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Poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. And 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. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.

— Nelson Mandela

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Poverty

More quotes by Nelson Mandela

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

Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated.

Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.

Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world and Mindset Network is a powerful part of that world changing arsenal.

What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.

All Nelson Mandela quotes →

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We spend our lives fighting to get people very slightly more stupid than ourselves to accept truths that the great men have always known.

Doris Lessing The Golden Notebook (1962)

It is better to be poor and walk in integrity than to be stupid and speak lies.

Solomon

If a poor person envies a rich person, he is no better than the rich person.

Leo Tolstoy

The poor, by thinking unceasingly of money, reach the point of losing the spiritual advantages of non-possession, thereby sinking as low as the rich.

Emil Cioran The Trouble With Being Born (1973)

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Nelson Mandela (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.