Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

Famous Quotes by Nelson Mandela

Long speeches, the shaking of fists, the banging of tables and strongly worded resolutions out of touch with objective conditions do not bring about mass action and can do a great deal of harm to the organisation and the struggle we serve.
Presidential Address to the ANC Transvaal Congress, also known as the ‘No Easy Walk To Freedom’ Speech, Transvaal, South Africa, on 21 September 1953

Difficulties break some men but make others. No axe is sharp enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying, one armed with the hope that he will rise even in the end.
From a Letter To Winnie Mandela, written on Robben Island, 1 February 1975

I have never regarded any man as my superior, either in my life outside or inside prison.
From a Letter to General Du Preez, Commissioner Of Prisons, written on Robben Island, Cape Town, South Africa, 12 July 1976

I had no specific belief except that our cause was just, was very strong and it was winning more and more support.
Robben Island, Cape Town, South Africa, 11 February 1994

A critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy. The press must be free from state interference. It must have the economic strength to stand up to the blandishments of government officials. It must have sufficient independence from vested interests to be bold and inquiring without fear or favour. It must enjoy the protection of the constitution, so that it can protect our rights as citizens.
At The International Press Institute Congress, 14 February 1994

Those who conduct themselves with morality, integrity and consistency need not fear the forces of inhumanity and cruelty.
At the British Red Cross Humanity Lecture, Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, London, England, 10 July 2003

Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.
At Chief Albert Luthuli Centenary Celebrations, KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal, 25 April 1998, South Africa

It is in the character of growth that we should learn from both pleasant and unpleasant experiences.
Foreign Correspondents’ Association ’s Annual Dinner, Johannesburg, South Africa, 21 November 1997

From Nelson Mandela By Himself :

The Authorised Book of Quotations

List of Honors and Awards Achieved by Nelson Mandela :

Nelson Mandela has received more than 1,000 awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize and the US Congressional Medal. He was bestowed with hundreds of honorary degrees, citizenships and memberships of organizations. More than 43 sports-related honors and awards, 8 student union honors and awards, and 138 honorary degrees have been conferred on Nelson Mandela. More than 170 civic honors, freedoms of cities/towns, and honorary citizenships have also been given to Nelson Mandela.

Many streets and buildings in the world have been named after him. More than 43 schools, universities and other educational institutions, more than 15 bursaries, scholarships and foundations, and more than 38 awards and events have been named after Nelson Mandela. In all, more than 1,340 awards and tributes were received by Mandela during his lifetime.

Several countries and institutions accorded Mandela their highest awards and honors. Ranked at the top is the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, which he won jointly with the then South Africa President, FW de Klerk at Oslo, Norway.

• In 1979, he won the Jawaharlal Nehru award for International Understanding from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, India.
• In 1981 at Vienna, he was chosen by a panel of international judges for the Bruno Kreisky Award for merit in the field of human rights.
• On July 24th, 1983 – the 200th anniversary of the birth of Simón Bolívar – Mandela jointly won UNESCO’s first Simon Bolivar International Prize along with King Juan Carlos of Spain at a ceremony in Caracas, Venezuela.
• In 1984, the Playa Giron Award, was awarded to Mandela by Fidel Castro in Cuba.
• Mandela was awarded the Star of International Friendship by the German Democratic Republic on August 27, 1984.
• In 1985, the Third World Prize, awarded annually by the London-based Third World Foundation for Social and Economic Studies, was won by Nelson and Winnie Mandela jointly.
• Again in 1985, he got the Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize by Human Rights Institute of The Bar of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.
• In 1986, he was awarded the W.E.B. DuBois International Medal by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); the Alfonso Comin Foundation Peace Award in Barcelona, Spain; the International Peace and Freedom Award by the Workers International Centre, Stockholm Sweden, and awarded, jointly with Winnie Mandela, the Third World Prize by the Strategic and International Studies Group of Malaysia.
• In 1987, he was given the Bremen Solidarity Prize by Federal Republic of Germany, the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, awarded the Medal of Peace by the People of Lefkada, Greece, and the United Nations Human Rights Fourth Award on 10 December.
• Other awards included the Tipperary Peace Committee, Ireland Peace Prize in 1989; the Lenin Peace Prize for 1990 – for which he was the last-ever recipient, and India’s highest civilian and most prestigious award, Bharat Ratna in October. He was accorded the Dr António Agostinho Neto Order – the highest honor of the People’s Republic of Angola; the ‘Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’, Lagos, and awarded the Al-Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights in Tripoli, Libya – all in 1990.
• In 1991, he was awarded with the Carter-Menil Human Rights Prize and UNESCO’s Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize.
• In 1992, he was presented with the Freedom of Miami Beach Medallion of Honor, in Johannesburg; Pakistan conferred him the Nishan-e-Pakistan title; and he received the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation, Oviedo, Spain and the “Spirit of Liberty” award at the “People for the American Way” award ceremony. He also received the Isitwalandwe Medal from the ANC and was awarded the Atatürk International Peace Prize by Turkey, which he refused, citing human rights violations committed by Turkey during that time.
• In 1993, apart from the Nobel Peace Prize, he won the J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding in Washington, D.C and named as Person of the Year by Time Magazine, along with F. W. de Klerk, Yasser Arafat, and Yitzhak Rabin.
• Notable amongst the honors which he was bestowed with, in 1994, were the Hunger Project’s 8th annual Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger, London; the Anne Frank medal for human rights and tolerance in Johannesburg; the Sheikh Yusuf Peace Award from the Muslim Women’s Federation; the Arthur A Houghton Star Crystal Award for Excellence from the African-American Institute; the Olympic Gold Order from International Olympic Committee president, Juan Antonio Samaranch at Cape Town; the Man of the Year Award from the Greek Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Southern Africa, Johannesburg, and the “Commonwealth Champion of Health” medal, received by South African athletes at the Commonwealth Games, Canada.
• In 1995, Mandela received the Africa Peace Award – sponsored jointly by the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Durban and the Harvard Business School Statesman of the Year Award . The Human Rights Institute was launched in London by the International Bar Association, with President Mandela as its honorary chairman.
• In 1996, Mandela received the Indira Gandhi Award for International Justice and Harmony bestowed. Award received by Justice Minister Dullah Omar in New Delhi, India in January; the World Citizenship Award of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts; the U Thant Peace Award bestowed by Sri Chinmoy; created as the Knight of the Order of the Elephant by the Danish Queen Margrethe II, Copenhagen; and, awarded the National Order of Mali (Grande Croix), Mali’s highest decoration, Bamako.
• In 1997, amongst the various honors, Nelson Mandela’s former house in Soweto, Johannesburg, was converted to the Mandela Family Museum.
• In 1998, he was awarded Honorary Doctorate by Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal, Washington and appointed as an Honorary Companion of the Order of Canada by the Governor General of Canada on behalf of the Queen of England in September.
• In 1999, Mandela was given the Oneness-Peace Earth-Summit-Transcendence-Fragrance Award, Pretoria; he received the Golden Medal of the City of Amsterdam, Netherlands; Ukraine’s Highest Decoration – the First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise – in Cape Town; received Jesse Owens Global Award in Johannesburg; presented with the Temple of Understanding Annual Award to Religious and Political Leaders for Outstanding Service to Humanity in Cape Town; the Gandhi-King Award by the World Movement for Nonviolence at the World Parliament of Religions; and importantly, listed as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century by Time magazine.
• In 2000, Mandela was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws by Trinity College, Dublin; received the World Methodist Peace Award, in London and the International Freedom Award, Memphis, Tennessee in November.
• In 2001, he received the International Gandhi Peace Prize, Presidential Palace, New Delhi; the Human Rights Lifetime Achievement award by the SA Human Rights Commission, Johannesburg;
• In 2002, among other awards, Mandela received the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Freedom Medal, Middelburg, The Netherlands; the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian award, by George W. Bush, Washington, USA; and also awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal from Canada.
• In 2004 and 2005, he was again listed as one of the 100 most influential people of 2004 and 2005 by Time Magazine.
• In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly recognized his efforts by declaring Mandela’s birthday, 18 July, as ‘Mandela Day’ marking his contribution to world freedom.
• In 2012, Mandela received the Canadian version of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal amongst other honors.