We owe our children – the most vulnerable citizens in any society – a life free from violence and fear.
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Freedom brings appreciation for life's simple pleasures often taken for granted.
This quote by Nelson Mandela emphasizes the profound appreciation for small personal freedoms that many might overlook. After experiencing confinement, even the simplest actions, like taking a walk or choosing to speak, become sources of joy and freedom, highlighting the significance of autonomy and the human spirit's resilience.
Themes
FreedomAppreciationSmall ThingsControlPersonal Autonomy
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about human rights, one might quote Mandela to emphasize the importance of freedom.
More from Nelson Mandela
All quotes →What 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
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
From the beginning, Mandela and Tambo was besieged with clients. We were not the only African lawyers in South Africa, but we were the only firm of African lawyers. For Africans, we were the firm of first choice and last resort.
Nelson MandelaRead
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