The quotations of

Nelson Mandela

President of South Africa and anti-apartheid activist

1918–2013

26 quotes, most often on Freedom, Race and Hope.

For me, survival is the ability to cope with difficulties, with circumstances, and to overcome them.
- Success
The whole purpose of a husband and wife is that when hard times knock at the door you should be able to embrace each other.
- Marriage
I detest racialism, because I regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man or a white man.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
- Race
The people are their own liberators.
- Liberty
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.
First court statement (1962)
- Freedom
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.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
- Courage
- Fear
Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated.
Refusing to bargain for freedom after 21 years in prison, as quoted in TIME (25 February 1985)
- Freedom
The time for the healing of the wounds has come.
The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come.
The time to build is upon us.
Inaugural celebration address (1994)
- Hope
In my country we go to prison first and then become President.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
- Presidency
Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.
Speech at the Chief Albert Luthuli Centenary celebrations, KwaDukuza, South Africa (25 April 1998)
- Freedom
- Leadership
I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.
Unpublished autobiographical manuscript (1975)
- Friendship
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.
Speech at Walter Sisulu’s 90th birthday celebration, Johannesburg (18 May 2002)
- Life & Death
There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
- Freedom
A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
- Character
If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
- Enemies
- War & Peace

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