Any man that tries to rob me of my dignity…

Any man that tries to rob me of my dignity will lose.

Sourced, Long Walk to Freedom
(1995)

Other Nelson Mandela Quotes

I explained to the crowd that my voice was hoarse from a cold and that my physician had advised me not to attend. “I hope that you will not disclose to him that I have violated his instructions,” I told them. I congratulated Mr. de Klerk for his strong showing. I thanked all those in the ANC and the democratic movement who had worked so hard for so long. Mrs. Coretta Scott King, the wife of the great freedom fighter Martin Luther King Jr., was on the podium that night, and I looked over to her as I made reference to her husband’s immortal words.
“This is one of the most important moments in the life of our country. I stand here before you filled with deep pride and joy–pride in the ordinary, humble people of this country. You have shown such a calm, patient determination to reclaim this country as your own, and now the joy that we can loudly proclaim from the rooftops — Free at last! Free at last! I stand before you humbled by your courage, with a heart full of love for all of you.” - View Quote Details on I explained to the crowd that my voice was hoarse…
That was one of the things that worried me — to be raised to the position of a semi-god — because then you are no longer a human being. I wanted to be known as Mandela, a man with weaknesses, some of which are fundamental, and a man who is committed, but, nevertheless, sometimes fails to live up to expectations. - View Quote Details on That was one of the things that worried me —…
The sight of wounded and whipped Zulus, mercilessly abandoned by their British persecutors, so appalled him that he turned full circle from his admiration for all things British to celebrating the indigenous and ethnic. He resuscitated the culture of the colonized and the fullness of Indian resistance against the British; he revived Indian handicrafts and made these into an economic weapon against the colonizer in his call for swadeshi — the use of one’s own and the boycott of the oppressor’s products, which deprive the people of their skills and their capital. - View Quote Details on The sight of wounded and whipped Zulus, mercilessly abandoned by…
Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. - View Quote Details on Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You…
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. - View Quote Details on The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling,…
I cannot conceive of Israel withdrawing if the Arab states do not recognize Israel, within secure borders. - View Quote Details on I cannot conceive of Israel withdrawing if the Arab states…
I must deal immediately and at some length with the question of violence. Some of the things so far told to the Court are true and some are untrue. I do not, however, deny that I planned sabotage. I did not plan it in a spirit of recklessness, nor because I have any love of violence. I planned it as a result of a calm and sober assessment of the political situation that had arisen after many years of tyranny, exploitation, and oppression of my people by the Whites. - View Quote Details on I must deal immediately and at some length with the…
We are both humbled and elevated by the honour and privilege that you, the people of South Africa, have bestowed on us, as the first President of a united, democratic, non-racial and non-sexist government.
We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom
We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success.
We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world.
Let there be justice for all.
Let there be peace for all. - View Quote Details on We are both humbled and elevated by the honour and…
The people of South Africa have spoken in these elections. They want change! And change is what they will get. Our plan is to create jobs, promote peace and reconciliation, and to guarantee freedom for all South Africans. - View Quote Details on The people of South Africa have spoken in these elections…
It’s a tragedy what is happening, what Bush is doing. All Bush wants is Iraqi oil. There is no doubt that the U.S. is behaving badly. Why are they not seeking to confiscate weapons of mass destruction from their ally Israel? This is just an excuse to get Iraq’s oil. - View Quote Details on It’s a tragedy what is happening, what Bush is doing…