When we talk about freedom, human rights, and social justice, a few names from around the world immediately strike our mind. The first President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela is one of those names. Mandela was the torchbearer of the movement against racial oppression in South Africa as well as across the world.
A recipient of over 260 awards throughout his lifetime, including the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, he has left a legacy for generations to stand against inequality, discrimination, and injustice. Quotes by Nelson Mandela serve as inspiration for many who aspire to be like him. In this blog, we bring forth some of the best quotes by Nelson Mandela to inspire you.
Here are the 20 Powerful Quotes by Nelson Mandela
1. “Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.”
2. “Difficulties break some men but make others. No axe is sharp enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying, one armed with the hope that he will rise even in the end.”
3. “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.”
4. “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.”
5. “Difficulties break some men but make others. No axe is sharp enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying, one armed with the hope that he will rise even in the end.”
6. “Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.”
7. “Lead from the back – and let others believe they are in front.”
8. “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.”
9. “Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will.”
10. “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.”
11. “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
12. “Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.”
13. “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.”
14. “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.”
15. “A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.”
16. “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.”
17. “When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat.”
18. “Quitting is leading too.”
19. “Success in politics demands that you must take your people into confidence about your views and state them very clearly, very politely, very calmly, but nevertheless, state them openly.”
20. “When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.”
This ends our handpicked list of the best quotes by Nelson Mandela. We hope you enjoyed reading them and found some inspiration. For more of such insightful content, keep visiting www.ciowomenmagazine.com.
