Excerpts from Nelson Mandela's Book of Quotations: "Nelson Mandela by Himself: Mandela"

Words resonate and have impact on others long after we are gone. Nelson Mandela teaches us to pay attention to our words and to refrain from using them lightly.

From the book shown above, he is a sample of his quotations

“South Africa is producing determined young people whose level of awareness is remarkably high.”
— Nelson Mandela, 8 July 1985
“The display of leadership by our youth today gives me a comfort that not all is lost.”
— Nelson Mandela, 9 July 2008
“Our children have borne the brunt of apartheid’s ravaging deprivation.”
— Nelson Mandela, 25 May 1996
“The fight against apartheid liberated all South Africans.”
— Nelson Mandela, 23 February 1996
“We have fought for peace and reconciliation, for social justice, for all men, women and children.”
— Nelson Mandela, 1 December 2004
“It is ordinary people – men and women, boys and girls – that make the world a special place.”
— Nelson Mandela, 9 July 2008
“The past is a rich resource on which we can draw in order to make decisions for the future.”
— Nelson Mandela, 25 February 1990
“We are in struggle because we value life and love all humanity.”
— Nelson Mandela, 2 July 1990
“Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success.”
— Nelson Mandela, 17 December 2009
“Our clean flowing rivers must be known by my grandchildren’s grandchildren.”
— Nelson Mandela, 16 November 2000
“In time, we must bestow on South Africa the greatest gift – a more humane society.”
— Nelson Mandela, 1 September 1997
“It would be an exaggeration to say I never become depressed.”
— Nelson Mandela, 1993
“There’s nothing as bad as a leader making a demand which you know can never succeed.”
— Nelson Mandela, December 1992
“Our love for children is undiminished.”
— Nelson Mandela, 1 December 2004
“My wish is that South Africans never give up on the belief in goodness.”
— Nelson Mandela, 10 May 2004
“The freedom we enjoy is a richly textured gift handcrafted by ordinary folk.”
— Nelson Mandela, 11 July 1996
“Will we be remembered as the generation that turned our backs in a moment of a global crisis?”
— Nelson Mandela, 11 June 2005
“When people are determined they can overcome anything.”
— Nelson Mandela,14 November 2006
“When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace.”
— Nelson Mandela, 1994
“We tried in our simple way to lead our life in a manner that may make a difference.”
— Nelson Mandela, 8 June 2002
“A critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy.”
— Nelson Mandela, 14 February 1994
“I had no specific belief except that our cause was just, was very strong. ”
— Nelson Mandela, 11 February 1994
“I never think of the time I have lost. I just carry out a programme because it’s there.”
— Nelson Mandela, 3 May 1993
“Difficulties break some men but make others.”
— Nelson Mandela, 1 February 1975
“Many people in this country have paid the price before me and many will pay the price after me.”
— Nelson Mandela, November 1962
“The real meaning of the spoken word has to be demonstrated by practical deeds.”
— Nelson Mandela, 7 June 1990
“I have never regarded any man as my superior, either in my life outside or inside prison.”
— Nelson Mandela, 12 July 1976
“In the life of any individual, family, community or society, memory is of fundamental importance.”
— Nelson Mandela, 2005
“I accepted that if you have a problem, you must face it and not gloss over it.”
— Nelson Mandela, 29 December 1992
“I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.”
— Nelson Mandela, 1975
“The dream of every family is to be able to live together happily in a quiet and peaceful home.”
— Nelson Mandela, 1 June 1970
“You sharpen your ideas by reducing yourself to the level of the people you are with.”
— Nelson Mandela, 13 August 2005
“It is never my custom to use words lightly. If twenty-seven years in prison have done anything to us, it was to use the silence of solitude to make us understand how precious words are and how real speech is in its impact on the way people live and die.”
— Nelson Mandela, Closing Address 13th International Aids Conference, Durban, South Africa, 14 July 2000.