I detest racialism because I regard it as a barbaric…

I detest racialism because I regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man or a white man.

Sourced, Long Walk to Freedom
(1995)

Other Nelson Mandela Quotes

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…
You may succeed in delaying, but never in preventing the transition of South Africa to a democracy. - View Quote Details on You may succeed in delaying, but never in preventing the…
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…
Huge crowds! The day when Nelson Mandela was duly inaugurated the first democratically elected president of South Africa… And you sat there, and you looked at the benches of the newly elected legislators, and there were all these “terrorists” — as they had been regarded by the former apartheid government. And there they were sitting. Many had been on Robben Island, in exile, many had been tortured. Many of us kept having to pinch ourselves to say, “No, man, I am dreaming.” - View Quote Details on Huge crowds! The day when Nelson Mandela was duly inaugurated…
Gandhi himself never ruled out violence absolutely and unreservedly. He conceded the necessity of arms in certain situations. He said, “Where choice is set between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence… I prefer to use arms in defense of honor rather than remain the vile witness of dishonor…” - View Quote Details on Gandhi himself never ruled out violence absolutely and unreservedly. He…
No one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens but its lowest ones. - View Quote Details on No one truly knows a nation until one has been…
I really wanted to retire and rest and spend more time with my children, my grandchildren and of course with my wife. But the problems are such that for anybody with a conscience who can use whatever influence he may have to try to bring about peace, it’s difficult to say no. - View Quote Details on I really wanted to retire and rest and spend more…
No one is born hating another person because of the colour 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. - View Quote Details on No one is born hating another person because of the…
Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated. - View Quote Details on Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts…
You will notice that France, Germany Russia, China are against this decision. It is clearly a decision that is motivated by George W. Bush’s desire to please the arms and oil industries in the United States of America. If you look at those factors, you’ll see that an individual like myself, a man who has lost power and influence, can never be a suitable mediator. - View Quote Details on You will notice that France, Germany Russia, China are against…