Mandela: dít het hy gesê

Madiba met ‘n eksemplaar van die “Authorised book of Quotations” Foto: nelsonmandela.org

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” – Nelson Mandela tydens Walter Sisulu se negentigste verjaardagvieringe op18 Mei 2002.

“One of the advantages of old age is that people respect you just because of your grey hair and say all manner of nice things about you that are not based on who you really are.” – Nelson Mandela tydens sy tagtigste verjaardagvieringe op 19 Julie 1998.

“We defeated apartheid because the people of our country decided to work together rather than destroy one another and in the process destroy our entire country.” – Nelson Mandela tydens die bekendstelling van die 46664-veldtog op 28 November 2003.

“Blaming things on the past does not make them better.” – Nelson Mandela by Rolihlahla primêre skool op 30 Augustus 1996.

“Difficulties break some men but make others. No axe is sharp enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying, one armed with the hope that he will rise even in the end.” – Nelson Mandela in ‘n brief aan sy voormalige vrou Winnie op 1 Februarie 1975 terwyl hy tronkstraf op Robbeneiland uitgedien het.

“One of the most difficult things is not to change society – but to change yourself.” Nelson Mandela in ‘n onderhoud met John Battersby wat op 10 Februarie 2000 in The Christian Science Monitor gepubliseer is.

“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” – Nelson Mandela in ‘n brief aan Fatima Meer op 1 Januarie 1976 terwyl hy tronkstraf op Robbeneiland uitgedien het.

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” – Nelson Mandela tydens die bekendstelling van die Nelson Mandela Kinderfonds op 8 Mei 1995.

Nelson Mandela Foto van die webwerf http://seopp.co.za

“One of the most important lessons I learnt in my life of struggle for freedom and peace is that in any conflict there comes a point when neither side can claim to be right and the other wrong, no matter how much that might have been the case at the start of the conflict.” – Nelson Mandela tydens die ondertekening van die Geneve-ooreenkoms in Desember 2003.

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. I felt fear myself more times than I can remember, but I hid it behind a mask of boldness. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Uit Nelson Mandela se outobiografie Long Walk To Freedom.

“It is a fact of the human condition that each shall, like a meteor, a mere brief passing moment in time and space, flit across the human stage and pass out of existence. Even the golden lads and lasses, as much as the chimney sweepers, come, and tomorrow are no more.” – Nelson Mandela tydens ‘n toespraak op 26 Junie 1990.

“Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.” Uit The Documentary, Mandela, 1996.

“People must be allowed to determine their own destiny.” – Nelson Mandela tydens ‘n onderhoud by sy huis in Soweto op 14 Februarie 1990.

“Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela tydens ‘n toespraak by die planetarium in Johannesburg op 16 Julie 2003.

“There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lay defeat and death.” – Uit Nelson Mandela se outobiografie Long Walk to Freedom.

“Freedom is meaningless if people cannot put food in their stomachs, if they can have no shelter, if illiteracy and disease continue to dog them.” – Nelson Mandela in ‘n onderhoud in 1994.

“Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.” – Nelson Mandela tydens die bekendstelling van die “Make Poverty History”-veldtog op 3 Februarie 2005.

“Honour belongs to those who never forsake the truth even when things seem dark and grim, who try over and over again, who are never discouraged by insults, humiliation and even defeat.” – Nelson Mandela in ‘n brief aan sy voormalige vrou Winnie op 23 Junie 1969 terwyl hy tronkstraf uitgedien het op Robbeneiland.

“Hope is a powerful weapon and one no power on earth can deprive you of.” – Nelson Mandela in ‘n brief aan sy voormalige vrou Winnie op 23 Junie 1969 terwyl hy tronkstraf uitgedien het op Robbeneiland.

“It is not at all correct to elevate any human being to the position of a god.” – Nelson Mandela tydens ‘n onderhoud by sy huis in Soweto in Februarie 1990.

‘n 19-jarige Mandela met sy eerste pak Foto: SA History Online

“Because when you speak a language, English, well many people understand you, including Afrikaners, but when you speak Afrikaans, you know you go straight to their hearts.” Nelson Mandela tydens ‘n onderhoud met Richard Stengel op 29 April 1993.

“Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry or savour their songs.” – Uit Nelson Mandela se outobiografie Long Walk to Freedom.

“Men and women, all over the world, right down the centuries, come and go. Some leave nothing behind, not even their names. It would seem they never existed at all.” – Nelson Mandela, Circa, 1998.

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” – Nelson Mandela tydens die negentigste verjaardagvieringe van Walter Sisulu op 18 Mei 2002.

“You have to carefully choose the opportunity and make sure that history would be on your side.” – Nelson Mandela in ‘n onderhoud met Richard Stengel op 5 April 1993.

“Wounds which cannot be seen are more painful than the ones that you can see which can be cured by a doctor.” – Nelson Mandela tydens ‘n besoek aan Robbeneiland op 11 Februarie 1994.

“All men, even the most seemingly cold-blooded, have a core of decency, and that if their hearts are touched, they are capable of changing.” – Uit Nelson Mandela se outobiografie Long Walk To Freedom.

“Religion is about mutual love and respect for one another and for life itself. It is about the dignity and equality of humankind made in the image of God.” – Nelson Mandela tydens ‘n onderhoud met Charles Villa-Vicencio in 1993.

“My wish is that South Africans never give up on the belief in goodness, that they cherish that faith in human beings as a cornerstone of our democracy.” – Nelson Mandela tydens ‘n gesamentlike sitting van die parlement op 10 Mei 2004.

“A good pen can also remind us of the happiest moments in our lives, bring noble ideas into our dens, our blood and our souls. It can turn tragedy into hope and victory.” – Nelson Mandela in ‘n brief aan sy dogter Zindzi op 10 Februarie 1980 terwyl hy tronkstraf op Robbeneiland uitgedien het.

BRON: Nelson Mandela By Himself: The Authorised Book of Quotations