1. Nothing in this world is impossible and Mandela makes sure to remind us of that.
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”2. A lot of people find it easy to be pessimistic and think of the negatives that can arise out of a situation. But in this quote, Mandela shows us that thinking positive is the only way to go. The more positive you think, the more positive the outcome will probably be.
“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.”3. Living isn’t just about doing for yourself, but what you do for others as well.
“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.”
4. An ode to the fact that racism is not passed on genetically, but passed on through teachings.
“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.”5. Life is a course with endless obstacles to hurdle.
“After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”6. We are too quick to give up and refuse to get up from our failures. If we don’t fight to get up, we are giving up on something bigger — life.
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”7. Sometimes you can leave a place and find that the only thing that has changed after all the years is yourself.
“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”8. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”9. Be brave!
“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.”10. From the poorest of countries to the richest of nations, education is the key to moving forward in any society.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.
He was South Africa's first black chief executive, and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalized racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation.
Nelson Mandela, the legendary South African president who
fought against apartheid for racial justice, died at 95 on December 5, 2013 at his Houghton
Estate in South Africa. For several months before his death, he has been
struggling with his health. Ultimately, he lost the battle against his failing
body and died at his home amongst family. "He is now resting," said South
African President Jacob Zuma. "He is now at peace." The president called Nelson
Mandela's death "The moment of our greatest sorrow."
The former South African president is well known for the 27 years he spent in prison after being convicted of treason by the white government. He then brought an end to white rule through negotiation after his release from prison in 1990. He served one term as president in South Africa and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The anti-apartheid icon was a here to both blacks and white, alike. He was often called the "moral compass" of the nation as they tried to move past the days of segregation. He did not only serve South Africa, but also the rest of the world. He was a voice for developing countries. Nelson Mandela was critical of U.S.. President George W. Brush's decision to go to war with Iraq in 2003. He accused him of "wanting to plunge the world into a Holocaust." In 2004, at 86 years old, he retired from public life to spend more time with his family. The "Legendary Stature" that Nelson Mandela enjoyed for much of his life was very much deserved, wrote the New York Times in an editorial following his death.
In the final months of his life, Mandela was fighting against multiple health issues including a lung infection. He was receiving home-based medical care for the last three months of his life. Since he was released from the hospital a few months ago, his status has remained critical but stable. Mandela will receive a full state funeral. Flags will be flown at half-mast. In a celebration of International Nelson Mandela Day, Latin Times has collected ten facts about the life an legacy of Mandela to not only remember him in death but celebrate his life's work.
1. Nelson Mandela was born in Mvezo, Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918. He has 5 children, Zindziswa, Zenani, Makgatho, Makaziwe, and Madiba Thembekile.
2. Nelson Mandela's birth name is Rolihlahla Dalibhunga Mandela, he was given the name 'Nelson' by a school teacher. He is also referred to as "Madiba," which is his traditional clan name.
3. Mandela is referred to as "the world's most famous political prisoner" and "South Africa's Great Black Hope."
4. Mandela studied at the University of South Africa, where he earned a degree in Law in 1942. Ten year later in 1952, Mandela opened the first black law partnership in South Africa with his friend, Oliver Tambo.
5. Mandela was the president of the ANC Youth League and also in 1952 he lead the Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws, a program of nonviolent mass resistance.
6. Mandela served 27 years in prison, first on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. An international campaign lobbied for his release, which was granted in 1990.
7. Once released for prison in 1990, Mandela worked to eradicate apartheid and in 1994 he became the first black president of South Africa. Mandela formed a multi-ethnic government, which oversaw South Africa as it transitioned into The Government of National Unity.
8. Mandela won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize in Norway, shortly after receiving the Liberty Medal from US President Bill Clinton.
9. Mandela found Gandhi his role model. According to some, Mandela is like Mahatma Gandhi, a statesman of international repute and a man whose belief in non-violence impressed the whole nation.
10. Mandela retired in June of 1999, he sought a quiet family life, and divided his time between Johannesburg and Qunu.
The former South African president is well known for the 27 years he spent in prison after being convicted of treason by the white government. He then brought an end to white rule through negotiation after his release from prison in 1990. He served one term as president in South Africa and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The anti-apartheid icon was a here to both blacks and white, alike. He was often called the "moral compass" of the nation as they tried to move past the days of segregation. He did not only serve South Africa, but also the rest of the world. He was a voice for developing countries. Nelson Mandela was critical of U.S.. President George W. Brush's decision to go to war with Iraq in 2003. He accused him of "wanting to plunge the world into a Holocaust." In 2004, at 86 years old, he retired from public life to spend more time with his family. The "Legendary Stature" that Nelson Mandela enjoyed for much of his life was very much deserved, wrote the New York Times in an editorial following his death.
In the final months of his life, Mandela was fighting against multiple health issues including a lung infection. He was receiving home-based medical care for the last three months of his life. Since he was released from the hospital a few months ago, his status has remained critical but stable. Mandela will receive a full state funeral. Flags will be flown at half-mast. In a celebration of International Nelson Mandela Day, Latin Times has collected ten facts about the life an legacy of Mandela to not only remember him in death but celebrate his life's work.
1. Nelson Mandela was born in Mvezo, Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918. He has 5 children, Zindziswa, Zenani, Makgatho, Makaziwe, and Madiba Thembekile.
2. Nelson Mandela's birth name is Rolihlahla Dalibhunga Mandela, he was given the name 'Nelson' by a school teacher. He is also referred to as "Madiba," which is his traditional clan name.
3. Mandela is referred to as "the world's most famous political prisoner" and "South Africa's Great Black Hope."
4. Mandela studied at the University of South Africa, where he earned a degree in Law in 1942. Ten year later in 1952, Mandela opened the first black law partnership in South Africa with his friend, Oliver Tambo.
5. Mandela was the president of the ANC Youth League and also in 1952 he lead the Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws, a program of nonviolent mass resistance.
6. Mandela served 27 years in prison, first on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. An international campaign lobbied for his release, which was granted in 1990.
7. Once released for prison in 1990, Mandela worked to eradicate apartheid and in 1994 he became the first black president of South Africa. Mandela formed a multi-ethnic government, which oversaw South Africa as it transitioned into The Government of National Unity.
8. Mandela won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize in Norway, shortly after receiving the Liberty Medal from US President Bill Clinton.
9. Mandela found Gandhi his role model. According to some, Mandela is like Mahatma Gandhi, a statesman of international repute and a man whose belief in non-violence impressed the whole nation.
10. Mandela retired in June of 1999, he sought a quiet family life, and divided his time between Johannesburg and Qunu.
And here are some comments of people about Nelson Mandela :
MK Rabbi Dov Lipman (Yesh Atid), who participated in the official Israeli
delegation to Mandela’s funeral in South Africa, began the program by reading
quotes by Mandela. “Mandela said that ‘resentment is like drinking poison and
then hoping it will kill your enemies,’” Lipman read. “Mandela had many
opportunities to spark violence. As a leader, he chose peace.”
Sisa Ngombane, South Africa’s Ambassador to Israel, rose through the ranks of the ANC. In 1990, when the ANC was unbanned, Ngombane was the party’s deputy chief representative to Zambia. He spoke fondly and with sincere humor about Mandela who, he said, had been his mentor and guide. He mentioned Mandela’s love of children and, with a knowing smile, added that Mandela had always had “an eye for beautiful women.”
He was, Ngombane said, “a full human being. He was humble and had a sense of humor and great wit. He was an icon of leadership that was crafted by charisma, dignity and understated genius.”
Nicholas Wolpe is the founder and CEO of the Liliesleaf Trust. The organization preserves the farm where many of the ANC activists who were forced to go underground, including Mandela, hid and were subsequently arrested, tried and sent to jail.
Wolpe was one of many of the panelists who spoke about the 1993 assassination of Chris Hani, one of the anti-apartheid movement’s most charismatic leaders and a probable heir to Mandela, by white extremists who opposed the dismantling of apartheid. His murder sparked rioting in South Africa.
The country’s blacks, Wolpe said, felt they “wanted to rampage through the country with machetes, while whites braced for attacks.”
It was then, Ngombane said, that Mandela called on the entire nation, white and black, to reject violence and hatred, and thus saved South Africa from the convulsive violence that could have destroyed it.
Eid concluded by saying that the lesson of Mandela’s life is the lesson of leadership and the role of the people.
“If Nelson Mandela were to come back today, he would cry for us all, in Gaza and Sderot,” Eid said. “The South African people deserved Mandela. We, the peoples on both sides, must also make ourselves worthy of great leaders.”
* Source :
Sisa Ngombane, South Africa’s Ambassador to Israel, rose through the ranks of the ANC. In 1990, when the ANC was unbanned, Ngombane was the party’s deputy chief representative to Zambia. He spoke fondly and with sincere humor about Mandela who, he said, had been his mentor and guide. He mentioned Mandela’s love of children and, with a knowing smile, added that Mandela had always had “an eye for beautiful women.”
He was, Ngombane said, “a full human being. He was humble and had a sense of humor and great wit. He was an icon of leadership that was crafted by charisma, dignity and understated genius.”
Nicholas Wolpe is the founder and CEO of the Liliesleaf Trust. The organization preserves the farm where many of the ANC activists who were forced to go underground, including Mandela, hid and were subsequently arrested, tried and sent to jail.
Wolpe was one of many of the panelists who spoke about the 1993 assassination of Chris Hani, one of the anti-apartheid movement’s most charismatic leaders and a probable heir to Mandela, by white extremists who opposed the dismantling of apartheid. His murder sparked rioting in South Africa.
The country’s blacks, Wolpe said, felt they “wanted to rampage through the country with machetes, while whites braced for attacks.”
It was then, Ngombane said, that Mandela called on the entire nation, white and black, to reject violence and hatred, and thus saved South Africa from the convulsive violence that could have destroyed it.
Eid concluded by saying that the lesson of Mandela’s life is the lesson of leadership and the role of the people.
“If Nelson Mandela were to come back today, he would cry for us all, in Gaza and Sderot,” Eid said. “The South African people deserved Mandela. We, the peoples on both sides, must also make ourselves worthy of great leaders.”
* Source :
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