Nelson Quotes

• I think the most moving part of my trip [to Africa] so far was seeing 92-year-old Nelson Mandela, and just thinking about his life. This man has lived through a struggle that few nations have known.

  Michelle Obama

  Struggle, Moving, Men

  FaceBook post by Michelle Obama from Jun 24, 2011

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• There were only 3 people that I wanted to meet in life, Nelson Mandela was one of them. What a life, what a journey, what a man. Thank you for passing this way! God bless your resting soul!

  Tyler Perry

  Journey, Men, People

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• Nelson Mandela was one of the most influential people in my life. He was my hero, my friend, and also a companion to me in our fight for the people and for world peace. Let us all continue his legacy with purpose and passion.

  Pele

  Hero, Passion, Fighting

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• What an honor it was to step into the shoes of Nelson Mandela and portray a man who defied odds, broke down barriers, and championed human rights before the eyes of the world.

  Idris Elba

  Eye, Men, Shoes

  "Harvey Weinstein and Idris Elba React to Nelson Mandela’s Passing". www.indiewire.com. December 5, 2013.

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• I knew that one movie could either kill my career or give birth to it. It's the same thing with Nelson. If you fail at Nelson [movie about nelson Mandela], you don't get to comeback and say, 'Well, I was trying. Let me do it again.' There are no re-takes.

  Terrence Howard

  Careers, Giving, Trying

  Source: www.gq.com

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• Nelson Mandela was a man of incomparable honor, unconquerable strength, and unyielding resolve---a saint to many, a hero to all who treasure liberty, freedom and the dignity of humankind.

  Morgan Freeman

  Hero, Men, Honor

  "Actors who played Nelson Mandela react to news of his death". www.foxnews.com. December 6, 2013.

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• We have a revolutionary history to honor and uphold. Which was what Nelson Mandela did. He reminded us of that which we need to be reminded, over and over again, about our own best selves.

  Charlie Pierce

  Self, Honor, Needs

  "Amandla" by Charlie Pierce, www.esquire.com. December 6, 2013.

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• It was wicked meeting Nelson Mandela.

  Rio Ferdinand

  Wicked, Meetings

  "Strachan Muscles in to Play Cameo Role in England Soap". www.telegraph.co.uk. May 22, 2003.

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• It's a blessing that South Africa has a man like Nelson Mandela.

  Desmond Tutu

  Blessing, Men, South

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• I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there was a gun in my hand and he was standing in front of me, I would not shoot him. This is the compassion I have learned from Mohammed, the prophet of mercy, Jesus Christ and Lord Buddha. This the legacy of change I have inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
  This is the philosophy of nonviolence that I have learned from Gandhi, Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa. And this is the forgiveness that I have learned from my father and from my mother. This is what my soul is telling me: be peaceful and love everyone.

  Malala Yousafzai

  Mother, Jesus, Kings

  "Malala Yousafzai: 'Our books and our pens are the most powerful weapons'". Speech at the United Nations, www.theguardian.com. July 12, 2013.

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• I'm inspired by people like Nelson Mandela. Can you imagine - you know how racist America was back then - imagine how racism was in South Africa when he had to stand up and say what he had to say. That's bravery beyond comprehension.

  Nas

  America, Racism, People

  Source: www.cnn.com

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• Nelson Mandela sat in a South African prison for 27 years. He was nonviolent. He negotiated his way out of jail. His honor and suffering of 27 years in a South African prison is really ultimately what brought about the freedom of South Africa. That is nonviolence.

  Coretta Scott King

  Jail, Years, Suffering

  Source: www.pbs.org

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• Leaving golf aside for the moment, I'd choose Roger Federer as a sporting role model, Muhammad Ali for a sporting and non-sporting role model and Nelson Mandela as a true and lasting inspiration.

  Rory McIlroy

  Inspiration, Golf, Role Models

  Source: www.bbc.co.uk

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• Everybody when they saw it, they said, "Did Willie Nelson sign your hat?" I'd say, "No, that'd be Willie Knucklehead - Robertson, OK?" We were at an event for the fans and I took my hat off and set it down on the couch, and he signed it. I said, "What are you doing, idiot?" He said, "Look, I was in the zone, and you just happened to put your hat in my zone."

  Si Robertson

  Events, Knuckleheads, Fans

  Source: www.gq.com

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• I've tended to lean more toward the Dalai Lama and people like Russell Means who have been my political and spiritual North Stars, but I certainly regard Nelson Mandela with great respect and humility.

  Ian Astbury

  Spiritual, Stars, Humility

  "Ian Astbury on the Death of the Rock Star". Interview with Mick Stingley, www.esquire.com. December 27, 2013.

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• Peace on earth and good will toward men - that is something we need to work on. Like Nelson Mandela, we should learn from him.

  Ian Astbury

  Men, Needs, Earth

  "Ian Astbury on the Death of the Rock Star". Interview with Mick Stingley, www.esquire.com. December 27, 2013.

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• Speaking from memory, I don't know how many points Nelson Piquet has.

  Murray Walker

  Memories, Racing, Having Fun

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• I'm a guy whose first motion picture experience was seeing Ridley Scott glide past on a camera on a hundred and fifty million dollar film, and prep two movies, and there is no way to overstate that when you've worked with Ridley, it's like having been a quarterdeck lieutenant to Lord Nelson.

  William Monahan

  Past, Two, Guy

  Source: collider.com

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• Nelson Mandela was a towering figure in our time; a legend in life and now in death - a true global hero.

  David Cameron

  Hero, Legends, Figures

  "Nelson Mandela: world leaders mourn inspirational figure" by Conal Urquhart, Dan Roberts, Paul Lewis, Kim Willsher, www.theguardian.com. December 6, 2013.

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• Nelson Mandela once remarked that he befriended his jailers, those grim, khaki-clad overseers of his decades of hard labor in a limestone quarry, by "exploiting their good qualities." Asked if he believed all people were kind at their core, he responded, "There is no doubt whatsoever, provided you are able to arouse their inherent goodness." If that sounds like wishful thinking, well, he actually did it.

  Marc Ian Barasch

  Life, Thinking, Compassion

  Marc Ian Barasch (2010). “The Compassionate Life: Walking the Path of Kindness”, p.11, ReadHowYouWant.com

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• My job is not done. I address my songs now to the third world. I am popular all over Asia and Africa and the Middle East, not to speak of South Africa, where I'm trying to go to see Nelson Mandela.

  Nina Simone

  Song, Jobs, Singing

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• I remember my emotions the day we watched Nelson Mandela walk out of prison Writing & literature in South Africa during the anti-apartheid years, became a 'cultural weapon.' You had to use it to fight apartheid & some of us resisted that in the end, you recognize that you are facing a government that has no scruples about using culture & art to oppress you.

  Achmat Dangor

  Art, Writing, Fighting

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• No one in my family had ever attended school [...] On the first day of school my teacher, Miss Mdingane, gave each of us an English name. This was the custom among Africans in those days and was undoubtedly due to the British bias of our education. That day, Miss Mdingane told me that my new name was Nelson. Why this particular name I have no idea.

  Nelson Mandela

  Teacher, School, Names

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• You'd hear Willie Nelson, then Earth, Wind & Fire, then Chicago, then Billy Joel on the same radio station. Nowadays, everything is compartmentalized.

  Brian McKnight

  Fire, Wind, Chicago

  "5 questions for Brian McKnight". Interview with Aidin Vaziri, www.houstonchronicle.com. August 16, 2016.

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• I waited, and I’m sure Elvis did too, for each Ricky Nelson record like we would a Chuck Berry record or a Fats Domino record, to see what was going on. I used to say to some of the guys that Ricky Nelson learned to sing on million selling records.

  Roy Orbison

  Guy, Records, Berries

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