99 quotes
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.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
Today we are entering a new era for our country and its people. Today we celebrate not the victory of a party, but a victory for all the people of South Africa.
Inaugural speech (1994)
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.
When the history of our times is written, will we be remembered as the generation that turned our backs in a moment of global crisis or will it be recorded that we did the right thing?
A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
Let's hope that Ken Oosterbroek will be the last person to die.
Coloured communities would like to see coloured representatives. That is not racism, that is how nature works.
The Cuban people hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Africa.
Speech at a Rally in Cuba (1991)
I have always believed that exercise is the key not only to physical health but to peace of mind.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
I never think of the time I have lost. I just carry out a programme because it’s there. It’s mapped out for me.
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.
No one is born hating another person because of the colour 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.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
What I am condemning is that one power, with a president who has no foresight, who cannot think properly, is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust.
You may succeed in delaying, but never in preventing the transition of South Africa to a democracy.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
I had no specific belief except that our cause was just, was very strong and it was winning more and more support.
There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of.
I always knew that someday I would once again feel the grass under my feet and walk in the sunshine as a free man.
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)