by Robert Wilkinson
Today we celebrate the birthday of the legendary Nelson Mandela. We have great quotes from this remarkable man!
Not surprisingly, many of these express the same sentiments that Gandhi once offered us. I suppose greatness does share some common attitudes.
For your enjoyment, Mr. Nelson Mandela (July 18, 1918 – 5 December 2013) and his words of wisdom to consider as we walk through life doing our Dharma.
“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... Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.””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.“
”A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.”
“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. Let your greatness blossom.”
“It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.”
“(...) when a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.”
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
“I am the captain of my SOUL”
“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. 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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”
“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
“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.”
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
”We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”
A few more can be found at Nelson Mandela Quotes
If you have a favorite quote that's not already here, please post it. Always room for more inspiration!
Copyright © 2023 Robert Wilkinson
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