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.

If you want the cooperation of humans around you, you must make them feel they are important, and you do that by being genuine and humble.

Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.

People respond in accordance to how you treat them.

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

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

Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.

Action without vision is only passing time, vision without action is merely day dreaming, but vision with action can change the world.

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

Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.

You can start changing our world for the better daily, no matter how small the action.

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

Fools multiply when wise men are silent.

The greatest glory in living is not in falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Your playing small does not serve the world. Who are you not to be great?

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.

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.

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

When people are determined they can overcome anything.

We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.

If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.

When the history of our times is written, will we be remembered as the generation that turned our backs in a moment of global crisis or will it be recorded that we did the right thing?

One of the most difficult things is not to change society — but to change yourself.

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.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

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

Live life as though nobody is watching, and express yourself as though everyone is listening.

Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace.

It is never my custom to use words lightly. If twenty-seven years in prison have done anything to us, it was to use the silence of solitude to make us understand how precious words are and how real speech is in its impact on the way people live and die.

No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.

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

A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.

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 never lose. I either win or learn.

The values of human solidarity that once drove our quest for a humane society seem to have been replaced, or are being threatened, by a crass materialism and pursuit of social goals of instant gratification.

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.

Difficulties break some men but make others.

If I had my time over I would do the same again. So would any man who dares call himself a man.

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity, and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.

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.

After climbing a great hill. One only finds that there are many more hills to climb.

You sharpen your ideas by reducing yourself to the level of the people you are with, and a sense of humor and a complete relaxation, even when you’re discussing serious things, does help to mobilize friends around you. And I love that.

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

A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.

Those who conduct themselves with morality, integrity and consistency need not fear the forces of inhumanity and cruelty.

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

Sometimes, it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

Let it never be said by future generations that indifference, cynicism or selfishness made us fail to live up to the ideals of humanism which the Nobel Peace Prize encapsulates.

A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.

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.

A blind pursuit of cheap popularity has nothing to do with revolution.

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.

The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

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

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

It always seems impossible until it’s done.

Few things make the life of a parent more rewarding and sweet as successful children.

I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.

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.