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

Lead from the front — but don t leave your base behind.

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.

Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation

I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only...

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.

Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savor their songs.

I AM THE MASTER OF MY FATE AND THE CAPTAIN OF MY DESTINY.

Where you stand depends on where you sit.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.

Live life as though nobody is watching, and express yourself as though everyone is listening.

After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.

If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner. -Nelson Mandela, activist, South African president, Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1918)

Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.

Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me.

A blind pursuit of cheap popularity has nothing to do with revolution.”[Political Report of the National Executive Committee to the forty-ninth A.N.C. National Conference, Bloemfontein, South Africa, 17 December 1994]

A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don’t have that idea when you...

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.”[ Live 8 Concert, Mary...

I had no epiphany, no singular revelation, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand slights, a thousand indignities and a thousand unremembered moments produced in me an anger, a rebelliousness, a...

A Nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but it’s lowest ones

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.

It is a simple tale, but its message is an enduring one: virtue and generosity will be rewarded in ways that one cannot know.

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

During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic...

When you are young and strong…you can stay alive on your hatred”….but realized later “They can take everything from me except my mind and heart”Nelson Mandela from Long Walk to Freedom

There is a universal respect and even admiration for those who are humble and simple by nature, and who have absolute confidence in all human beings irrespective of their social status.

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...

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

A leader. . .is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.

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

I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.

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.

i love playing and chatting with children…feeding and putting them to bed with a little story, and being away from the family has troubled me throughout my…life. i like relaxing at the house, reading quietly,...

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.

Ik heb altijd gevonden dat lichaamsbeweging niet alleen de sleutel is tot fysieke gezondheid, maar ook tot gemoedsrust. […] Lichaamsbeweging verdrijft spanning en spanning is de vijand van sereniteit.

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

It was not lack of ability that limited my people, but lack of opportunity.

I wondered–not for the first time–whether one was ever justified in neglecting the welfare of one’s own family in order to fight for the welfare of others. Can there be anything more important than looking...

I am the captain of my soul.

There is little to be said in favour of poverty, but it was often an incubator of true friendship. Many people will appear to befriend you when you are wealthy, but precious few will do...

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.

Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.

We owe our children – the most vulnerable citizens in any society – a life free from violence and fear.

A winner is a dreamer who never gives up

It always seems impossible until it’s done.