Today we honor the legacy of Nelson Mandela. He was the first black president of South Africa and he passed away yesterday at age 95. He served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. Before he became president, Nelson Mandela was a civil rights activist with the African National Congress and was arrested for protesting the unfair treatment of black people in his country. He was imprisoned from 1964 until 1990, and once he was released he immediately started work to end apartheid and did so in 1994. This is, among his political achievements his most celebrated work.
Nelson Mandela was born in Mvezo, South Africa in 1918 and was married to Graça Machel. The father of six children and 17 grandchildren, Nelson Mandela was also referred to as The Father of South Africa. After presidency, he started the Nelson Mandela Foundation which focuses on combating HIV/AIDS, rural development, and school construction. Here are some of the inspiring quotes that will live on as a part of Nelson Mandela’s contributions to the world.
(Photo Credit:Archives de la Ville de Montréal via photopin cc)
1) 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.
2) For 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.
3) If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
4) There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.
5) It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.
6) A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don’t have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial, and uninformed.
7) Does anybody really think that they didn’t get what they had because they didn’t have the talent or the strength or the endurance or the commitment?
8) “When people are determined they can overcome anything.”
9) “Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.”
10) “Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.”
What do you remember about Nelson Mandela?
Featured photo credit: K. Kendall via photopin cc
