18 Nelson Mandela Quotes to Improve Your Life

Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, Nobel Prize winner and anti-Apartheid icon passed away at the age of 95. There are very few people in history who have made such an impact as Mandela had.

After 27 years of unjust imprisonment, Bill Clinton remembers Mandela telling him: “I realized they could take every single thing away from me except my mind and my heart. Those things I would have to give them. And I decided not to give them away.'”

There are countless reasons to remember the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, but three things, in particular, resonate within me:

1. Resilience and attitude in the face of unthinkable adversity
2. The value of every single living being
3. Forgiveness

Few of us will confront the challenges that Mandela faced (27 years of unjust imprisonment), yet we certainly will all face challenges of our own – in our personal and professional lives. We can learn courage and clarity through Mandela’s example and words.

Nelson Mandela is an inspiration to all; let his words ring loudly:

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18 Nelson Mandela Quotes That Will Change Your Life

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

2. “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.”

3. “It always seems impossible until its done.”

'It always seems impossible until its done.' Nelson Mandela Click to Tweet

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

5. “Let your greatness bloom.”

6. “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 heart than its opposite.”

7.  “Once a person is determined to help themselves there is nothing that can stop them.”

8. “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 humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.

9. “Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.”

10. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

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

'Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.' Nelson Mandela Click to Tweet

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

13. “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.”

14. “Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will.”

15. “Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.”

'Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.' Nelson Mandela Click to Tweet

16. “I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.”

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17. “A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.”

18. “When people are determined they can overcome anything.”

History will remember Mandela as one of the greatest men who ever lived – an incredible man, who changed the world for so many. His words of wisdom will remain etched in our minds forever.