Quotes About Hope

O the chimneysOn the ingeniously devised habitations of deathWhen Israel's body drifted as smokeThrough the air—Was welcomed by a star, a chimney sweep,A star that turned blackOr was it a ray of sun?

We, the rescued,Beg you:Show us your sun, but gradually.Lead us from star to star, step by step.Be gentle when you teach us to live again.

We aim at simplicity and hope for truth.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.

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.

If there are dreams about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal. Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness.

Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation.

As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.

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

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

I am not an optimist, but a great believer of hope.

Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation

I could not imagine that the future I was walking toward could compare in any way to the past that I was leaving behind.

Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place.

Some mornings I walked out into the courtyard and every living thing there, the seagulls and wagtails, the small trees, and even the stray blades of grass seemed to smile and shine in the sun. It was at such times, when I perceived the beauty of even this small, closed-in corner of the world, that I knew that some day my people and I would be free.

a child is born free

I never lost hope that this great transformation would occur (...) I always knew that deep down in every human heart, there was mercy and generosity. No one is born hating another person because of the colour 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. page 749

overcoming fear, personal scarifies for the cause of freedom of all, and ability to see good in your enemies – No one is born hating another person because of the color of your skin, or his background, or his religion … if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.

Never forget that a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying.

The human body has an enormous capacity for adjusting to trying circumstances. I have found that one can bear the unbearable if one can keep one's spirit strong, even when one's body is being tested. Strong convictions are the secret of surviving deprivation. Your spirit can be full even when your stomach is empty.

We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom. We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success. We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world. Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all.

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

Although we had no hope of defeating the enemy in the battlefield, nevertheless, we fought back to keep the idea of liberation alive. From a conversation with Richard Stengel, January 13, 1993