Top 55 Nelson Mandela Quotes for Inspiration and Motivation

Best Nelson Mandela Quotes: Nelson Mandela, the embodiment of resilience, forgiveness, and leadership, left behind a legacy of powerful words that continue to inspire millions across the globe.  His life, a testament to the human spirit's ability to overcome adversity, is interwoven with quotes that motivate us to dream bigger, fight for justice, and embrace the power of change.

Nelson Mandela is the greatest symbol of South Africa’s freedom. The first democratically elected president of South Africa, Mandela devoted his complete life to the service of humanity. And today, on his birth anniversary we are celebrating his legacy. 

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About Nelson Mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, Cape Province, South Africa. He was a prominent anti-apartheid activist and the first black president of South Africa (1994-1999). Mandela dedicated his life to fighting against racial segregation and inequality.

His achievements are numerous, but he is best known for his instrumental role in dismantling apartheid, a system of institutionalized racial segregation and promoting reconciliation in South Africa. Mandela's leadership and advocacy for peaceful resistance earned him international recognition. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, along with South African President F.W. de Klerk, for their efforts to end apartheid peacefully.

Mandela's struggle against apartheid spanned several decades. In 1964, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in armed resistance against the apartheid regime. He spent 27 years in prison, primarily on Robben Island. Mandela's imprisonment became a symbol of the global anti-apartheid movement, and he continued to be an influential figure even while incarcerated.

After his release in 1990, Mandela played a crucial role in negotiating the peaceful transition of power in South Africa. He became the country's first black president in 1994, leading the nation through a period of transition and reconciliation. Mandela's presidency focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid, promoting human rights, and fostering racial harmony.

Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5, 2013, at the age of 95. His death was mourned globally, and he left behind a legacy of courage, resilience, and dedication to justice and equality. Mandela's life serves as an inspiration to people around the world, demonstrating the power of forgiveness, reconciliation, and the pursuit of justice in the face of adversity.

Know All about Nelson Mandela in Quick Summary

Inspirational and Motivational Quotes by Nelson Mandela

• “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
• “It always seems impossible until it's done.”
• "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
• “One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen.”
•  “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.”
• “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
• “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

•  “There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”

• "I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”
• “Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.”

• “I am not a saint unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”

• "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.”
• "As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself.”

• "Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.”

• "It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails.”
• "A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.”
• “Live life as though nobody is watching, and express yourself as though everyone is listening.”
• “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.”
• "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation.”

• "It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”

• "We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”
• "There is a universal respect and even admiration for those who are humble and simple by nature, and who have absolute confidence in all human beings irrespective of their social status.”
• "I have never cared very much for personal prizes. A person does not become a freedom fighter in the hope of winning awards.”
• "I never lose. I either win or learn.”

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Famous Nelson Mandela Quotes 

• "I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.”
• "Man's goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.”
• "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 dishonouring them.”
• "Although I am a gregarious person, I love solitude even more.”
• "A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.”
• "The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

• "Where you stand depends on where you sit."
• "I am the captain of my soul."
• "Appearances matter and remember to smile."
• "After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb."
• "Nothing is black or white."
• "Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility."
• "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."
• "There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children."
• "Know your enemy and learn about his favourite sport."
• "Quitting is leading too."

• "When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat."
• "It is not where you start but how high you aim that matters for success."
• "Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer."
• "Let your greatness blossom."
• "Tread softly, breathe peacefully, laugh hysterically."
• "In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility."
• “When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.”
• “A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.”

Nelson Mandela teaches the world values of perseverance, forgiveness, and the power of unity in the face of oppression. His life teaches us the importance of fighting for justice, promoting equality, and embracing the principles of reconciliation and peaceful coexistence.

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