Nelson Mandela Biography Quotes 31 Report mistakes

Early Life and Family Background
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in the village of Mvezo, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, into the Thembu royal lineage of the Xhosa-speaking peoples. His father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, served as a local chief and counselor to the Thembu regent, and his mother was Nosekeni Fanny. The name "Rolihlahla" loosely translates from isiXhosa as "troublemaker". As a boy, he moved to Qunu and later to Mqhekezweni, where, after his father's death, he was raised under the guardianship of the Thembu regent, Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo. A teacher gave him the English name "Nelson" on his first day of school, reflecting a colonial-era practice.

Education and Political Awakening
Mandela attended mission schools and then Healdtown (a Wesleyan college) before enrolling at the University College of Fort Hare, a key institution for Black South Africans. Suspended for participating in a student protest, he left Fort Hare and eventually moved to Johannesburg, where he completed a B.A. via the University of South Africa (UNISA). He studied law at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he encountered an interracial circle of students and activists and experienced entrenched racism in professional and academic settings. Though he did not complete his law degree at Wits, he later earned an LLB through UNISA in 1989 while imprisoned.

In 1944 he joined the African National Congress (ANC) and co-founded the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) with peers such as Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo. The ANCYL pushed the ANC toward mass, militant, nonviolent resistance to white minority rule.

Law Practice and Rise in the ANC
In the early 1950s, Mandela and Oliver Tambo opened Mandela & Tambo Attorneys, one of the first Black law firms in South Africa, providing legal aid to Black clients who otherwise faced discrimination in the courts. Mandela rose quickly in the ANC, helping lead the 1952 Defiance Campaign against apartheid laws and playing a key role in the formation of a more disciplined, cell-based movement (the "M-Plan"). He helped guide the adoption of the Freedom Charter in 1955, a visionary document asserting equality and nonracial democracy.

The apartheid state responded with repression. Mandela and many others were arrested and tried for treason in a prolonged case starting in 1956. He was acquitted in 1961, but by then the political terrain had shifted dramatically.

Resistance, Underground Work, and Umkhonto we Sizwe
After the 1960 Sharpeville massacre and the banning of the ANC and Pan Africanist Congress, Mandela went underground. Initially committed to nonviolence, he and other leaders concluded that armed resistance was necessary in the face of unyielding state violence. In 1961 he helped co-found Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK, "Spear of the Nation"), the ANC's armed wing, which embarked on a campaign of sabotage against state infrastructure, deliberately avoiding loss of life where possible. Mandela traveled clandestinely, raising funds and receiving military training, earning the moniker the "Black Pimpernel" for his ability to evade authorities.

Arrest, Trials, and Imprisonment
Mandela was arrested in 1962, initially sentenced for leaving the country without a passport and incitement. In 1963, police raided MK's hideout at Rivonia, discovering documents outlining plans for sabotage and guerrilla warfare. Mandela and his co-accused, including Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Ahmed Kathrada, and others, faced the Rivonia Trial. In April 1964, Mandela delivered his famous "I am prepared to die" statement, defending the moral necessity of resistance to apartheid. Convicted of sabotage and conspiracy, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 1964.

Mandela spent 18 years on Robben Island, where he did hard labor in a limestone quarry, helped organize education for prisoners, and maintained morale and discipline. In 1982 he was transferred to Pollsmoor Prison and later to Victor Verster (now Drakenstein) Prison. Though isolated, he remained a unifying figure and began discreet talks with the government. He refused conditional offers of release that demanded he renounce armed struggle without political reforms.

Negotiations and Release
As internal unrest grew and international sanctions intensified, the apartheid government under President F.W. de Klerk moved to negotiate. On February 11, 1990, Mandela was released after 27 years behind bars; bans on the ANC and other organizations were lifted. Mandela became the ANC's deputy president (and later president) and led talks to end apartheid, navigating factional violence, mistrust, and sabotage attempts by right-wing elements and political rivals. Despite episodes like the Boipatong massacre (1992) and the assassination of ANC leader Chris Hani (1993), Mandela appealed tirelessly for calm and unity, helping keep the country on the path to democracy.

Transition to Democracy and Presidency (1994–1999)
South Africa held its first universal suffrage elections in April 1994. The ANC won a commanding victory, and Mandela was inaugurated as the country's first Black president on May 10, 1994. He led a Government of National Unity that included the ANC, the National Party, and the Inkatha Freedom Party. Mandela appointed F.W. de Klerk and Thabo Mbeki as his deputies, symbolizing a transition aimed at reconciliation as well as reform.

Governance, Reconciliation, and Policy
Mandela championed national reconciliation grounded in accountability. His government established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to investigate apartheid-era crimes and offer conditional amnesty in exchange for full disclosure. While controversial, the TRC helped the nation confront its past.

His administration pursued social and economic redress through the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), expanding access to housing, water, electrification, health care, and education. Economic policy later shifted toward stabilization and growth through the Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) framework in 1996. Policies supporting affirmative action and the early foundations of Black economic empowerment sought to undo structural inequalities. Symbolically, Mandela's support for the national rugby team during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, memorably appearing in the Springbok jersey alongside captain Francois Pienaar, became a powerful gesture of nation-building.

Foreign Relations and Global Standing
Internationally, Mandela cultivated a foreign policy anchored in human rights and multilateralism, while honoring ties to countries and leaders who had supported the anti-apartheid struggle. He maintained relationships with figures such as Fidel Castro, Muammar Gaddafi, and Yasser Arafat, positions that drew criticism in the West but reflected his movement's history. He mediated in regional conflicts, including early efforts in Burundi, and increased South Africa's role in the African Union and the Non-Aligned Movement.

Mandela received numerous honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize (1993, shared with F.W. de Klerk), the Lenin Peace Prize (1990), the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought (1988), India's Bharat Ratna (1990), an honorary Canadian citizenship (2001), and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom (2002).

Personal Life
Mandela married Evelyn Ntoko Mase in 1944; they had four children, including Thembekile and Makgatho, and daughters Makaziwe (who died in infancy) and a second Makaziwe. The couple divorced in 1958. He then married Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in 1958; they had two daughters, Zenani and Zindzi. Their marriage endured long separations and political pressures; it ended in divorce in 1996 amid personal and political controversies. In 1998, he married Graça Machel, a Mozambican humanitarian and widow of former Mozambican President Samora Machel.

Mandela's clan name, Madiba, became an affectionate honorific across South Africa. He was also known as "Tata" (father). He authored the autobiography Long Walk to Freedom (1994), later followed by works such as Conversations with Myself (2010). His prison number, 466/64, inspired the 46664 campaign to combat HIV/AIDS, a cause he championed especially after his son Makgatho died of AIDS-related illness in 2005.

Later Years and Legacy
After serving a single presidential term, Mandela stepped down in 1999, reinforcing a vital norm of democratic succession. He founded the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, focusing on memory, dialogue, children's rights, and social justice. In 2007, alongside Graça Machel and Desmond Tutu, he helped launch The Elders, a group of global leaders devoted to conflict resolution and ethical governance.

Mandela died on December 5, 2013, at his home in Johannesburg, aged 95, from complications of a lung infection. His memorial drew leaders and mourners from around the world, and he was laid to rest in Qunu. His legacy endures as a symbol of principled leadership, moral courage, and the possibility of reconciliation without forgetting justice.

Selected Figures Around Mandela
- Walter Sisulu: Mentor and ANC stalwart; key organizer from the 1940s; Rivonia co-accused.
- Oliver Tambo: Close friend and law partner; ANC president in exile; diplomatic architect of international anti-apartheid solidarity.
- Ahmed Kathrada, Govan Mbeki, Denis Goldberg, Raymond Mhlaba, Elias Motsoaledi, Andrew Mlangeni: Rivonia co-accused and fellow prisoners.
- Winnie Madikizela-Mandela: Second wife and prominent anti-apartheid activist; later censured by the TRC for abuses linked to her entourage.
- Thabo Mbeki: Deputy president and Mandela's successor as South African president; central to economic policy and diplomacy in the 1990s.
- F.W. de Klerk: Last apartheid-era president; partner in negotiations; co-recipient of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize; served as deputy in the Government of National Unity.
- Desmond Tutu: Archbishop who chaired the TRC; moral voice for human rights and reconciliation.
- Joe Slovo and Ruth First: Influential activists and intellectuals in the ANC/SACP alliance; Slovo's "sunset clauses" concept helped frame the transition.
- Cyril Ramaphosa: Chief ANC negotiator during constitutional talks; later president of South Africa.
- Chris Hani: Influential ANC and MK leader; his 1993 assassination nearly derailed the transition; Mandela's appeals helped preserve calm.
- Francois Pienaar: Captain of the Springboks in 1995; his rapport with Mandela symbolized national unity.
- Graça Machel: Mandela's third wife; humanitarian and advocate for children and women; co-founder of The Elders.

Significance
Mandela's life traced a remarkable arc: from rural Thembu traditions to urban legal practice, from nonviolent protest to armed resistance, from prisoner to president, and finally to global elder statesman. He helped dismantle a system of racial oppression and nurtured the founding of a constitutional democracy grounded in the rule of law, human dignity, and equal rights. His example continues to animate struggles for justice and reconciliation worldwide.

Our collection contains 31 quotes who is written by Nelson, under the main topics: Motivational - Wisdom - Never Give Up - Leadership - Learning.

Other people realated to Nelson: Mahatma Gandhi (Leader), Dan Rather (Journalist), Jesse Jackson (Activist), Desmond Tutu (Leader), Bono (Musician), Queen Elizabeth II (Royalty), Mangosuthu Buthelezi (Leader), Fidel Castro (Statesman), Yasser Arafat (Leader), Richard Branson (Businessman)

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