Quotes to inspire and reflect

A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don't have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial, and uninformed.

I hate race discrimination most intensely and in all its manifestations. I have fought it all during my life; I fight it now, and will do so until the end of my days.

Like the gardener, a leader must take responsibility for what he cultivates; he must mind his work, try to repel enemies, preserve what can be preserved, and eliminate what cannot succeed.

As a leader, one must sometimes take actions that are unpopular, or whose results will not be known for years to come.

There are times when a leader must move out ahead of the flock, go off in a new direction, confident that he is leading his people the right way.

A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.

You’re playing small does not serve the world. Who are you not to be great?

It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.

Whatever position I occupied, it was the result of colleagues - of my comrades in the movement - who had decided in their wisdom to use me for the purpose of focusing the attention of the country and the international community on me.

Lead from the front — but don t leave your base behind

I am the captain of my soul.

Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.

As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself... Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.

I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.

Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.

When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace.

Quitting is leading too.

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

Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.

In the absence of these safeguards the phrase 'equality before the law', in so far as it is intended to apply to us, is meaningless and misleading.

I stand here before you not as a prophet, but as a humble servant of you, the people.

Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is people who have made poverty and tolerated poverty, and it is people who will overcome it. And 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.

In its proper meaning equality before the law means the right to participate in the making of the laws by which one is governed, a constitution which guarantees democratic rights to all sections of the population, the right to approach the court for protection or relief in the case of the violation of rights guaranteed in the constitution, and the right to take part in the administration of justice as judges, magistrates, attorneys-general, law advisers and similar positions.

In countries where innocent people are dying, the leaders are following their blood rather than their brains.

We fought injustice wherever we found it, no matter how large, or how small, and we fought injustice to preserve our own humanity.

Where globalization means, as it so often does, that the rich and powerful now have new means to further enrich and empower themselves at the cost of the poorer and weaker, we have a responsibility to protest in the name of universal freedom.

If the United States of America or Britain is having elections, they don't ask for observers from Africa or from Asia. But when we have elections, they want observers.

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?

Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all. Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves.

For a revolution is not just a question of pulling a trigger; its purpose is to create a fair just society.

When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.

In my country we go to prison first and then become President.

Especially for those of us who lived in single cells, you had the time to sit down and think, and we discovered that sitting down just to think is one of the best ways of keeping yourself fresh and able, to be able to address the problems facing you, and you had the opportunity, also, of examining your past.

Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.

Our daily deeds as ordinary South Africans must produce an actual South African reality that will reinforce humanity's belief in justice, strengthen its confidence in the nobility of the human soul, and sustain all our hopes for a glorious life for all.

Even if you have a terminal disease, you don't have to sit down and mope. Enjoy life and challenge the illness that you have.

We tried in our simple way to lead our life in a manner that may make a difference to those of others.

The task at hand will not be easy, but you have mandated us to change South Africa from a land in which the majority lived with little hope, to one in which they can live and work with dignity, with a sense of self-esteem and confidence in the future.

It is a simple tale, but its message is an enduring one: virtue and generosity will be rewarded in ways that one cannot know.

I never lost hope that this great transformation would occur.

Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place.

I dream of the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent

I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself.

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.

Forget the past.

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.

It was not lack of ability that limited my people, but lack of opportunity