Wise Quotes by Nelson Mandela, First Elected South African President

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as the President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was born on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, a small village in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Mandela was the son of Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, a chief of the Thembu people, and Nosekeni Fanny, a member of the Xhosa people.

Mandela grew up in a rural area and received his primary education from a local Methodist school. He later attended the University of Fort Hare, where he studied law and became involved in political activism. In 1944, he joined the African National Congress (ANC), a political party that fought against racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa.

Mandela's leadership of the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), led to his arrest and imprisonment for 27 years on charges of sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government. He was incarcerated on Robben Island, a notorious prison off the coast of Cape Town, where he spent the majority of his sentence.

During his time in prison, Mandela became an international symbol of the struggle against apartheid. He was released in 1990, and after the fall of apartheid, he became the President of South Africa in the country's first fully democratic election in 1994. Mandela's presidency was marked by his efforts to promote reconciliation between South Africa's different racial groups and to improve the lives of the country's poor and marginalized populations.

Mandela's legacy as a political leader and human rights activist is widely recognized throughout the world. He is remembered for his commitment to nonviolence, his tireless work for social justice and human rights, and his ability to bring together people from diverse backgrounds in pursuit of a common goal. He passed away on December 5, 2013, at the age of 95.

 

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Quotes by Nelson Mandela

• Forget the past.
• My son has died of AIDS.
• By ancestry, I was born to rule.
• There is no such thing as part freedom.
• We can't afford to be killing one another.
• It always seems impossible until it's done.
• You know, you can only lead them from behind.
• Give a child love, laughter and peace, not AIDS.
• Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.
• If you are poor, you are not likely to live long.
• Unlike some politicians, I can admit to a mistake.
• I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself.
• Nonviolence is a good policy when the conditions permit.
• Money won't create success, the freedom to make it will.
• I have been influenced in my thinking by both west and east.
• In my country we go to prison first and then become President.
• Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.
• No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated.
• A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.
• When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat.

 

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