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I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances.

Nelson Mandela

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Nelson Mandela
Age: 95 †
Born: 1918
Born: July 18
Died: 2013
Died: December 5
Autobiographer
Former President Of South Africa
Lawyer
Political Activist
Political Prisoner
Politician
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
Mandela
Prisoner 46664
Madiba
Become
Men
Messiah
Fulfillment
Extraordinary
Ordinary
Circumstances
Leader

More quotes by Nelson Mandela

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We, the people of South Africa, declare for all our country and the world to know: That South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of the people.
Nelson Mandela
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It is a grave error for any leader to be oversensitive in the face of criticism
Nelson Mandela
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Although I am a gregarious person, I love solitude even more.
Nelson Mandela
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I would like to be remembered not as anyone unique or special, but as part of a great team in this country that has struggled for many years, for decades and even centuries. The greatest glory of living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall.
Nelson Mandela
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Courage is not the absence of fear — it s inspiring others to move beyond it.
Nelson Mandela
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No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated.
Nelson Mandela
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Individuals get caught up in the policy of their country. In prison, for instance, a warden or officer is not promoted if he doesn't follow the policy of the government - though he himself does not believe in that policy.
Nelson Mandela
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There is nothing to popularize a person. Only humility, which is the ability to remain in the background and to put others in the front light.
Nelson Mandela
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There is little favorable to be said about poverty, but it was often an incubator of true friendship. Many people will appear to befriend you when you are wealthy, but precious few will do the same when you are poor. If wealth is a magnet, poverty is a kind of repellent. Yet, poverty often brings out the true generosity in others.
Nelson Mandela
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To a freedom fighter hope is what a lifebelt is to a swimmer - a guarantee that one will keep afloat and free from danger.
Nelson Mandela
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I like a leader who can, while pointing out a mistake, bring up the good things the other person has done. If you do that, then the person sees that you have a complete picture of him. There is nobody more dangerous than one who has been humiliated, even when you humiliate him rightly.
Nelson Mandela
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I have always endeavoured to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my own opinion.
Nelson Mandela
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I went as an observer, not a participant, for I do not think that I ever spoke. I wanted to understand the issues under discussion, evaluate the arguments, see the calibre of the men involved.
Nelson Mandela
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It's not our weaknesses that frighten us. It's our strengths.
Nelson Mandela
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I realized that they could take everything from me except my mind and my heart. They could not take those things. Those things I still had control over. And I decided not to give them away.
Nelson Mandela
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I cannot conceive of Israel withdrawing if Arab states do not recognize Israel, within secure borders.
Nelson Mandela
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Sometimes strident, often tender, never afraid and seldom without humour, Desmond Tutu's voice will always be the voice of the voiceless.
Nelson Mandela
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The most difficult matter is not so much to change the world as yourself.
Nelson Mandela
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There are many people who have worked just because they love the community in which they are in, without expecting any financial consideration.
Nelson Mandela
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We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.
Nelson Mandela