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The death sentence is a barbaric act . . . It is a reflection of the animal instinct still in human beings.

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
Still
Sentence
Human
Sentences
Humans
Reflection
Instinct
Beings
Animal
Death
Stills
Barbaric

More quotes by Nelson Mandela

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The United States of America is a threat to world peace. Because what [America] is saying is that if you are afraid of a veto in the Security Council, you can go outside and take action and violate the sovereignty of other countries. That is the message they are sending to the world. That must be condemned in the strongest terms.
Nelson Mandela
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Home is home even for those who aspire to serve wider interests and who have established their home of choice in distant regions.
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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I love playing and chatting with children...feed ing and putting them to bed with a little story, and being away from the family has troubled me throughout my...life.
Nelson Mandela
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We slaughter one another in our words and attitudes. We slaughter one another in the stereotypes and mistrust that linger in our heads, and the words of hate we spew from our lips.
Nelson Mandela
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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.
Nelson Mandela
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To truly lead one's people, one must also truly know them.
Nelson Mandela
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One effect of sustained conflict is to narrow our vision of what is possible. Time and time again, conflicts are resolved through shifts that were unimaginable at the start.
Nelson Mandela
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Know your enemy - and learn about his favorite sport.
Nelson Mandela
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We must work together to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth, opportunity and power in our society.
Nelson Mandela
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South Africans have no concept of time and this is also why we can't solve poverty and social problems… It's now 10 years since the fall of the Apartheid government and we cannot blame Apartheid for being tardy.
Nelson Mandela
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We have introduced equity into our life, including a uniform educational system. We have also introduced a Bill of Rights, which is not just a piece of paper, but a living document because we have created structures that are totally independent of the government and that can overrule the government, even the president.
Nelson Mandela
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We need a fundamental change of mindset with regards to the way we speak and behave about sex and sexuality. Boys and men have a particularly critical role in this regard, changing the chauvinist and demeaning ways sexuality and women were traditionally dealt with in both our actions and speaking.
Nelson Mandela
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I will use the rest of my life to help the poor overcome the problems confronting them - poverty is the greatest challenge facing humanity. That is why I build schools I want to free people from poverty and illiteracy.
Nelson Mandela
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If there are dreams about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal. Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness.
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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If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.
Nelson Mandela
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For me, survival is the ability to cope with difficulties, with circumstances, and to overcome them.
Nelson Mandela
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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.
Nelson Mandela
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The collapse of good conscience and the absence of accountability and public scrutiny have led to crimes against humanity and violations of international law.
Nelson Mandela