Quotes from Nelson Mandela

There is nothing more important in life than giving. Tolerance is forged when people look beyond their own desires

I believe that in the end that it is kindness and accommodation that are all the catalysts for real change.

I would wear the blue overalls of the fieldworker and often wore round, rimless glasses known as Mazzawati teaglasses. I had a car, and I wore a chauffeur's cap with my overalls. The pose of chauffeur was convenient because I could travel under the pretext of driving my master's car.

If you are poor, you are not likely to live long.

My respect for human beings is based not on the colour of a man's skin nor authority he may wield, but purely on merit.

Since the dawn of history, mankind has honoured and respected brave and honest people.

Part of building a new nation means building a spirit of tolerance, love and respect amongst the people of this country.

Leaders will have to give clear and decisive leadership towards a world of tolerance and respect for difference, and an uncompromising commitment to peaceful solutions of conflicts and disputes.

Learn to know yourself... to search realistically and regularly the processes of your own mind and feelings.

What has sustained me even in the most grim moments is the knowledge that I am a member of a tried and tested family which has triumphed over many difficulties.

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

A real leader uses every issue, no matter how serious and sensitive, to ensure that at the end of the debate we should emerge stronger and more united than ever before.

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

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

There are times when a leader must move out ahead of the flock, go off in a new direction, confident that he is leading his people the right way.

I commend #AIESEC's continuing efforts to develop the #future #business #leadership of our countries.

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

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 . . .

I was first imprisoned in Pretoria, and then, thereafter, I was taken to Robben Island. I stayed there for a couple of weeks. I was taken back to Pretoria when I was charged in the Rivonia trial, when I was then sent to Robben Island for life.

I have been influenced in my thinking by both west and east.

The curious beauty of African music is that it uplifts even as it tells a sad tale. You may be poor, you may have only a ramshackle house, you may have lost your job, but that song gives you hope.

Appearances matter — and remember to smile.

One of the most difficult things is not to change society - but to change yourself.

The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children.