966 Quotes by Nelson Mandela

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

There is no future without forgiveness.

Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

I really wanted to retire and rest and spend more time with my children, my grandchildren and of course with my wife. But the problems are such that for anybody with a conscience who can use whatever influence he may have to try to bring about peace, it’s difficult to say no.

Lead from the back – and let others believe they are in front.

Our children are the rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation.

Our human compassion binds us the one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.

Although Verwoerd thought Africans were lower than animals, his death did not yield us any pleasure. Political assassination is not something I or the ANC ever supported. It is a primitive way of contending with an opponent.