About Nelson Mandela

Anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first democratically elected president. (1918-2013)

See all 10 Nelson Mandela quotes

More from Nelson Mandela

• 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 (1994)
• 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.Long Walk to Freedom (1994)
• I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.Long Walk to Freedom (1994)
• Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.Speech at the launch of the Mindset Network (2003)
• 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 (2002)
• Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.Chief Albert Luthuli Centenary celebrations (1998)

More quotes on leadership

• We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us.John Lewis
• Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.Dalai Lama
• Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each one of us individually.Dalai Lama
• If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.Desmond Tutu
• I am a leader by default, only because nature does not allow a vacuum.Desmond Tutu
• If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything, wouldn't you, at any time? And you would achieve nothing!Margaret Thatcher

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