Forgiveness and reconciliation are not just ethereal, spiritual, other-worldly activities. They have to do with the real world. They are realpolitik, because in a very real sense, without forgiveness, there is no future.

When a pile of cups is tottering on the edge of the table and you warn that they will crash to the ground, in South Africa you are blamed when that happens.

We are going to have to be very careful that we give people the hope that freedom is actually better than unfreedom.

We are given an autonomy and the real autonomy... and God would much rather we went freely to hell than compel us to go to heaven.

Being formed into a nation takes some doing.

Just as I need other human beings in order to learn from them, so I also need their trust. If we aren't aware of that, if we fail to take it to heart and instead betray other people's trust, things will go badly with us.

Forgiveness is not generally something that you find as a coin to be used by politicians.