We owe our children β the most vulnerable citizens in any society β a life free from violence and fear.
Nelson MandelaRead
AIDS is no longer just a disease, it is a human rights issue.
Interpretation
What this quote means
AIDS transcends being merely a medical condition; it fundamentally concerns the rights and dignity of affected individuals.
Nelson Mandela emphasizes that the AIDS epidemic is not only a health crisis but also fundamentally a matter of human rights. This perspective challenges societies to recognize the vulnerability of those affected and the necessity of treating them with dignity, respect, and equality, thus urging a compassionate response that goes beyond medical treatment to include societal justice.
Themes
AidsHuman RightsHealthCompassionDignity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech advocating for health equity, one may quote Mandela to highlight the importance of treating health issues as human rights.
More from Nelson Mandela
All quotes βWhat freedom am I being offered while the organization of the people remains banned? Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts.
Nelson MandelaRead
The past is a rich resource on which we can draw in order to make decisions for the future, but it does not dictate our choices. We should look back at the past and select what is good, and leave behind what is bad.
Nelson MandelaRead
We signal that good can be achieved amongst human beings who are prepared to trust, prepared to believe in the goodness of people.
Nelson MandelaRead
After one has been in prison, it is the small things that one appreciates: being able to take a walk whenever one wants, going into a shop and buying a newspaper, speaking or choosing to remain silent. The simple act of being able to control one's person.
Nelson MandelaRead
I dream of the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent. I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses.
Nelson MandelaRead
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Twenty-five million people who live in North Korea are denied freedom in every respect of their lives. In short, they are hostages. Imagine 25 million hostages.
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Extreme poverty threatens people's right to life itself and makes impossible the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms essential to a humane way of life.
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I address a strong appeal from my heart that the dignity and safety of the worker always be protected.
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All people deserve to be treated with dignity and have their human rights respected, no matter who they are or whom they love.
Hillary ClintonRead
Women's rights are nothing but a part of the bigger picture, which is human rights. Women are trusted with the lives of their kids, even serve as teachers and doctors, but they aren't trusted with their own lives.
Manal Al-SharifRead
What matters is abuse, and how it is anchored in a religion that denies women their rights as humans. What matters is that atrocities against women and children are carried out in Europe. What matters is that governments and societies must stop hiding behind a hollow pretense of tolerance so that they can recognize and deal with the problem.
Ayaan Hirsi AliRead