Nelson Mandela is one of the best known anti-apartheid activists in the world. The South African politician presided over his country from 1994 to 1999, being the first black president to head the Executive Branch. His fight against racism and his words about peace or love have gone around the planet, and it is not surprising because of the great wisdom that all of them have.
We have made a compilation of the 52 most well-known, acclaimed and, why not say it, significant phrases by Nelson Mandela. Do you dare to read one by one? Surely when you read them you will have a few minutes to reflect on their great importance. Let’s start!
Nelson Mandela’s significant phrases about life
Nelson Mandela, Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, left us to remember endless many of us would have to make our own. What do you think of these words?
Let your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.
A beautiful phrase from Mandela that ensures that the last thing you should always lose is hope. Remember it!
Live life as if no one is watching and express yourself as if the whole world is listening.
How many times have you been afraid to express yourself because of the criticism of others? You have to be brave and say everything you think, regardless of what they say.
We have a sense of humor because we believe it is our duty to make people forget about their problems.
is one of the best remedies to avoid falling into deep sadness over the problems you have, don’t you think?
I learned that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. Being brave is not who does not feel fear, but who conquers that fear
A phrase that perfectly sums up the definition of bravery, courage and the desire to face everything that may come in life.
We must use time wisely and realize that it is always the right time to do things right.
Words that speak about the good, which is none other than trying to do everything in the best possible way.
The greatest glory is not to fall, but to always get up
Despite the failures you have in life you must always get up, you must always move forward.
Virtue and generosity are rewarded in an inscrutable way
Being generous and supportive is something that everyone should put into practice. Giving yourself to others can be something very enriching in your life.
You can’t prepare for something while secretly thinking it won’t happen.
In a positive mind is the key to success, if you think you are going to achieve something you really have a better chance of it happening.
A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.
Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe that I have made that effort and that, therefore, I will sleep for eternity
A beautiful phrase about. If in your life you do things well, if you have nothing left to do, you will be remembered for all eternity.
after climbing a very high mountain, we discover that there are many other mountains to climb
When you achieve success in your life, do not think that you have already reached the limit, you will still have many things to do.
There’s nothing like going back to a place that seems unchanged to find out how you’ve changed yourself.
Although your environment has not changed at all, you should know the things that have changed within you. What do you think of this beautiful phrase?
What counts in life are not the mere fact of having lived. It is the changes we have brought about in the lives of others that determine the meaning of our own.
A phrase very similar to the previous one that spoke about death, because everything you do for others will make you last forever in their hearts.
I am the master of my destiny, I am the captain of my soul
This phrase is taken from the poem Invites by William Ernest Henley, that was very special for Mandela because it accompanied him during his stay in prison.
don’t judge me by my successes, judge me by the times I fell and got up again
Every time you fail you must move on to achieve success. It’s not worth what you get; it’s worth the path you’ve taken to get it.
I don’t want to be presented in a way that omits the black spots in my life
We all have good things and bad things, but that is what makes us who we are. Do you agree with this sentence?
If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. So he becomes your partner
Your greatest enemies can become if you work side by side with them. You will learn a lot from them.
Nelson Mandela’s important words on society and power
In addition to showing his philosophy of life, Mandela (also known as Maida) made many reflections on society, politics or power. Here are a few:
Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world.
One of the most difficult things is not to change society but to change yourself
Transforming the way you think or act can be much more complicated than changing the way of life of an entire society.
had a specific belief except that our cause was just, it was strong, and it was gaining more and more support and ground.
A wonderful phrase in which Nelson Mandela recounts his rise to power in South Africa.
Resentment is like drinking poison and expecting it to kill your enemies.
A life of resentment is very harmful for the person who has this feeling, more than for others.
Denying people their human rights is a challenge to their humanity
Human rights are a matter of all people living on the planet, and must by everyone.
A true leader uses any problem, no matter how serious or sensitive; to ensure that in the end we emerge stronger and more united than before.
Mandela’s phrase to explain what a leader should truly be and how he should act with his people.
Fighting poverty is not a matter of charity, but of justice
Eradicating poverty is something that should be considered a fair act for all, since everyone has the right to live with dignity.
True leaders must be willing to sacrifice everything for the freedom of their people.
Again to define how the leader of a great country should be.
When the water starts to boil it is foolish to put out the fire
A sentence in which he uses a metaphor to refer to something as simple as if a movement has already started in a society; it is very complicated and very foolish to stop it.
My dearest ideal is that of a free and democratic society in which we can all live in harmony and with equal opportunities.
We cannot agree more with this quote from Nelson Mandela! Does it happen to you too?
I like friends who have independent thoughts because they tend to make you see problems from all angles
Surely you have more than one friend who doesn’t think like you, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to them. You can learn a lot from them if you learn to see the world from their perspective.
Democracy demands that political and minority rights be safeguarded
A great definition of what a democracy should be where there is equality for all.
There can be no more intense revelation of the soul of a society than the way its children are treated.
The importance of children and their education in a society is enormous, don’t you think?
I never think about the time I’ve wasted. I just develop a program that is already there. What is planned for me
It is not where you start, but the height of your goals that matters for success
Reaching a goal can be difficult, but along the way you will find a way to achieve it.
Nelson Mandela Quotes about Racism and Freedom
We finished our review of Nelson Mandela’s phrases with words about racism and, how could it be otherwise. Read them carefully, I’m sure you’ll love them.
No one is born hating another person because of the color of their skin, or their origin, or their religion.
It is more than clear that hate is learned, because as you quote this phrase, no one is born with that hate inside.
To be free is not only to untie one’s own chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others
Freedom is not something that has to do with a single person, but with an entire people, nation or country.
I hate racism because I see it as barbaric, whether it comes from a black man or a white man.
Racism, wherever it comes from, is something that should not exist in a free society.
Never, never and never again should this beautiful earth experience the oppression of one person by another.
How right Nelson Mandela was when he uttered, because we must never allow this oppression of people for any reason.
I was born free with a hunger to be free, I was born free, free in any sense that I can understand
It is essential to have great freedom in life; to break the chains and that there is no oppression for anyone.
The purpose of freedom is to create it for others
A that could be a summary of Nelson Mandela’s policy: freedom for all.
A nation should not be judged by how it treats its better-off citizens, but by how it treats those who have little or nothing.
And it is that really these are the people who should be taken care of the most, who should we targeted the most to improve their situation.
Let the freedom rules. The sun never sets on such a glorious human achievement
Nelson Mandela saw freedom as a true achievement for humanity.
Forgiveness frees the soul, eliminates fear. That’s why it’s such a powerful tool.
You have to learn to forgive, to ask for forgiveness and to live without a soul stained with hate.
It is what we do with what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.
Everything you have and everything you are is defined by how you treat the other people around you.
I have fought against white domination and against black domination. It is an ideal that I hope to live for and achieve. But if need be, it’s an ideal I’m willing to die for.
way of thinking goes through recognizing merit over apartheid, about fighting against racism and against class superiority.
A man who takes away another’s freedom is a prisoner of hate; he is locked up behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness.
When you oppress the freedom of people, the one who really does not have freedom is yourself, in your mind and in your heart.
have never considered a man as my superior, neither in my life outside nor inside the prison
No one is superior to anyone; we must fight to achieve in all areas of life.
An indelible stain will forever remain in the history of humanity that will remind us that the crime of apartheid really took place.
How right Nelson Mandela was when pronouncing this phrase: it is a stain that still lingers in everyone’s memory today.
Money won’t create success, freedom will
Sometimes we think that money is the key to all doors when it is not: it is freedom itself.
Poverty is not natural: it is man-made and can be overcome and eradicated through human actions
To eradicate poverty, the support of all beings that inhabit the earth is needed.
When we let our light shine, we subconsciously give others permission to do the same.
A beautiful phrase about the inner light, about inner freedom, about that we have within ourselves.
Ethnic diversity must not become a danger with which to pierce our hearts
On the contrary, this diversity must become something very enriching for all of us.
A fundamental concern for others in our individual and communal lives will go a long way toward making the world the better place we so passionately dream of.
Living with love and peace together with all the people of the world will make the planet a better place for everyone.
