60 Best Nelson Mandela Quotes To Inspire You

Looking for inspirational quotes by Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela? We have rounded up the best collection of Nelson Mandela quotes, sayings, speeches, and writings (with images and pictures) to inspire you about love, life, humanity, peace, and more.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

He was the country’s first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. During his long life, Mandela inspired countless individuals and touched many lives with his loving nature and wise words.

For 67 years Nelson Mandela devoted his life to the service of humanity — as a human rights lawyer, a prisoner of conscience, an international peacemaker, and the first democratically elected president of a free South Africa.

Also See: Compassion Quotes

Nelson Mandela was the recipient of more than 250 awards, including honorary degrees from more than 50 universities worldwide.

Nelson Mandela is the proud recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, which he received along with de Klerk in 1993.

He dedicated the award to Mahatma Gandhi, whom he was deeply influenced by. July 18th is celebrated as International Nelson Mandela Day for freedom, justice, and democracy.

Mandela’s speeches and writings reflect his unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights.

His messages of peace, love, and forgiveness continue to inspire people all over the world and serve as a powerful reminder of the transformative power of compassion and forgiveness.

Top 10 Nelson Mandela Quotes

1. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela

   

2. “A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.” – Nelson Mandela

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

   

4. “Fools multiply when wise men are silent.” – Nelson Mandela

   

5. “It is in your hands, to make a better world for all who live in it.” – Nelson Mandela

   

6. “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” – Nelson Mandela

   

7. “When people are determined they can overcome anything.” – Nelson Mandela

   

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

   

9. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” – Nelson Mandela

   

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

    

Best of Nelson Mandela Sayings

1. “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice.” – Nelson Mandela
2. “A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” – Nelson Mandela
3. “Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.” – Nelson Mandela
4. “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” – Nelson Mandela
5. “Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.” – Nelson Mandela
6. “Courage is not the absence of fear — it’s inspiring others to move beyond it.” – Nelson Mandela
7. “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” – Nelson Mandela
8. “A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” – Nelson Mandela

Famous Nelson Mandela Quotes To Live By

1. “I never lose. I either win or learn.” – Nelson Mandela
2. “Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will.” – Nelson Mandela
3. “Remember that hope is a powerful weapon even when all else is lost.” – Nelson Mandela
4. “One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen.” – Nelson Mandela
5. “I have a special attachment to the people who befriended me during times of distress.” – Nelson Mandela
6. “No single person can liberate a country. You can only liberate a country if you act as a collective.” – Nelson Mandela
7. “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” – Nelson Mandela
8. “It is in the character of growth that we should learn from both pleasant and unpleasant experiences.” – Nelson Mandela
9. “I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances.” – Nelson Mandela
10. “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.” – Nelson Mandela

Best Nelson Mandela Quotes To Inspire You

1. “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” – Nelson Mandela
2. “One of the most difficult things is not to change society — but to change yourself.”
3. “After climbing a great hill. One only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”
4. “As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
5. “We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”
6. “Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.” – Nelson Mandela
7. “It is not where you start but how high you aim that matters for success.” – Nelson Mandela
8. “I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.” – Nelson Mandela
9. “The greatest glory in living is not in falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela

   

Nelson Mandela Quotations

1. “You can start changing our world for the better daily, no matter how small the action.” – Nelson Mandela
2. “Live life as though nobody is watching, and express yourself as though everyone is listening.” – Nelson Mandela
3. “As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” – Nelson Mandela
4. “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” – Nelson Mandela
5. “You will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution.” – Nelson Mandela
6. “We owe our children – the most vulnerable citizens in any society – a life free from violence and fear.” – Nelson Mandela
7. “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
8. “It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.” – Nelson Mandela
9. “I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.” – Nelson Mandela
10. “One of the things I learned when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself, I could not change others.” – Nelson Mandela

Best Nelson Mandela Quotes On Education

1. “No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated.” – Nelson Mandela
2. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
3. “No child in Africa, and in fact anywhere in the world, should be denied education.” – Nelson Mandela
4. “From the poorest of countries to the richest of nations, education is the key to moving forward in any society.” – Nelson Mandela
5. “Prison itself is a tremendous education in the need for patience and perseverance. It is above all a test of one’s commitment.” – Nelson Mandela
6. “Let’s recommit to work towards our common goal: a nation where all of us are winners, all of us have shelter, food, and education.” – Nelson Mandela
7. “No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated. Any nation that is progressive is led by people who have had the privilege of studying.” – Nelson Mandela
8. “It is not beyond our power to create a world in which all children have access to a good education. Those who do not believe this have small imaginations.” – Nelson Mandela
9. “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
10. “The power of education extends beyond the development of skills we need for economic success. It can contribute to nation-building and reconciliation.” – Nelson Mandela

Powerful Quotes By Nelson Mandela

1. 1. “Where you stand depends on where you sit.” – Nelson Mandela
   2. “While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.” – Nelson Mandela
   3. “Tread softly, breathe peacefully, laugh hysterically.” – Nelson Mandela
   4. “People respond in accordance to how you treat them.” – Nelson Mandela
   5. “When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat.” – Nelson Mandela
   6. “Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.” – Nelson Mandela
   7. “To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.” – Nelson Mandela
   8. “Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.” – Nelson Mandela

1. “Your playing small does not serve the world. Who are you not to be great?” – Nelson Mandela
2. “Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer.” – Nelson Mandela

   

More About Nelson Mandela;

Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as the country’s first black President from 1994 to 1999.

He is widely regarded as one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century, and his contributions to the fight against apartheid and for human rights are widely recognized.

Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his political activism, and upon his release, he became a symbol of hope and reconciliation for his country and the world.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his efforts to peacefully end apartheid and promote racial reconciliation.

If you like these inspirational compassion quotes, then also check our collection of vegan quotes and kill them with kindness quotes to inspire you to be kind and positive in all situations.

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