Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) was a towering figure in South African and world history. Born into a royal family of the Xhosa tribe, Mandela dedicated his life to fighting against apartheid, the oppressive system of racial segregation enforced by the South African government.
As a
prominent anti-apartheid activist, Mandela faced immense challenges and sacrifices.
He endured 27 years of imprisonment, during which he became a symbol of
resistance and resilience. Despite the hardships, Mandela remained unwavering
in his pursuit of justice and equality.
Mandela's
pivotal role came in the early 1990s when he engaged in negotiations with South
African President F.W. de Klerk. These negotiations led to the dismantling of
apartheid and paved the way for a peaceful transition to majority rule. In
1994, South Africa held its first multiethnic elections, and Mandela became the
country's first black president, serving from 1994 to 1999.
Throughout
his life, Mandela advocated for reconciliation and forgiveness. He believed in
the power of unity and worked towards healing the wounds of apartheid by
establishing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Mandela's leadership and
vision earned him international acclaim and made him a symbol of peace and
human rights.
Mandela's
extraordinary journey and unwavering commitment to justice and equality
continue to inspire people around the world. His legacy serves as a reminder of
the indomitable human spirit and the potential for positive change, even in the
face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. Nelson Mandela remains an iconic
figure, whose values of forgiveness, compassion, and freedom resonate with
people from all walks of life.
Quotes
1. I hate
race discrimination most intensely and in all its manifestations. I have fought
it all during my life; I fight it now and will do so until the end of my days.
2. Sometimes
it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation.
3. It is
what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.
4. Real
leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.
5. 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.”
6. Resentment
is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.
7. 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.
8. Education
is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
9. Everyone
can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to
and passionate about what they do.
10. I like
friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems
from all angles.
11. It always
seems impossible until it's done.
12. Many people
in this country have paid the price before me and many will pay the price after
me.
13. Do not
judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back
up again.
14. Money
won't create success, the freedom to make it will.
15. It is in
the character of growth that we should learn from both pleasant and unpleasant
experiences.
16. It is not
our diversity which divides us; it is not our ethnicity, or religion or culture
that divides us. Since we have achieved our freedom, there can only be one
division amongst us: between those who cherish democracy and those who do not.
17. 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.
18. A
critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any
democracy. The press must be free from state interference. It must have the
economic strength to stand up to the blandishments of government officials. It
must have sufficient independence from vested interests to be bold and
inquiring without fear or favour. It must enjoy the protection of the
constitution, so that it can protect our rights as citizens.
19. There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.
20. I have
taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for
a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my
l long walk is not ended.
21. Lead from
the back — and let others believe they are in front.
22. I learned that to humiliate another person is to make him suffer an unnecessarily cruel fate. Even as a boy, I defeated my opponents without dishonoring them.
23. Although
I am a gregarious person, I love solitude even more.
24. As long
as many of our people still live in utter poverty, as long as children still live under plastic covers, as long as many of our people are still without
jobs, no South African should rest and wallow in the joy of freedom.
25 . 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.
26. Appearances
matter — and remember to smile.
27. After
climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.
28. Nothing
is black or white.
29. Great
peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.
30. 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.
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