Top 40 Nelson Mandela Quotes for Inspiration

Nelson Mandela was one of the greatest social reformer of all time. There have been many well-known and inspiring figures in history, and one outstanding example is Nelson Mandela. He was a strong and heroic leader, fighting against apartheid and receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

Mandela was born in 1918. He was actively protested against South Africa’s discriminatory government policies in his 20s. He endured 27 years in prison for his political activities for the justice to black South Africans. We have curated the top 40 Nelson Mandela Quotes for you to inspire.

Nelson Mandela Quotes

These are the Nelson Mandela Quotes that you can read to be inspired from his thought.

• “May your decisions mirror your aspirations, not your apprehensions.”
• “Achieving something always appears challenging until it’s accomplished.”
• “At times, it becomes the responsibility of a generation to rise to greatness. You have the potential to be that remarkable generation. Let your greatness flourish.”
• “Anyone can transcend their circumstances and attain success through dedication and passion for their endeavours.”
• “Our most profound concern is not that we lack capability. It is that we possess an extraordinary power that exceeds our estimation.”
• “The most valuable gift is dedicating your time and effort to aid others without anticipating reciprocation.”
• “Choosing to lead a life beneath your capabilities is not embracing the passion that fuels true fulfilment.”
• “During negotiations, I realized that changing others was impossible until I transformed myself.”
• “A sound mind and a compassionate heart always form a powerful alliance.”
• “Upon reaching the summit of a significant hill, one discovers the existence of many more hills to ascend.”

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Nelson Mandela Quotes on Education

1. “Live life as though nobody is watching, and express yourself as though everyone is listening.”
2. “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell and got back up again.”
3. “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation.”
4. “It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”
5. “The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
6. “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”
7. “A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.”
8. “It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails.”
9. “I hate race discrimination most intensely and in all its manifestations. I have fought it all during my life; I fight it now and will do so until the end of my days.”
10. “I am the master of my fate: the captain of my soul.”
11. “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.”

Quotes About Love by Nelson Mandela

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

“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

“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.”

“It is not our diversity which divides us; it is not our ethnicity or religion or culture that divides us. Since we have achieved our freedom, there can only be one division amongst us: between those who cherish democracy and those who do not.”

“As long as many of our people still live in utter poverty, as long as children still live under plastic covers, as long as many of our people are still without jobs, no South African should rest and wallow in the joy of freedom.”

“The truth is that we are not yet free; we have merely achieved the freedom to be free, the right not to be oppressed. We have not taken the final step of our journey, but the first step on a longer and even more difficult road. 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. The true test of our devotion to freedom is just beginning.”

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

“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.”

“Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. You can be that great generation.”

“No one is born hating another person because of the color 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.”

Nelson Mandela’s Quotes on Leadership

1. “I appreciate friends with independent minds because they often offer diverse perspectives on problem-solving.”
2. “The goodness within a person is like a flame that may be concealed but never extinguished.”
3. “I discovered that humiliating others only inflict unnecessarily cruel suffering. Even in my youth, I achieved victory without dishonouring my opponents.”
4. “Despite being sociable, I have a profound affection for solitude.”
5. “The measure of a nation should be based not on how it treats its elite citizens but on its treatment of the most vulnerable ones.”
6. “Finding true glory in life is not about avoiding falls but the ability to rise each time we stumble.”
7. “Your standpoint is shaped by where you are situated.”
8. “I hold the reins of my destiny.”
9. “The way you present yourself is important, and don’t forget to wear a smile.”
10. “Upon conquering a significant challenge, one realizes there are still many more challenges ahead.”

Nelson Mandela’s Quotes About Freedom

• “It is not our diversity which divides us; it is not our ethnicity, or religion or culture that divides us. Since we have achieved our freedom, there can only be one division amongst us: between those who cherish democracy and those who do not.”
• “Many people in this country have paid the price before me and many will pay the price after me.”
• “Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will.”
• “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.”
• “A critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy. The press must be free from state interference. It must have the economic strength to stand up to the blandishments of government officials. It must have sufficient independence from vested interests to be bold and inquiring without fear or favour. It must enjoy the protection of the constitution so that it can protect our rights as citizens.”
• “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
• “Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.”
• “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.”
• “I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.”
• “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
• “A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of.”
• “Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.”
• “It is in the character of growth that we should learn from both pleasant and unpleasant experiences.”

Nelson Mandela’s Quotes on Success

“I have always believed exercise is a key not only to physical health but to peace of mind.”

“It always seems impossible, until it is done.”

“I am fundamentally an optimist. 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.”

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

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

Nelson Mandela’s Quotes on Peace

1. “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.”
2. “There is a universal respect and even admiration for those who are humble and simple by nature, and who have absolute confidence in all human beings irrespective of their social status.”
3. “I am not a saint unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”
4. “There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find how you have altered.”
5. “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.”
6. “One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen.”
7. “We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”
8. “I have never cared very much for personal prizes. A person does not become a freedom fighter in the hope of winning awards.”
9. “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.”
10. “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.”

Nelson Mandela’s Quotes on Change

• “Although I am a gregarious person, I love solitude even more.”
• “A leader is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.”
• “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.”
• “Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.”
• “I am the captain of my soul.”
• “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
• “I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.”
• “Where you stand depends on where you sit.”
• “I learned that to humiliate another person is to make him suffer an unnecessarily cruel fate. Even as a boy, I defeated my opponents without dishonouring them.”
• “A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.”

Nelson Mandela Quotes Courage

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

“I love playing and chatting with children…feeding and putting them to bed with a little story, and being away from the family has troubled me throughout my…life. I like relaxing at the house, reading quietly, taking in the sweet smell that comes from the pots, sitting around a table with the family and taking out my wife and children. when you can no longer enjoy these simple pleasures something valuable is taken away from your life and you feel it in your daily work.”

“It is not where you start but how high you aim that matters for success.”

“Tread softly, breathe peacefully, laugh hysterically.”

“Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me.”

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

“Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer.”

“Quitting is leading too.”

“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.”

“Nothing is black or white.”

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

“In judging our progress as individuals we tend to concentrate on external factors such as one’s social position, influence and popularity, wealth and standard of education. These are, of course, important in measuring one’s success in material matters and it is perfectly understandable if many people exert themselves mainly to achieve all these. But internal factors may be even more crucial in assessing one’s development as a human being. Honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, pure generosity, absence of vanity, readiness to serve others – qualities which are within reach of every soul – are the foundation of one’s spiritual life.”

“Let your greatness blossom.”

“Appearances matter — and remember to smile.”

Hope you will feel inspired from Nelson Mandela after reading his quotes.