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)
• A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.Long Walk to Freedom (1994)
• 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 learning and wisdom

• Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.Richard Feynman
• I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong.Richard Feynman
• The imagination of nature is far, far greater than the imagination of man.Richard Feynman
• If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.Carl Sagan
• Science is much more than a body of knowledge. It is a way of thinking.Carl Sagan
• Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.Carl Sagan

All learning and wisdom quotes