Great Throughts Treasury

This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.

Nelson Mandela, fully Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

South African President, Anti-Apartheid Activist, Leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress, Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

"A political movement must keep in touch with reality and the prevailing conditions. Long speeches, the shaking of fists, the banging of tables, and strongly worded resolutions out of touch with the objective conditions do not bring about mass action and can do a great deal of harm to the organization and the struggle we serve."

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall"

"I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended."

"The time to build is upon us."

"There is no easy road to freedom."

"We speak here of the challenge of the dichotomies of war and peace, violence and non-violence, racism and human dignity, oppression and repression and liberty and human rights, poverty and freedom from want."

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

"A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special."

"I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. 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."

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered."

"Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front."

"Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies."

"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. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended."

"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."

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."

"The first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself... Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility."

"When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw."

"One of the things I learned when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself, I could not change others."

"Courage is not the absence of fear — it s inspiring others to move beyond it."

"Where you stand depends on where you sit."

"Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."

"It is said that 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."

"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."

"After climbing a great hill, one finds there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk has not yet ended."

"I am the captain of my soul."

"Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom."

"Appearances matter — and remember to smile."

"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."

"As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same"

"Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation"

"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."

"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

"Quitting is leading too."

"When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat."

"You will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution."

"I had no epiphany, no singular revelation, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand slights, a thousand indignities and a thousand unremembered moments produced in me an anger, a rebelliousness, a desire to fight the system that imprisoned my people. There was no particular day on which I said, Henceforth I will devote myself to the liberation of my people; instead, I simply found myself doing so, and could not do otherwise."

"Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me."

"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."

"Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer."

"One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen."

"We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right."

"The brave man is not the one who has no fears, he is the one who triumphs over his fears."

"It is not where you start but how high you aim that matters for success."

"A winner is a dreamer who never gives up."

"A new society cannot be created by reproducing the repugnant past, however refined or enticingly repackaged."

"I have never cared very much for personal prizes. A person does not become a freedom fighter in the hope of winning awards."

"Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savor their songs."