"I do consider myself part of black history"

"We have our own history, our own language, our own culture. But our destiny is also tied up with the destinies of other people - history has made us all South Africans"

"But history is neither watchmaking nor cabinet construction. It is an endeavor toward better understanding"

"History is mostly guessing; the rest is prejudice"

"The southward advance of native African farmers with Central African crops halted in Natal, beyond which Central African crops couldn't grow - with enormous consequences for the recent history of South Africa"

"The 4th Amendment and the personal rights it secures have a long history. At the very core stands the right of a man to retreat into his own home and there be free from unreasonable governmental intrusion"

"I don't compete with other discus throwers. I compete with my own history"

"I take office during the most difficult moment in the country's recent history. The country can be saved - it's up to us. I think it is obvious for those who support this government to undertake the commitment and ensure that our country's euro membership is not endangered"

"Sometimes history takes things into its own hands"

"We live in an era with no historical precedents. History is no longer useful as a tool in helping us understand current changes"

"Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question"