Top 500 Nelson Mandela Quotes (2025 Update)
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51. “When we read we are able to travel to many places, meet many people and understand the world.”

— Nelson Mandela

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

— Nelson Mandela

53. “When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.”

— Nelson Mandela

54. “There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return.”

— Nelson Mandela

55. “If you want to change the world, help the women.”

— Nelson Mandela

56. “Our children are the rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation. They will be the leaders of our country, the creators of our national wealth, those who care for and protect our people.”

— Nelson Mandela

57. “Our children are the rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation.”

— Nelson Mandela

58. “There is no future without forgiveness.”

— Nelson Mandela

59. “Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savor their songs.”

— Nelson Mandela

60. “A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.”

— Nelson Mandela

61. “Safety and security don’t just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.”

— Nelson Mandela

62. “A bright future beckons. The onus is on us, through hard work, honesty and integrity, to reach for the stars.”

— Nelson Mandela

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

— Nelson Mandela

64. “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.”

— Nelson Mandela

65. “Running taught me valuable lessons. In cross-country competition, training counted more than intrinsic ability, and I could compensate for a lack of natural aptitude with diligence and discipline. I applied this in everything I did.”

— Nelson Mandela

66. “History will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children.”

— Nelson Mandela

67. “There is a constant struggle between good an evil in the world. It is up to good people to choose the right side.”

— Nelson Mandela

68. “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice.”

— Nelson Mandela

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

— Nelson Mandela

70. “With freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk has not ended yet.”

— Nelson Mandela

71. “A society that does not value its older people denies its roots and endangers its future. Let us strive to enhance their capacity to support themselves for as long as possible and, when they cannot do so anymore, to care for them.”

— Nelson Mandela

72. “The wounds that cannot be seen are more painful than those that can be treated by a doctor.”

— Nelson Mandela

73. “It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it.”

— Nelson Mandela

74. “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”

— Nelson Mandela

75. “Love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

— Nelson Mandela

76. “Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will.”

— Nelson Mandela

77. “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom. Of course the task will not be easy. But not to do this would be a crime against humanity, against which I ask all humanity now to rise up.”

— Nelson Mandela

78. “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.”

— Nelson Mandela

79. “I learned to have the patience to listen when people put forward their views, even if I think those views are wrong. You can’t reach a just decision in a dispute unless you listen to both sides.”

— Nelson Mandela

80. “Racism is a blight on the human conscience.”

— Nelson Mandela

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

— Nelson Mandela

82. “Exercise is the key not only to physical health but to peace of mind.”

— Nelson Mandela

83. “By ancestry, I was born to rule.”

— Nelson Mandela

84. “We slaughter one another in our words and attitudes. We slaughter one another in the stereotypes and mistrust that linger in our heads, and the words of hate we spew from our lips.”

— Nelson Mandela

85. “It is not the kings and generals that make history, but the masses of the people.”

— Nelson Mandela

86. “No power on this earth can destroy the thirst for human dignity.”

— Nelson Mandela

87. “Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.”

— Nelson Mandela

88. “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.”

— Nelson Mandela

89. “We must work together to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth, opportunity and power in our society.”

— Nelson Mandela

90. “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.”

— Nelson Mandela

91. “There is no such thing as part freedom.”

— Nelson Mandela

92. “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.”

— Nelson Mandela

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

— Nelson Mandela

94. “When we can sit in the face of insanity or dislikes and be free from the need to make it different, then we are free.”

— Nelson Mandela

95. “An organisation can only carry out its mandate if there is discipline, and where there is no discipline there can be no real progress.”

— Nelson Mandela

96. “Disabled children are equally entitled to an exciting and brilliant future.”

— Nelson Mandela

97. “We should never forget those on whose shoulders we stand and those who paid the supreme price for freedom.”

— Nelson Mandela

98. “Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon.”

— Nelson Mandela

99. “I want to sleep for eternity with a broad smile on my face. I want those who remain behind to say this man has done his duty.”

— Nelson Mandela

100. “Our differences are our strength as a species and as a world community.”

— Nelson Mandela