It never hurts to think too highly of a person; often they become ennobled and act better because of it.
Nelson MandelaThe relations between a man and his or her god is a personal matter; you can't go out and challenge the belief of people in a superior being.
Nelson MandelaIt is also the fate of leadership to be misunderstood. It is a grave error for any leader to be oversensitive in the face of criticism, to conduct discussions as if he or she is a schoolmaster talking to less informed and inexperienced learners.
Nelson MandelaI found solitary confinement the most forbidding aspect of prison life. There is no end and no beginning; there is only one's mind, which can begin to play tricks. Was that a dream or did it really happen? One begins to question everything.
Nelson MandelaBut the human body has an enormous capacity for adjusting to trying circumstances. I have found that one can bear the unbearable if one can keep one's spirits strong even when one's body is being tested. Strong convictions are the secret of surviving deprivation; your spirit can be full even when your stomach is empty.
Nelson Mandela