Nelson Mandela Quotes

Mandela united a nation after suffering 27 years in prison, showing compassion, forgiveness, and a moral integrity that will shine as a light in the history books for generations to come. I hope you enjoy this Top 10 list of Nelson Mandela quotes.

Profile: Mandela was born in the small village of Mvezo on the 18th July 1918, an area in South Eastern South Africa.

He qualified as a lawyer and set up a law firm in 1952, during this time Mandela was prominently involved in the African National Congress. Initially committed to non-violent resistance, this stance changed after the Sharpeville Massacre where 69 people were killed and Mandela then became the leader of the ANC's armed wing in 1961.

He was arrested in 1962 and sentenced in 1964, he spent 27 years in prison. Mandela was released in 1990 and led negotiations which led to multi-racial democracy, he was elected President of South Africa in 1994 and served to 1999.

Nelson Mandela died on the 5th of December 2013. A true giant of humanity. RIP Sir.

A Top 10 list of
Nelson Mandela quotes

1:

"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."

- Nelson Mandela



2:

"To be father of a nation is a great honour,
but to be the father of a family is a greater joy."

- Nelson Mandela



3:

"For thousands of years and one generation after another,
the human race has thrown up men and women of
love, vision and boundless courage.
It is thanks to these towering giants
that our humanness has always remained with us
and will always remain with us,
no matter how difficult the challenges history throws at us
from one historic era to another."

- Nelson Mandela



4:

"The anchor of all my dreams is
the collective wisdom of mankind as a whole."

- Nelson Mandela

5:

"I was reading and I discovered
that there was a world which I did not know,
whose doors opened to me
and the influences of these men
must be reckoned as against that background."

- Nelson Mandela



6:

"We operate in a world which is searching for a better life -
without the imprisonment of dogma."

- Nelson Mandela



7:

"It is not beyond our power to create a world
in which all children have access to a good education."

- Nelson Mandela



8:

"Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land
will again experience the oppression of one by another."

- Nelson Mandela



9:

"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."

- Nelson Mandela



10:

"If there are dreams of a beautiful South Africa,
there are also roads that lead to their goal.
Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness."

- Nelson Mandela

Most of these quotes have been sourced from his book
Nelson Mandela by Himself: The Authorised Book of Quotations.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoyed these Nelson Mandela quotes.
This inspirational leader truly has a lifetime of wisdom to impart...

Share this Page

---

Return to Quotes by
Famous People Timeline
from Nelson Mandela Quotes




Home Page | Top of Page