Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
July 18th 1918 – December 5th 2013
On courage, from his autobiography:
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. I felt fear myself more times than I can remember, but I hid it behind a mask of boldness. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
On facing the death penalty, Nelson Mandela spoke from the dock at the culmination of the Rivonia Trial in April 1964:
“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to see realised. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
On his trademark African shirts, August 1995:
“Archbishop Tutu and I discussed this matter. He said to me: ‘Mr President, I think you are going well in everything except the way you dress.’ ‘Well,’ I said to the Archbishop, whom I respect very much, I said, ‘Well, let’s not enter a discussion where there can be no solution’.”
The Incisal Edge 