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Best Nelson Mandela Quotes To Inspire You

Most people know Nelson Mandela as a great leader and human rights activist, but he was also a source of inspiration and wisdom. Here are 50 of his best quotes to help you find your inspiration and motivation.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, the first-ever to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, lawyer, and leader of the African National Congress’s armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe. He served 27 years in prison -including 18 on Robben Island – and was released in 1990. Mandela built his reputation as a world leader and became an icon for the anti-Apartheid struggle, human rights, and freedom.



Table of Contents

Nelson Mandela’s best quotes On life:

Education is the most powerful weapon 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. Instead, 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.
Great peacetime victories have been achieved when everyone thought they were impossible.
The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.
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.

Nelson Mandela’s best quotes On people:

A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end, he and the other side must be closer and thus emerge stronger. You don’t have that idea when arrogant, superficial, and uninformed.
The greatest glory in living lies not in falling but in rising every time we fall.
No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, his background, or his religion. Instead, people must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.
In good times, our friends know us. In bad times, it is the same and even more so.
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 many more hills to climb. So 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.

Nelson Mandela’s best quotes On life and happiness:

If you want to make peace with your enemy, you must work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.
When a man has done what he considers his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. That is my view.
I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There are many dark moments when one wonders whether it’s worth going on, but I would not have experienced the richness of life if I had chosen to withdraw into myself.
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 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.

Conclusion:

Nelson Mandela’s quotes on life are some of the greatest ever. Within these Nelson Mandela’s quotes, advice and wisdom can aid you in any aspect of life, be it personally or professionally.

His sacrifices for his people and humanity will be remembered forever. He was one of the most outstanding leaders to have walked on earth. So use his words wisely and experience the blessings they carry.

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