Nelson Mandela

Africans require, want, the franchise on the basis of one man one vote. They want political independence.

Nelson Mandela

AIDS is no longer just a disease, it is a human rights issue.

Nelson Mandela

AIDS today in Africa is claiming more lives than the sum total of all wars, famines and floods and the ravages of such deadly diseases as malaria… We must act now for the sake of the world.

Nelson Mandela

Although I am a gregarious person, I love solitude even more.

Nelson Mandela

An educated, enlightened and informed population is one of the surest ways of promoting the health of a democracy.

Nelson Mandela

An initiative was essentially led by civil society because the policy of the government was that Africans must not be taught to graze in pastures which were reserved for the main white group.

Nelson Mandela

An organisation can only carry out its mandate if there is discipline, and where there is no discipline there can be no real progress

Nelson Mandela

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Nelson Mandela

Artists reach areas far beyond the reach of politicians. Art, especially entertainment and music, is understood by everybody, and it lifts the spirits and the morale of those who hear it.

Nelson Mandela

As an attorney, I could be rather flamboyant in court. I did not act as though I were a black man in a white man’s court, but as if everyone else – white and black – was a guest in my court. When trying a case, I often made sweeping gestures and used high-flown language.

Nelson Mandela