Nelson Mandela

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

The ANC will not abandon the armed struggle until the government agrees to negotiate a political settlement.

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.

We must strive to be the architects of a better future.

The struggle is my life.

It is not the kings and generals that make history, but the masses of the people.

A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.

It is in the character of men to rise above the challenges that confront them.

I am fundamentally an optimist. Weather that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping your head pointed toward the sun, your feet moving forward.

The cell is an ideal place to learn to know yourself, to learn to face your fears, to learn to control your emotions.

I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made mistakes along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.

I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.

The oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed.

It is not the colour of the skin nor the texture of the hair that determines the quality of a man, but the quality of his heart.

I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination.

Man's goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.

We must strive to live together in peace and harmony.

A critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy.

We understand that there is no easy road to freedom. We know that every step of the way will be fraught with difficulties.

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice.