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)
• 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)

More quotes on leadership

• 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
• You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning.Margaret Thatcher
• This didn't come about because of consensus. It happened because we said: this we believe, this we will do. It's called leadership.Margaret Thatcher
• Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.Ruth Bader Ginsburg

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