Top 40 Inspiring Nelson Mandela Quotes

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.

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.

One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen.

Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.

Only free men can negotiate, prisoners can't enter in contracts.

Live life as though nobody is watching, and express yourself as though everyone is listening.

Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.

True reconciliation does not consist in merely forgetting the past.

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.

It always seems impossible until it's done.

After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.

Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all. Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves.

It is music and dancing that make me at peace with the world.

The first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself… Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, and humility.

I am the captain of my soul.

It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.

In my country we go to prison first and then become President.

The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

We can’t afford to stand divided… If we stand together, victory of the liberation movement is assured.

Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.

No one is born hating another person because of the color 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.

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.

There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.

Leaders are important but HISTORY is ultimately not made by kings and generals. It is made by the masses.

I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But, my lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.

A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.

No single person can liberate a country. You can only liberate a country if you act as a collective.

When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.

You will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution.

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.

We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.

I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.

Appearances matter — and remember to smile.

It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.

One of the things I learned when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself, I could not change others.

Money won't create success, the fredom to make it will.

Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.