Nelson Mandela

"Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."

"As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison."

"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them."

"In my country, we go to prison first and then become President."

"There is nothing wrong with your life if you have decided to be yourself."

"Knowledge is power, but enthusiasm pulls the switch."

"Difficulties break some men but make others. No axe is sharp enough to cut the soul of a man inflicted with the power of conviction."

"The truth is like a lion; you don't have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself."

"One cannot be prepared for something while also distrusting it."

"Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people."

"I am just an ordinary man who has committed himself to serving humanity."

"To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity."

"The greatest threat to peace is injustice and inequality."

"Our children are not born to hate; hatred is taught."

"A leader who loses his temper loses his effectiveness."

"I learned that without knowing about the past, one cannot make adequate sense of the present."

"Stability and peace in our land will not come from the barrel of a gun, because guns and arms alone have never succeeded in creating a lasting peace."

"Being inspired keeps one moving forward, though one should not rely wholly upon inspiration."

"Money won't create success, the freedom to make it will."

"I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb."

"The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice."

"There is no easy path to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through Valley of the Shadow of Death again and again before we reach the Promised Land."

"I would like to be remembered as someone who wanted to be free so that other people be also free."

"Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small."

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."

"A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones."

"The struggle is my life. I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days."

"Art has the role in education of helping children become like themselves."

"For centuries, my people lay in bondage in their own land. We are now at last emerging into the light."

"Be bold. If you're going to make an error, make a doozy, and don't be afraid to hit the ball."