Nelson Mandela

President, Anti-apartheid Activist South African 1918 – 2013

Led the fight against apartheid and became South Africa's first Black president.

371 quotes

"Freedom is not given; it must be taken."
Freedom
"I have learnt that courage was not the absence of fear, but the conquest of it."
Courage
"The path to freedom is often paved with sacrifice and hardship."
Perseverance
"A man of conviction must be willing to lose everything for what he believes in."
Faith
"The greatest lesson I learned in prison was the power of forgiveness."
"To truly understand another, one must first understand oneself."
"Life is a continuous process of renewal and growth."
Life
"We are all molded by the societies we live in, but we also have the power to shape them."
Power
"The measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in times of challenge."
"Humanity's quest for peace is as old as civilization itself."
Peace
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
Relationships
"A good wife is the greatest treasure a man can have."
Family
"I never lose hope, even in the darkest hours."
Hope
"The chains of oppression are strongest in the minds of the oppressed."
Freedom
"Our actions, not our words, define our character."
"To love is to act with selflessness and without expectation of return."
Love
"Technology should serve humanity, not the other way around."
Technology
"A nation's true wealth is measured by the well-being of its people."
Wisdom
"The hungry cannot be reached by words alone; they need food."
"Laughter is the language of the soul."
Humor
"Sometimes dreams are more real than reality."
Dreams
"The beauty of nature reminds us that we are part of something greater than ourselves."
Nature
"Art has the power to heal what medicine cannot."
Art
"Every person has the spark of genius within them."
Creativity
"Hard work and determination can overcome any obstacle."
Work
"The true measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members."
Justice
"Understanding comes not from judgment but from empathy."
"We must learn from the past but not be imprisoned by it."
History
"The power of unity is greater than the power of any individual."
"Patience and persistence are the keys to lasting change."
Patience