelson Mandela Quotes


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.

No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.

If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.

A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

One of the things I learned when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself, I could not change others.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself... Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.

Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.


It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.

Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.

There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return.

You sharpen your ideas by reducing yourself to the level of the people you are with and a sense of humour and a complete relaxation, even when you’re discussing serious things, does help to mobilise friends around you. And I love that.

If you want the cooperation of humans around you, you must make them feel they are important - and you do that by being genuine and humble.

Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

It always seems impossible until it's done.

It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory, when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.


I was called a terrorist yesterday, but when I came out of jail, many people embraced me, including my enemies, and that is what I normally tell other people who say those who are struggling for liberation in their country are terrorists. I tell them that I was also a terrorist yesterday, but, today, I am admired by the very people who said I was one.

I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for, and to see realised. But my Lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.

Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.

There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.

What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.

When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.


Difficulties break some men but make others. No axe is sharp enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying, one armed with the hope that he will rise even in the end.

Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.

Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.

I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.

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