Nelson Mandela

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

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

Unlike some politicians, I can admit to a mistake.

Unlike some politicians, I can admit to a mistake.

How can I be expected to believe that this same racial discrimination which has been the cause of so much read more

How can I be expected to believe that this same racial discrimination which has been the cause of so much injustice and suffering right through the years, should now operate here to give me a fair and open trial?....consider myself neither morally nor legally obliged to obey laws made by a Parliament in which I am not represented. That the will of the people is the basis of the authority of government, is a principle universally acknowledged as sacred throughout the civilized world.

As a leader... I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to read more

As a leader... I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my own opinion. Oftentimes, my own opinion will simply represent a con-sensus of what I heard in the discussion. I always remember the axiom: 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 they are being directed from behind.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects read more

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