Top 50 Nelson Mandela Quotes to Inspire You [2023]

Explore the  Nelson Mandela Quotes collection. Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 and everyone was happy with Nelson Mandela’s leadership style.

Let’s have a look at Nelson Mandela’s biography. Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in an imperial family of a tribe called Thembu tribe in South Africa. He was nine years old when his father died and he was adopted by a regent who developed his leadership skills. He was the first person in his family to get an education.

Mandela was an enthusiastic believer in equal rights and potential for all people belonging to any background or origin. His courage in the face of oppression stance is an example of the supremacy of passion and perseverance to change the world.

Mandela faced many difficulties for criticizing the South African government policies for this behavior he remains in jail for 27 years as a prison for fighting to dismantle the country and struggle against the apartheid government.

He spent 18 years at the brutal Robben Island. he was a black political prisoner, and he had even small privileges than other prisoners. He lived those years in a small cell, without a bed and any drainage system. Received less food than others, but were forced to work doubled. Still, it’s far from over broken or surrendering to resentment, when he was finally released from jail in 1990.

He believes that fact the true power lies in knowledge so we include educational quotes for our users to read below.


Best  Nelson Mandela  Quotes [2023]

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

“One of the most difficult things is not to change society — but to change yourself.”

“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.”

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

“A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.”

A winner is a dreamer who never gives up - Nelson Mandela Quote

“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.”

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

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head and If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”

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

“Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.”

“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

“The greatest glory in living is not in falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.”

“While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.”

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

“I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”

“Action without vision is only passing time, vision without action is merely daydreaming, but vision with action can change the world.”

“Sometimes, it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.”

“Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.”

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

“If you want the cooperation of humans around you, you must make them feel they are important, and you do that by being genuine and humble.”

“People respond in accordance to how you treat them.”

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”

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

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


Nelson Mandela quotes forgiveness

“Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon.”

“Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.”

“In my country, we go to prison first and then become President. – Long Walk to Freedom (1995)”

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

“Reconciliation does not mean forgetting or trying to bury the pain of conflict, but that reconciliation means working together to correct the legacy of past injustice.”


Nelson Mandela quotes leadership

“Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.”

“A leader is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.”

“Where you stand depends on where you sit.”

“Fools multiply when wise men are silent.”

“You can start changing our world for the better daily, no matter how small the action.”

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”(Nelson Mandela’s Quotes on education)


Nelson Mandela Quotes About Fear

“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”

“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.”

“As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”


Nelson Mandela quotes Impossible

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

“We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”

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

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”

“When people are determined they can overcome anything.”

“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.”

“I never lose. I either win or learn.”

“Your playing small does not serve the world. Who are you not to be great?”


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