Madiba

A great icon has left us yesterday, Nelson Mandela, or Madiba (his Xhosa clan name) as he is lovingly called. Somebody who went to jail a hotheaded young man, and came out 27 years later a changed man, serene, mature. “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew that if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.” This forgiving attitude towards his oppressors and drive to unite the beautiful country of South Africa, made him the great inspiration everyone looks up to. He created a Rainbow nation, a united South Africa. The movie Invictus shows how wonderfully he united all South Africans through sport, by hosting the Rugby World Cup and inspiring the players to play the best they can.

The former South African President did many remarkable things in his time on this Earth, not the least of which was filling us with optimism and inspiring us all to become better humans. His wisdom lives eternal. Here are some of his inspirational quotes…

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

“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.”

“I hate race discrimination most intensely and in all its manifestations. I have fought it all during my life; I fight it now, and will do so until the end of my days.”

“After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”

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

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

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

“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.”

“A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of.”

“Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.”

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

“The journey’s never long when freedom’s the destination”

Nelson Mandela was a legendary freedom fighter, the first democratically elected South African State President and a Noble Peace Prize winner. And yesterday, at age 95, he took the last step on his long walk to his final freedom. Rest in peace, Madiba. Hamba kakuhle, Tata…