Nelson Mandela: A Life from Beginning to End (History of South Africa)

by Hourly History

“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.” —Nelson Mandela

“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

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela

“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” —Nelson Mandela

“To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.” —Nelson Mandela

“As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world. None of us can truly rest.” —Nelson Mandela

Mandela himself was arrested in 1960 and would spend five months in prison without being charged with a crime. It was this devastating response to what had been peaceful protests that convinced Mandela that peaceful marches and demonstrations weren’t going to work against such an authoritarian regime. After he got out of jail, he changed his tactics and went underground. He had now been forced to become what he was accused of—a revolutionary figure hellbent on taking down an unjust regime.

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

It was on February 11, 1990, that Nelson Mandela finally gained his freedom after 27 years behind bars.

“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.” —Nelson Mandela