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Famous quoteEducation is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. Thebrave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanitywas sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.

A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you addto that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.

It always seems impossible until it's done.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way thatrespects and enhances the freedom of others.

Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.

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

I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.

I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have mademissteps 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 takena moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me,to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, forwith freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is n

ot ended.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every timewe fall.

There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.

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

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If youtalk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.

No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heartthan its opposite.

As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have

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an impact on society if you have not changed yourself... Great peacemakers areall people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.

Where you stand depends on where you sit.

One of the things I learned when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself, I could not change others.

I am the captain of my soul.

Courage is not the absence of fear it s inspiring others to move beyond it.

As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew ifI didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.

It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails.A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.

After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.

Appearances matter and remember to smile.

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. Sometimes it falls on a generationto 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 todo the same.

A leader. . .is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along theyare being directed from behind.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabu

lous? Actually, who are you not to be?

Nothing is black or white.

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

A winner is a dreamer who never gives up

Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people were the chains on allof them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me.

Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation

You will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution.

During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. 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 whichI am prepared to die.

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One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen.

Quitting is leading too.