8 Nelson Mandela Quotes That Inspire Me Every Day

1) "It always seems impossible until it's done."

Quote from a 2001 speech delivered by Nelson Mandela.

2) "Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."

Excerpt from the documentary "Mandela" (1994).

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

This quote comes from a speech Nelson Mandela gave when he launched the Children's Fund in South Africa in May 1995.

4) "I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

Excerpt from the documentary "Mandela" (1994).

5) "For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

Excerpt from Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela.

6) "There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered."

Excerpt from Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela.

7) "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Quote from a 2003 speech that Nelson Mandela delivered to the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

8) "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead."

From a speech in celebration of the 90th birthday of Walter Sisulu, a fellow anti-Apartheid activist.

Inspired to walk in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela on a trip to South Africa? South Africa’s History & Heritage features unforgettable experiences including a walk to freedom tour, a visit to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, and a moving tour of the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg."