This week I have been reflecting on the life of Nelson Mandela in preparation for an article heralding his legacy for Gale. I came across these quotes that are worth reflecting on, even if you’ve read them before. RIP Nelson Mandela.

Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.

Child beggar, Haridwar, India.

Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom. Of course the task will not be easy. But not to do this would be a crime against humanity, against which I ask all humanity now to rise up.

Old man in the streets of Fes, Morocco.

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.

School children, Mussoorie, India.

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

Railway coolies, Punjab, India.

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

Roads in Mongolia.

If there are dreams about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal. Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness.

Walking into clouds, Nepal.

Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.

A sunset in Pamukkale, Turkey.

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

Friendly tractor drivers, Vietnam.

To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.

Bread seller, Istanbul, Turkey.

Where globalization means, as it so often does, that the rich and powerful now have new means to further enrich and empower themselves at the cost of the poorer and weaker, we have a responsibility to protest in the name of universal freedom.

Old man, near Saharanpur, India.

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