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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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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
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Arguments

More quotes by Nelson Mandela

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The titanic effort that has brought liberation to South Africa, and ensured the total liberation of Africa, constitutes an act of redemption for the black people of the world.
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The death sentence is a barbaric act . . . It is a reflection of the animal instinct still in human beings.
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No single person can liberate a country. You can only liberate a country if you act as a collective.
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When I walked out of the gate I knew that if I continued to hate these people I was still in prison.
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I admire young people who are concerned with the affairs of their community and nation perhaps because I also became involved in struggle whist I was still at school.
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I detest racialism, because I regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man or a white man.
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The curious beauty about African music is that it uplifts even as it tells a sad story.
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In prison, illusions can offer comfort.
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There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.
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Our children are the rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation
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The Good News borne by our risen Messiah who chose not one race, who chose not one country, who chose not one language, who chose not one tribe, who chose all of humankind!
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Why is it that in this courtroom I face a white magistrate, am confronted by a white prosecutor and escorted into the dock by a white orderly? Can anyone honestly and seriously suggest that in this type of atmosphere the scales of justice are evenly balanced?
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If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
Nelson Mandela
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With freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk has not ended yet.
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Let us not be tempted by those who try to find the unique qualities in a particular group. In this case, among South Africa indigenous people, it reflected what has been evidenced throughout the world.
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Now we are in the second term of the government of a united nation and the government has done very well. One thing they have done, one thing people could not be blind to, was the achievement this government has made in giving human beings dignity, which they did not enjoy before. They now have dignity.
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As long as many of our people still live in utter poverty, as long as children still live under plastic covers, as long as many of our people are still without jobs, no South African should rest and wallow in the joy of freedom.
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There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere.
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There's no such thing as part freedom.
Nelson Mandela
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The victory of democracy in South Africa is the common achievement of all humanity.
Nelson Mandela