Music is a great blessing. It has the power to elevate and liberate us. It sets people free to dream. It can unite us to sing with one voice. Such is the value of music.

We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.

Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.

I have found Jews to be more broad-minded than most whites on issues of race and politics, perhaps because they themselves have historically been victims of prejudice.

Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.

Education has become a very powerful weapon in the struggle to produce a well-developed person.

Even behind prison walls I can see the heavy clouds and the blue sky over the horizon.

We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference.

I cannot overemphasise the value we place on a free, independent and outspoken press.

There will be life after Mandela. On my last day I want to know that those who remain behind will say: 'The man who lies here has done his duty for his country and his people.'

It is wise to persuade people to do things and make them think it was their own idea.

If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America.

I could not imagine that the future I was walking toward could compare in any way to the past that I was leaving behind.

Running taught me valuable lessons. In cross-country competition, training counted more than intrinsic ability, and I could compensate for a lack of natural aptitude with diligence and discipline. I applied this in everything I did.

Together as a nation, we have the obligation to put sunshine into the hearts of our little ones. They are our precious possessions. They deserve what happiness life can offer.

Justice and I became friends, though we were opposites in many ways - he was extroverted, I was introverted; he was lighthearted, I was serious.

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

There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.

Each of us, as citizens, has a role to play in creating a better world for our children.

Other people have qualities that may be better than your own. Let them express them.

Once a person is determined to help themselves, there is nothing that can stop them.

It is my greatest wish that the Children’s Fund should continue to be a beacon of hope and light.

Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon.