Quotes from Nelson Mandela

Only through hardship, sacrifice and militant action can freedom be won. The struggle is my life. I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days.

If our expectations, if our fondest prayers and dreams, are not realized then we should all bear in mind that the greatest glory of living lies not in never falling but in rising every time you fall.

We tried in our simple way to lead our life in a manner that may make a difference to those of others.

Whatever position I occupied, it was the result of colleagues - of my comrades in the movement - who had decided in their wisdom to use me for the purpose of focusing the attention of the country and the international community on me.

After one has been in prison, it is the small things that one appreciates: being able to take a walk whenever one wants, going into a shop and buying a newspaper, speaking or choosing to remain silent. The simple act of being able to control one's person.

Where globalization means, as it so often does, that the rich and powerful now have new means to further enrich and empower themselves at the cost of the poorer and weaker, we have a responsibility to protest in the name of universal freedom.

In countries where innocent people are dying, the leaders are following their blood rather than their brains.

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

I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself.

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.

I started to make a study of the art of war and revolution and, whilst abroad, underwent a course in military training. If there was to be guerrilla warfare, I wanted to be able to stand and fight with my people and to share the hazards of war with them.

As an attorney, I could be rather flamboyant in court. I did not act as though I were a black man in a white man's court, but as if everyone else - white and black - was a guest in my court. When trying a case, I often made sweeping gestures and used high-flown language.

In the 1940s, traveling for an African was a complicated process. All Africans over the age of sixteen were compelled to carry 'Native passes' issued by the Native Affairs Department and were required to show that pass to any white policeman, civil servant, or employer. Failure to do so could mean arrest, trial, a jail sentence or fine.

Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts.

A new society cannot be created by reproducing the repugnant past, however refined or enticingly repackaged.

Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken our nation.

Out of the experience of extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.

From the poorest of countries to the richest of nations, education is the key to moving forward in any society.

There are so many men and women who hold no distinctive positions but whose contribution towards the development of society has been enormous.

No form of violence can ever be excused in a society that wishes to call itself decent

If we want any significant development, we must co-opt civil society.

We can build a society grounded on friendship and our common humanity - a society founded on tolerance. That is the only road open to us.

In the end, reconciliation is a spiritual process, which requires more than just a legal framework. It has to happen in the hearts and minds of people.

Sport has the power to overcome old divisions and create the bond of common aspirations