Tomorrow is Mandela Day and we will be celebrating a great man’s birthday. One who stood up against oppression at his own expense without hesitation. Nelson Mandela was arrested in 1962 in his home of South Africa and sentenced to life in prison for conspiring to overthrow the state. Despite being mistreated and discriminated against, he remained steadfast in his quest to free his people from apartheid which was a policy designed to segregate and discriminate against people of color in South Africa. Mandela would later be released from prison where he was kept for 27 years and go on to be elected first Black President in the history of South Africa since its colonization.
Against all odds he fought for freedom and ultimately won. We can learn a lot from Madiba, which means “father” in the language of Mandela’s Xhosa tribe. To honor his memory on Mandela Day, here are 10 quotes from the legend. They are sure to inspire you to always be better and do better.
1. 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.
2. To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.
3. A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.
4. It always seems impossible until it’s done. (One of my personal favorites!)
5. 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.
6. Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
7. 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. (I live my life by this principle.)
8. As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest. (I couldn’t agree more.)
9. Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.
10. If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.
