Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, and passed away on December 5, 2013. He was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and politician who served as South Africa’s first president from 1994 to 1999. My favorite Nelson Mandela quote is “It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”
He was the country’s first black president and the first to be elected in a completely democratic election. His administration concentrated on dismantling apartheid’s legacies by combating institutionalized racism and encouraging racial reconciliation.
Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years, which he spent on Robben Island, Pollsmoor Prison, and Victor Verster Prison. President F. W. de Klerk freed him in 1990, amid mounting domestic and international pressure and concerns of racial civil war. Mandela and de Klerk spearheaded efforts to eliminate apartheid, which resulted in the 1994 South African general election, in which Mandela led the ANC to victory and was elected president.
Nelson Mandela‘s activism earned him international acclaim. He was widely recognized as a symbol of democracy and social justice, and he received over 250 honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize. He is revered in South Africa, and is referred to as the “Father of the Nation.”
30 Nelson Mandela
1. “I never lose. I either win or learn.”
2. “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.”
3. “A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.”
4. “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation.”
5. “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. 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.”
6. “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”
7. “We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”
8. “Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.”
9. “Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.”
10. “There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”
Nelson Mandela Quotes About Life and Success
11. “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
12. “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
13. “Live life as though nobody is watching, and express yourself as though everyone is listening.”
14. “I have never cared very much for personal prizes. A person does not become a freedom fighter in the hope of winning awards.”
15. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
16. “Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.”
17. “It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”
18. “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.”
19. “One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen.
20. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
10 More Nelson Mandela Quotes to Inspire You
21. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
22. “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.”
23. Courage is not the absence of fear — it’s inspiring others to move beyond it.”
24. “It is not where you start but how high you aim that matters for success.”
25. “Difficulties break some men but make others. No axe is sharp enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying, one armed with the hope that he will rise even in the end.”
26. “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”
27. “You will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution.”
28. The brave man is not the one who has no fears, he is the one who triumphs over his fears.”
29. “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.”
30. “It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”