Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandelawas a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black chief executive, and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism and fostering racial reconciliation. Politically an African nationalist and democratic socialist, he served as President of the African National Congressparty from 1991 to 1997...
NationalitySouth African
ProfessionWorld Leader
Date of Birth18 July 1918
CityMvezo, South Africa
I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances.
I detest racialism, because I regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man or a white man.
Israel should withdraw from all the areas which it won from the Arabs in 1967, and in particular Israel should withdraw completely from the Golan Heights, from south Lebanon and from the West Bank.
It is in the character of growth that we should learn from both pleasant and unpleasant experiences.
None of us, acting alone, can achieve the success.
Prison itself is a tremendous education in the need for patience and perseverance. It is above all a test of one's commitment.
In my younger days, I was arrogant - jail helped me to get rid of it. I did nothing but make enemies because of my arrogance.
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.
It is music and dancing that make me at peace with the world.
Our freedom is also incomplete, dear compatriots, as long as we are denied our security by criminals who prey on our communities, who rob our businesses and undermine our economy, who ply their destructive trade in drugs in our schools, and who do violence against our women and children.
I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else's freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.
I can't pretend that I'm brave and that I can beat the whole world.
Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead.
Courage is not the absence of fear — it s inspiring others to move beyond it.