We are talking about one of the most important personalities of all time. With an exemplary life and great talent, Nelson Mandela has left us many things as a legacy, among them, inspiring phrases that can help us when we are not having a good time.

As a more than brief summary of this wonderful man, we can highlight that he lived in South Africa, was a pioneer of anti-apartheid, spent 27 years in prison, was the first black president of his country in 1994, preached for peace, racial unity and forgiveness; He worked for charity and passed away at the age of 95 in 2013.

One of the great leaders of the world who with his life has left us one of the best examples of what the fight for freedom means.

Nelson Mandela phrases to ponder

Mandela’s writing was so precise that it seems that he is speaking to us face to face. By having a more than clear philosophy of life, it was very easy for him to put what he thought on paper. Many of the phrases we collect here belong to the stage in which he was a prisoner.

Mandela’s reflections on man and death

“If I had time I would do the same again. The same thing that any man would do if he dared to call himself a man ”.

“If I have to die, I declare for all those who want to know, that I will go to meet my destiny.”

“Death is inevitable. When a man has done what he considers his duty to the people and the country, he can then rest in peace. I have made that effort and for that reason I will sleep for eternity ”.

Mandela’s reflections on his ideals

“Poverty is not something natural, it was created by man and therefore can be eradicated and overcome, through actions. Eradicating poverty is not an act of charity, but of justice ”.

“We need to place the eradication of poverty as one of the highest global priorities and be clear that we all share the same humanity, diversity is our greatest strength.”

“The support of all my dreams is the collective wisdom of humanity as a whole.” “The action of the masses has the capacity to overthrow governments.”

“We are at the dawn of the African century, the continent will occupy its rightful place among the nations of the world.”

“If the development of the African people had not been interrupted by the arrival of the whites, it would have happened the same as in Europe, but without having contact with them.”

“Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world. It is the great engine of personal development. It is with education that the daughter of a peasant can be a doctor, the son of a chief miner, or the son of an agricultural worker, the president of a nation ”.

Mandela’s reflections on life

“Something always seems impossible until it is done.”

“The glory in life does not consist in not falling, but in getting up every time we fall.”

“Do not judge me by the successes, but by the times I fell and got back up.”

“There is nothing better than returning to a place that does not seem to have changed to discover what we have changed ourselves.”

“I like friends with independent thoughts, because they make you see problems from different angles.”

“The most powerful weapon is talking to people.”

“Honesty, simplicity, sincerity, generosity without expecting anything in return, humility, a good predisposition to help others and a lack of vanity are the basis of spiritual life.”

“Forgiveness frees the soul and eliminates fear, which is why it is such a powerful weapon.”

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. Because brave is not the one who is not afraid, but the one who has conquered it ”.

“What counts in life is not the fact of having lived, but the changes we cause in the lives of others.”

Which of these Mandela phrases do you find the most beautiful and inspiring? Copy it and take it with you wherever you go!