Nelson Mandela

I never lose. Either I win or learn.

Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.

A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.

Our single most important challenge is therefore to help establish a social order in which the freedom of the individual will truly mean the freedom of the individual.

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. 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.

It is in the character of growth that we should learn from both pleasant and unpleasant experiences.

No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. 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.

Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life . . .

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.

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 were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.

Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.

Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.

Does anybody really think that they didn't get what they had because they didn't have the talent or the strength or the endurance or the commitment?

Where globalization means, as it so often does, that the rich and powerful now have new means to further enrich and empower themselves at the cost of the poorer and weaker, we have a responsibility to protest in the name of universal freedom.

Running taught me valuable lessons. In cross-country competition, training counted more than intrinsic ability, and I could compensate for a lack of natural aptitude with diligence and discipline. I applied this in everything I did.

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.

Our human compassion binds us the one to the other - not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.

It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.

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

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.

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.

After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.

Poverty was the greatest motivating factor in my life.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

Live life as though nobody is watching, and express yourself as though everyone is listening.

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

It always seems impossible until it's done.