Nelson Mandela Quotes

Nobody's free until everybody's free.

No people will be truly free until all are free.

Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free.

If one of us is chained, none of us are free...

Until we are all free, we are none of us free.

The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free.

Friends, Comrades and fellow South Africans. I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom for all. I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands.

For you in the West to hear the phrase 'All men are created equal' is to draw a yawn. For us, it's a miracle. We're starting out at rock bottom, man. But South Africa does have soul.

For as long as I can remember, I've always been interested in issues of social justice, political freedom, and civil rights.

Much depends upon us for the help of our color—more than many are aware. If we are lazy and idle, the enemies of freedom plead it as a cause why we ought not to be free … by such conduct we strengthen the hands of oppression and keep many in bondage …. I entreat you to consider the obligations we lie under ….

Oppression costs the oppressor too much if the oppressed stand up and protest.

No man can be fully free while his neighbor is not.

Yet she's only as rich as the poorest of the poor Only as free as a padlocked prison door Only as strong as our love for this land Only as tall as we stand!

It takes all sorts of people to come together to fight tyranny. It's not about one race anymore.

We are one people, and we cannot let the power of darkness or Power, Priviledge, and Control - destroy the Light.

Fear is the greatest form of oppression. The best way to rise up in protest is to live your life to its fullest!

There is no power in the world that can stop the forward march of free men and women when they are joined in the solidarity of human brotherhood.

The suffering of our people is greater than our differences. We are not yet free at last, so there is work to be done.

Subjection of any kind and in any place is beneath the dignity of man ... the highest joy is to fight by the side of those who for any reason of their own making or ours, are unable to develop to full human stature.

I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.

No one is free until we are all free.

They tell me: If you see a slave sleeping, do not wake him lest he be dreaming of freedom. I tell them: If you see a slave sleeping, wake him and explain to him freedom.

We say no to the peace that keeps us on our knees, no to the peace that keeps us in chains, no to the false peace that denies the values and contributions of our peoples.

We cannot guarantee the human rights of any oppressed group alone.

I'm not going to sit around and be peace and love with somebody's boot on my neck.