Archives

“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.” ~ Nelson Mandela

“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.” ~ Nelson Mandela

“One of the things I learned when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself, I could not change others.” ~ Nelson Mandela

“Where you stand depends on where you sit.” ~ Nelson Mandela

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

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.” ~ Nelson Mandela

“I’ve never had a single moment of depression, because I know my cause will triumph.” ~ Nelson Mandela

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

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” ~ Nelson Mandela

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

“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.” ~ Nelson Mandela

“And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom

“True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.” ~ Seneca

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” ~ Epictetus