30 Best Nelson Mandela Quotes about Freedom and Leadership

There have been many famous and renowned individuals throughout history. Regarding courage and significance as a politician, Nelson Mandela stands out as an example of a strong individual. Nelson Mandela Day observed on July 18th annually, allows us to reflect on Mandela’s legacy of love, compassion, and unwavering determination for justice and equality.

Mandela’s resilience and bravery in his fight against racism’s injustice in South Africa are examples of this. He believed in the incredible power of forgiveness, unity, and the freedom of all individuals.

Nelson Mandela Day touches our souls, encouraging us to embrace acts of kindness and make a genuine difference in our communities, just as Mandela did throughout his remarkable journey.

Nelson Mandela Day 2024

On the 10th of November 2009, the UN General Assembly designated July 18 to be Nelson Mandela International Day in honor of his contributions to peace and humanity.

Nelson Mandela Quotes

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

• ” As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself.”

• ” 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.”

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

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

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

• ” Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water, and salt for all. Let each know that for each the body, the mind, and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves.”

• ” Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation. “

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

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

• ” I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death. “

• ” When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat. “

• ” After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”

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

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

• ” 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.”

• ” 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.”

• ” 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.”

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

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

• ” I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended. “

• ” Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.”

• ” I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.”

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

• ” Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport.”

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

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

• “Although I am a gregarious person, I love solitude even more.”

• ” I had no epiphany, no singular revelation, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand slights, a thousand indignities, and a thousand unremembered moments produced in me an anger, a rebelliousness, a desire to fight the system that imprisoned my people. There was no particular day on which I said, Henceforth I will devote myself to the liberation of my people; instead, I simply found myself doing so, and could not do otherwise. “

• ” Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation. “