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18 Nelson Mandela Quotes That Will Remind You What A Real Leader Looks Like

Because America seems to have forgotten. 
Heidi Priebe
November 9, 2016
“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, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
Tagged: Freedom, Hatred, Biterness, forgiveness
“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.”
— Nelson Mandela, Conversations with Myself
Tagged: Pursuing Your Passion
“It always seems impossible until its done.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
Tagged: Postive, Success
“A Nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but it's lowest ones.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
“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, Long Walk to Freedom
Tagged: Hatred, Love, Mankind
“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, Long Walk to Freedom
“A leader is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
“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
“I knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed. A man who takes away another man’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred, he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else’s freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
“It was a useful reminder that all men, even the most seemingly cold-blooded, have a core of decency, and that if their heart is touched, they are capable of changing.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
“There are times when a leader must move out ahead of the flock, go off in a new direction, confident that he is leading his people the right way.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
“When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
“There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
“Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
“We fought injustice wherever we found it, no matter how large, or how small, and we fought injustice to preserve our own humanity.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom